Chapter 15: Reach
Nick rode the elevator to his apartment's floor, leaning heavily against the paw rail. Despite having a shorter shift today, he felt exhausted. He managed to finish his paperwork on time, turned it into Chief Bogo, and helped Grizzoli finish his case as well. The fox officer wanted to return the favor by lending a helping paw to the white timberwolf for his assistance in tracking Yolanda during his own case.
Entering his apartment, he dropped off the pink cologne bottle and the bag of candy atop his coffee table and side hopped onto his large cushy couch. Nick allowed himself a nice stretch before putting his paws behind his head. Before his shift was over, his Mom called after having seen the same news article as Judy; sounding just as proud as his partner and demanding that he come visit later that night so she could cook him one of his old favorite meals to celebrate.
It made Nick smile that he had two such wonderful ladies in his life now. He owed it all to Judy that he was able to reconnect with his mother. The thought reminded him that he and Judy could finally enjoy a long overdue uninterrupted chat tonight as Nick wanted to know what his partner had been up to during the rest of her vacation.
After allowing himself a few minutes of rest, with a happy goofy grin forming on his face, Nick pushed himself off the couch and headed to his bathroom to retrieve his Mom's makeup kit. Tonight would be the perfect time to return it. Nick stopped in front of his mirror as he was reaching for a change of clothes. With a quick consideration, he smiled at himself with a wink and a playful finger gun gesture; deciding to stay in uniform. As the fox officer headed out, he shot his Mom a text that he was on his way over.
A short subway ride and a brisk trek on foot found Officer Wilde standing in front of his childhood home once more. He tapped the doorbell, announcing his arrival. Soft footsteps came rushing to the front door where his mother greeted him with wide open arms.
"Nicholas!" she exclaimed with proud glistening eyes and hugged her son tightly. "The whole neighborhood is talking about your big case! Naturally, I had to brag about my son. I may have talked your Auntie Theresa's ears off."
"Hey, Mom…" Nick chuckled, attempting to hold back a few tears of his own. Their neighbor Theresa was like family. Nick remembered when the older dhole helped babysit him after his Dad was gone.
"Come, come. I'm still preparing the food," Mrs. Wilde said, welcoming her son inside. She looked him up and down with a curious expression. "You didn't change out of your uniform?"
"Didn't feel like getting out of it," he smirked and handed over the makeup kit. "Thanks for letting me borrow this."
"You're not gonna tell me what you used this for, are you?"
"Sorry, Mom. Police business," her son winked.
Mrs. Wilde rolled her eyes and shooed him away into the living room. "Go sit. I'll get us some tea."
Nick accepted the invitation and took a seat, pulling out his phone to pass the time. Mrs. Wilde returned and paused as she walked by behind him to peek at the photo on his phone. She hadn't seen that particular picture before. It was a heartwarming photo of her son with Judy, practically cuddled up in a phone booth. Mrs. Wilde noticed her son's slight tail wag, making her smile as she rounded the sofa and set down the drinks.
"Dinner will be another five minutes, sweetheart," she informed.
"That's no problem." Nick cheerfully smiled as he put the phone on the table.
"Tell me, Nicholas. How was that case? I can't believe someone actually stole those poor rodents' homes."
Nick's ears fell flat. He leaned forward, his arms over his knees and sighed before speaking. "Wasn't easy. Just a couple of kids. One of them was a fox. You probably would've thought it was me if you had seen him on the street."
His Mom thoughtfully tilted her head, waiting for her son to continue.
"He and his best friend would get the residents to vacate and then steal the buildings in the middle of the night. They remodeled them as dollhouses to be sold in his friend's father's toy store to earn extra cash to help them pay the bills…"
"My goodness!" his Mom said, pursing her lips in a sympathetic line.
"Yeah…" Nick quietly replied.
"I know that must have been tough, sweetheart," she looked him in the eyes. "But you did the right thing. I'm proud of you. And I'm sure Judy is too."
The sound of his partner's name and the praise caused a nearly indiscernible curl of his lips. "Thanks, Mom."
"Excuse me a moment, while I go check on the food," Mrs. Wilde said as she left for the kitchen while patting her son's shoulder. She noticed his subtle sly smile at the mention of Judy's name.
Nick was alone with this thoughts again. Once again, he reached for his phone and absent-mindedly looked through a few random photos in his gallery. He was so caught up in his reverie that he didn't notice his Mom return with steaming hot plates in paw. She, however, noticed him occupying himself again by looking photos of himself and Judy.
"Here we are!" she announced, setting the plates and utensils down on the coffee table.
"Wow, Mom. You outdid yourself," Nick complimented as he eyed the home cooked meal in front of him.
Mrs. Wilde cooked an old family favorite - a thick veggie loaf filled with roasted bell peppers, sautéed creminis, asparagus, onions, and toasted walnuts, layered with tomato sauce, cheese, and sprinkled with basil. They often enjoyed this dish on Sundays together when Nick's father John was still with them.
Both foxes dug into the hearty meal. Nick couldn't help himself as he stuffed his maw with a huge mouthful. "Mmmph! Perfect."
A small tail wag of her own, Mrs. Wilde grinned and decided to make more conversation after swallowing her bite. "How's Judy doing? Have you talked to her lately?"
The elder vixen watched as her son started at the direct question.
It took a moment for Nick to finish chewing and swallow. "Oh… uh, she's fine. Chatted with her this morning. Seems to be enjoying time with her family. I even talked to one of her little sisters. Might be another cop in the making with that one."
His mom smiled at the thought. "Well, this city certainly could use more mammals like her."
"Sure could," Nick said tenderly after enjoying a sip of tea to wash the food down.
"Hmm. I noticed you have a new picture on your phone. May I see it?"
Nick hesitated for a moment before unlocking the phone and handed it over.
Mrs. Wilde took the chance to more intimately study the wallpaper picture. She could only recall a few instances in the past where her son looked as happy as he did right there being so close to Judy, who also appeared to be equally joyous if not more so. There was certainly no doubt in her mind anymore why she may never see any grandkits now; at least in the biological sense.
"This is a beautiful photo, Nicholas." Mrs. Wilde smiled sweetly, sliding the phone back over the table. She observed her son look at the picture again for a split second; a distinct gleam in his eyes. Her ear twitched at the barely audible sigh before he put the phone back into his pocket.
"You miss her, don't you sweetheart?" she asked while taking another sip of tea.
Nick had leaned on an elbow against the sofa's armrest, staring at the plate of food in front of him. The question caught him a little off guard but he didn't feel any harm in telling the truth.
"You could say that," came the reserved response.
Setting her tea down, Mrs. Wilde considered her next thought for a few moments. She looked at her son directly before speaking in a very much firm but motherly tone.
"Nicholas, do you love her?"
The sudden, blunt, and unexpected question caused Nick to sputter in place as his eyes popped. "What kind of question is that, Mom!?"
"The kind you answered with another question. And don't answer your own... I'm not some reporter," she stated.
Nick attempted to look anywhere else but at his Mom while scratching the back of his scruffy neck. "I… um…"
Mrs. Wilde continued with her tough love approach. "Nicholas, please… I'm not senile yet."
There was a heavy silence in the room for a solid Gnu York minute before Nick finally relented with a heavy sigh. "Yes… I do…"
"Does Judy know that?" she asked more gently.
"No… no, she does not," Nick whispered.
The vixen scooted closer. "May I ask why?"
The fox crossed his arms. "I… I've just been too afraid to tell her."
"I've never known you to be shy around the girls, Nicholas, even when you were a kit. I still remember that time you scribbled all over little Margaret's notebook in grade school like it was yesterday," his mother stated while gesturing out with her paw.
"Hah. Well, after the last time I thought I was in love…" Nick trailed off, a fierce scowl appearing on his face.
"Thought?" Mrs. Wilde asked, visibly surprised.
"I know you wouldn't know anything about this Mom, but two years ago…" Nick began. A faint sense of hurt appeared in his voice. "I was dating this arctic vixen named Mira. Things got pretty serious. At least for me. I actually proposed to her... "
Mrs. Wilde stopped in her tracks, mouth agape and eyes bulging at this new piece of information.
"Wanna know what her answer was?" Nick viciously sneered. His walls momentarily down. "She laughed at me. She actually laughed to my face! Like I just said the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard! So, not only did she reject me... turned out she was seeing several other todds on the side, while I thought we were exclusive."
"Oh my god, sweetheart," she whispered; standing up with both paws clutched over her aching heart. "I'm so sorry…" Mrs. Wilde gently reached out to place a comforting paw on her son's shoulder.
"I kinda gave up on the whole dating scene after that," Nick said, looking away again.
The elder vixen held steady. "Nicholas. That was a long time ago. You can't let that hold you down."
"I know, Mom." Nick said with downcast eyes. "It's just that…"
"Judy isn't Mira. I don't think for even a second that she would ever hurt you like that."
"Of course, she isn't," he huffed. "And I know that!"
"Then what's the problem?" Mrs. Wilde prodded.
"Look… I just… can't…" Nick replied, finding himself more irritated than he wanted to be. Why is she being so persistent all of a sudden?
"Why can't you?"
A silence hung in the room as Nick didn't answer, his ears remaining irritatingly flat.
"Why are you so afraid?" his mother sternly asked.
"Why?" Nick was suddenly on his feet as well, gesturing in heated emotion to the ceiling. "What if it changes everything between us? What if I lose my partner and best friend? The only real friend I've ever let get this close… I don't know if I could handle it if I told her and she didn't feel the same!"
Now it was Mrs. Wilde's turn to cross her arms and make direct eye contact. "So, you'll just choose to keep the walls up? Forever?"
Nick recrossed his arms. "If that's what it takes. Maybe after some time, I'll just stop feeling this way. Maybe she'll meet a nice bunny and this whole thing will take care of itself…"
"Nicholas…" Mrs. Wilde sighed in deep disappointment.
Silence again. Her son looked defeated; no longer wanting to continue this conversation.
Not wanting to leave it at that, his mom came closer. "Look. I won't tell you what you should or shouldn't do. That decision needs to be your own."
Refusing to return her gaze, Nick remained steadfast in his continued silence.
Mrs. Wilde gently placed a paw on her son's snout to slowly turn his face forward so she could look him in the eyes. "Sweetheart. I know life hasn't always been kind to you. But when it's finally reaching out... it would be a sin to not reach back."
She could see the glisten in Nick's eyes as her words penetrated his thoughts. His breathing became a little heavier, and she could practically feel his heart thumping a little harder as he quietly scanned her eyes.
Nick struggled to find the words. Any words.
With a gentle smile, Mrs. Wilde spoke sweetly. "I won't say anything else on the matter, Nicholas." She gingerly patted his snout. "Come finish your dinner."
Taking her usual spot on the loveseat, Mrs. Wilde picked up her plate and looked to her son to sit. After a moment, Nick finally managed to inhale some air and took a deep breath. He took a seat opposite his Mom and quietly jabbed at his food. They ate in relative silence for a few moments.
Swallowing a bite, Nick looked just about to say something finally, only to pause at the sudden vibration and ringing of his phone. Both foxes suddenly peered down at the noisy pocket, then at each other. His mother recognized the familiar oldie tune.
Between the jingle of 'Ain't She Sweet' and the look on her son's face, Mrs. Wilde formed a rather smug grin. She gestured to the phone. "What're you waiting for?"
Snapping himself back into focus, Nick fumbled to retrieve the phone out of his pocket; swiftly standing up and practically hopping on one leg. His mother couldn't help but snicker at the sight of him.
The fox managed to whip the phone out and answered, turning around to face the other direction. He pretended to go right back into Slick Nick mode. "Hey, Carrots. Just couldn't wait till tonight? Well, I can't blame you…"
With an exhale through her nose, Mrs. Wilde rolled her eyes before facepalming herself. She picked up the plates and left for the kitchen to give her son some privacy. There was a slight hesitation before Judy's voice answered through the phone speaker.
"Oh… hey, Nick…"
Huh? That's odd.
He had fully expected Judy to make a snip about his cheesy greeting but she sounded nervous; like she hadn't expected him to even answer the phone. Maybe it was just his imagination. Nick decided to ignore it for now.
"So, what are you up to, Officer Fluff? Playing more CSI: Bunnyburrow with Cotton?"
This earned a chuckle at least. "No… not exactly…"
Her reply made Nick cock an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"
"Sure is. I just wanted to tell you… that I'm coming home early."
"Really? Are you okay? Did something happen?" Nick asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
"Everything's fine, Nick." He could hear her smile. "I missed… being home…"
Nick couldn't contain his big grin. "When are you coming back?"
There was a slight hesitation. Before Judy could answer a loud fuzzy voice was heard in the background.
"Attention. Zootopia Express arriving in Savanna Central in thirty minutes."
The fox's ears perked in unison with his eyes. "Did I just hear a train conductor?"
"Yup… surprise!" Judy exclaimed. She paused a moment before adding, "I can't wait to see you, Nick."
"And he can't wait to see you either!"
Nick jumped in the air, unaware of his Mom's presence as she overheard some of their conversation. He glared at her while she snickered, placing a paw over the receiver. "Mom!"
A gasp followed by a high pitched gasp was heard through the speaker. "Wait. You're at your Mom's!?"
"Uh… sure am… I was just..."
"He was just leaving," Mrs. Wilde answered over the shoulder for him. "Hello Judy!"
"Oh… Hi Mrs. Wilde!" Judy managed to say with a happier tone. "Sorry… I didn't mean to interrupt anything…"
"You didn't, dear." Mrs. Wilde reassured the bunny.
Looking to meet his mother's eyes, Mrs. Wilde knew what her son's face was asking. The elderly vixen smiled and made shooing gestures with both her arms. Go you dummy. Go to Judy.
"Right. I was just leaving… I'll meet you at the station."
"Are… you sure? I can just…"
"I'll be there," he insisted firmly.
"Okay, Nick. I'll see you then."
"You bet," Nick said and hung up.
Pivoting on his heel, Nick met his Mom's gaze again. "Mom… about dinner…"
"Hush, Nicholas. Don't you even worry about that." Mrs. Wilde stepped forward with healthy portions of the dinner all stuffed away into a bag full of Tapirware with open arms.
"You're the best," Nick whispered as he hugged his mom.
With a quick peck on the cheek from his mom, Nick grabbed the food, ran through the living room, bolted out the front door, swung over the railing on the small set of steps, and sprinted down the sidewalk. Mrs. Wilde came out to the door and leaned against the frame with a bright smile on her snout watching her son's silhouette disappear.
"I haven't seen you run like that since the day you went to your scout initiation all those years ago…" the elderly vixen whispered to herself before closing the door.
Judy watched as her phone returned to its home screen.
The bunny had been battling with herself on whether to call Nick or simply surprise him at his doorstep. Anxiousness and perhaps not wanting to freak him out too much decided on a simple phone call as her best course of action.
She couldn't believe it. He left his Mom's to come meet me at the station!
Watching the raindrops begin to splatter on the skylight glass, Judy leaned against the paw railing in the observation deck as the train exited Tundratown and thundered into the Rainforest District, turning on the single track over the cascading waterfalls and tall trees. There was a mix of emotions bristling inside the bunny. Judy felt so happy to be seeing Nick sooner rather than later, however, guilt settled in that she accidently cut Nick's visit with his Mom short.
But Mrs. Wilde didn't seem to mind at all. And he can't wait to see you either!
This made Judy bounce on her toes. Maybe she could say something at the station. Or would that be too much? Too soon? Well, she could always just play it by ear, just to be safe.
Ugh! C'mon Judy…
She forced herself to calm down as the train rocketed to its final destination. The train swept through the last bend of the Rainforest District and passed into Downtown. Zootopia's grand skyline beamed brightly against the setting sunshine. The excitement she felt swelling through her at the moment was almost on par as the very first day she arrived, which seemed so long ago. Judy peered through the glass as the train shuttled along the last turn, into the final stretch that would end in Savanna Central.
The train slowed as it braked into its resting position and came to the end of its journey, the conductor announcing their arrival. Judy was already at the door, suitcase in one paw, care package in the other, eagerly bouncing on her toes between the legs of much larger mammals. As soon as the sliding double doors opened, the bunny was the first one out; a wide toothy smile on her muzzle as she quickly hopped to the center of the main walking platform and scanned the crowd with perked ears.
No sign of Nick yet.
Judy continued to look and listen in anticipation through the crowds for several minutes, her lower lip tucked in, exposing her bucktooth. Nothing. Her ears drooped in disappointment. Perhaps he's stuck in traffic somewhere or the train arrived early. Lost in thought, she didn't pay attention to a familiar figure approaching her from behind, coming to rest just inches away.
Her long ears twitched and shot up at the sound of a familiar smooth voice; his warm breath tickling them.
"Ma'am, you seem to be looking for someone. Can I help you find them?"
It took considerable effort not to turn around. Judy chuckled at the all too familiar playfulness she missed. There's my dumb fox.
"Gosh, I don't know, kind sir. I'm looking for a scruffy-looking fox. You didn't happen to see one skulking around here, did you?"
"I may have. I know everybody and I've been told I'm pretty good at finding things…" the voice said. She could feel the smile behind the teasing words.
That was all Judy could handle. Without warning, she spun around, dropped her luggage, and completely slammed into the waiting torso of her partner.
Despite all the preparation in the world for the inevitable bunny glomp, the fox found himself unable to keep balance as Judy's often underestimated strength toppled him over, causing Nick to land on his tail as she bear-hugged the life out of him. He could still feel some pain from his bruises caused by the confrontation with EJ but kept quiet; not wanting to ruin the moment as he wrapped his arms around the petite bunny clinging to him.
Judy kept her eyes closed, taking a big breath, and squeezed a little harder; feeling completely content in their shared warmth. She was exactly where she wanted to be. She was home.
Ignoring the stares of random passersby, the duo remained in their warm embrace for a long time before Judy released her mighty grip and looked up to Nick with a big smile, only to just now realize he was still in his police uniform. She also noticed that he too dropped something he must have been carrying. It looked like a plastic bag filled with several containers of a delicious smelling freshly cooked meal.
"Sorry… I didn't know you were carrying food!"
"Don't worry, Carrots. Dinner's safe. Mom's tapirware is made of steel."
Judy paused. Wait. That's not take out in the bag!? They were having dinner too? Oh shiitake mushrooms!
Gazing upon her partner's gesture in disbelief, Judy scooted backwards a short distance. Before she could say anything, Nick raised his brow at her shocked expression and picked himself off the ground while dusting his trousers. Suddenly, a loud growl caused them to both pause and stare wide-eyed at one another.
The officer offered her a paw while grinning. "Well, I guess we better go eat before somebunny gets hangry while the food's still piping hot!"
Embarrassment from the hunger overpowered her astonishment because she'd barely eaten anything at all today. Judy shielded her stomach with crossed arms and glared back at him. "I do not get hangry!"
Another growl; this one even more pronounced.
"Right. And that's not your stomach begging for mercy while you scowl at me?" he teased, paw still extended.
Further furrowing her brow, Judy relented and took his paw as Nick helped her stand.
"Remember that one day we were stuck in traffic for three hours and you… ow!"
With a light passing thump on her partner's foot, Judy picked up the food. Before she could grab her luggage, Nick already nabbed the suitcase and care package and was ready to go with a smug grin.
"My place or yours?"
That phrasing certainly wasn't helping. Judy silently gulped as her expression softened. "Can we go to my place? I can drop off my things there."
"Sure can," Nick smiled.
Returning his pleasing smile, the bunny and fox walked side by side in comfortable silence, exiting the crowded station and heading towards the subway. After the short ride, they arrived at the Grand Pangolin Arms building. Judy unlocked the door and let Nick go inside first. The tiny dusty apartment was not the most inviting of spaces but it was still her home.
Nick set the luggage next to the cabinet and the package onto Judy's desk as he turned to the far wall with attentive ears. It was surprisingly quiet. "Sounds like Mr. Medulla and Mr. Oblongata aren't home."
"C'mon!" the bunny snickered and lightly socked her partner's arm. "They're not that bad. Though… it is kinda nice."
The fox took the tapirware full of food, along with some cheap plastic plates and utensils that Mrs. Wilde provided, and began to heat the servings in the microwave. Judy hopped up on her bed, paws on her stomach, eagerly awaiting the meal, and smiling to herself as she watched Nick finish reheating the food.
"One Wilde Family Special coming right up!" he announced, handing her the plate of steamy food.
Judy couldn't wait any longer and dived in with her fork, practically shoveling morsels of loaf into her tiny mouth. "Holy marmalade… this is so good! What is it?"
"Mom's special veggie loaf," Nick chuckled as he pushed her tiny desk chair out next to the bed and planted himself in it, sitting backwards while leaning against the top rail with his plate of food.
Nick pleasantly smiled as he watched Judy chewing away; eyes closed with both poofy cheeks full of savory loaf and a very content tiny smile on her muzzle. The fox dug into his own plate, devouring the remainder of his leftover portions that he started eating at his mom's.
As they nearly finished their portions, Judy swallowed a bite and looked over to her partner, wanting to make conversation. "So, how's everyone at the station?"
"I knew you'd start asking about work, Officer Fluff." the officer winked.
She stuck her tongue out. "What's wrong with asking how the guys are doing?"
"They're good, however, a few called in sick recently, Francine went on paid migration yesterday, and Fangmeyer went toe-to-claw with some kangaroo street fighter in Outback Island."
"Oh… is she okay?"
"Yeah, Steph sure mammal-handled him good," the fox chuckled. "You two have a lot in common. Remind me not to get on her bad side."
Judy lightly kicked Nick with her left hind paw toes in response, happy to be back with their familiar bantering. "You always get on everyone's bad side, Slick." The half-lidded eyes and mischievous smile betrayed her words.
"Ouch… vicious bunny." Nick said, rubbing his side. He paused for a moment before adding, "They do miss you, ya know?"
"Do they? Aw, that's so sweet…" Judy leaned forward a little closer, tilting her head. "Anyone else?"
Nick stopped mid-motion with his fork, mouth open. He glanced at Judy who was watching him expectantly. This again! Perhaps his Mom's words were throwing him off and making him interpret things differently. "Definitely Claws. He asks me about you at least three times a day," he said and shoved the food into his mouth as an excuse to shut it.
The bunny narrowed her eyes. A different approach then. "Tell me about your case! I wanna hear all about it," Judy jostled excitedly with clasped paws.
This made Nick smirk as he put his empty plate away and leaned forward on the top rail of the chair with criss-crossed arms. "Well, I do recall Chief Buffalo-Butt saying something about you and no police work. You're still on vacation after all."
"Don't be a jerk!" Judy grumbled before scooting closer to the edge of her bed and batting her eyes. "Please, Nick!"
Those damn big bunny eyes of her's again. It took considerable effort for Nick to keep up his teasing facade. "First off, no can do." The fox pointed out before pointing at Judy directly. "Second, what you can do with those things is just criminal."
Seeing her partner not budge, now Judy crossed her arms in mock annoyance. "Fine. If that's how it's gonna be then…" she hopped off the bed with a devious smirk, set her plate down, and began to open her care package.
The fox eyed the bunny intently. After a bit of rummaging, Judy turned around with an extra large box of blueberries in her paws. Nick was unable to keep a straight poker face and gasped. He quickly half-turned himself around in the chair, holding out eager paws.
Now it's my turn. Judy pretended to hand over the blueberries, only to pull back at the last second.
"Hey!" Nick said in surprise.
"Gosh. Looks like someone forgot his promise…" Judy said with half-lidded eyes.
"What promise?"
"Gee, I don't know… that this next batch was gonna be for Brian." Judy informed with a goofy grin exposing her front bucktooth while standing with her hip to the side, holding the blueberries out of reach.
"Uh… I didn't forget." Nick crossed his arms with a serious expression. "I was making sure you didn't forget. Way to pass the test with flying colors, Carrots! You get a gold star!"
"Pft. Sure. You aren't hustling anyone, Slick Nick." the bunny rolled her eyes and put the blueberries back into the package.
Nick's ears flattened in disappointment, only to momentarily perk up again when Judy turned around with a second, even larger box of blueberries. "Well, lookie here… what's this? Another box?"
Unable to stop his tail from slightly wagging, Judy noticed and kept the tease going. She fished out just one blueberry from the container. She waved it near her mouth. "What's it gonna be, Nick?"
"Now that is just cruel and unusual punishment," Nick whined while leaning forward with both elbows on his knees. The fox put a paw on his heart in mock exasperation. "And trying to bribe an officer of the law? You bad bunny."
"Guess somefox doesn't want dessert…" Judy held the single blueberry high; making an exaggerated slow motion to hover the plump juicy fruit over her open mouth. "I'm serious… here it goes…"
Surprised, that Nick wasn't continuing his protest, Judy decided to follow through; fully tilting her head up and dropping the blueberry. Predatory eyes tracked the trajectory as the fox coiled onto his prey. Nick snapped forward, tilting his own muzzle and snatched the blueberry midair in his mouth.
To her credit, Judy didn't flinch. Her ears shot up in astonishment as she stared at Nick, blinking her eyes afterwards.
"Mmmwah! Delicious!" he smirked, licking his lips.
"You!" Judy lunged.
"Moi? Wha… no, no, no!" Nick put up his paws in defense, attempting to leap out of the chair as his partner pounced him. The two of them fell onto Judy's bed. "Carrots, stop! Police brutality!"
"I'll show you brutality!" Judy began to tickle the life out of Nick who curled up into a fetal position, attempting to protect his precious midsection from the assault of tiny soft paws. "Are you gonna talk?"
Attempting to smack Judy with his tail proved futile. Nick attempted to fight back but it was a losing battle. "Okay, okay! I surrender! I'll talk!"
The bunny placed her paws on her hips, hovering over Nick in triumph. Noticing their closeness, Judy slowly eased off to squat on her hind legs, while Nick pushed himself upright, patting down his ruffled uniform. The two shared a hesitant chuckle.
Crossing his legs with paws on his stomach in a very relaxed slouch, Nick smiled. "Where shall I start?"
"The beginning of course. I want to hear all of it!" Judy exclaimed.
"One thrilling tale of suspense, drama, and action; starring an incredibly handsome fox, coming right up."
"Hmm. I didn't ask for a tall tale, Nick. Just the facts." the bunny poked her partner.
Wiggling his eyebrows, Nick began to recount the investigation from the moment Bogo handed him the case, nine days ago. Judy listened intently as Nick shared his interviews, leads, and deductions; the chance meeting with Donna and chasing down Dinks; learning that a fox was involved; how Valerie informed him of the ZPC and helped secure a meeting with the Commissioner; to following her secretary and stumbling upon one of the buildings posed as a dollhouse in her brother's toy store. Nick observed Judy's wide range of astonished expressions with amusement.
Resuming his typical smug smirk, the fox leaned further against the bedside wall. The both of them kept stealing glances at one another. Nick always liked seeing Judy in her country bumpkin clothes as he called them. This particular blue flannel shirt she was wearing looked great against her gray fur. Judy on the other paw, smiled at seeing Nick in his officer's uniform; the navy color always contrasting so nicely against his red fur. Judy scooted a little closer but not too close. Their legs would occasionally brush each other as Nick told the rest of his story.
The bunny giggled when learning about the makeup kit and him convincing Finnick to be his daughter only to immediately have her ears droop and reach out to his arm with both paws when he shared the heated argument in the alley in detail.
The fox officer continued his narration and told her about the subpoenaed phone logs, finding EJ and Phil, and tailing them to discover how they acquired the stamped documents. Once he knew which building was targeted next, he told Judy how he spent two straight nights in a bunch of shrubs, only for Finnick to find him the second night. This made Judy smile. Then came the part about video taping them stealing the building, following them to Happytown, the confrontation, and the arrest.
Judy couldn't help but tap Nick in the arm for the banana and fruit in the tailpipe bit and scoot closer during the stand-off segment. The look on her face made Nick reassure his partner that he and Finnick didn't get hurt too seriously. He concluded the events at the station the following morning and his little press conference with the Mayor. Naturally he left out the part about his moment with Chief Bogo.
"And that's it. After that was just two days of paperwork."
His partner still held her paws on his arm. "I'm sure that must have been tough on you, Nick. I knew you could do it! And I'm so proud of you for trying to help them afterwards with Valerie." She wondered what it might be like if she had to arrest another rabbit for a major crime. Judy came closer to side hug him. Her left paw moved over his heart, right below his badge.
"Thanks, Carrots." he returned the squeeze. It sure feels great to have her back.
Glancing at her clock, it was only 7:48PM. Judy separated and picked up the blueberries while walking over to her small-sized pink bunny-shaped TV. "Let's watch something!"
"I'm game. Just no crime shows," Nick winked.
Judy threw a blueberry at him before grabbing the remote and hopping back onto the bed next to him, relinquishing the blueberries to her partner. Nick loosened his collar and tie to be more comfortable before reaching into the blueberry box in his lap and began tossing them back. Judy glanced at him with a big smile and started to flip through several channels. After a brief debate, they settled on watching some Swinefeld reruns.
"Hah. I remember this one. It's the one with the smell in the car."
"Shhh." she elbowed him. "I haven't seen this one."
"How have you not?" he asked incredulously. "Everybody's seen this episode."
Looking back down, the fox's eyes met a disapproving glower from his partner.
"Right. Shutting up now…" he whispered, gleefully popping more berries into his mouth, as Judy's face softened into a smile watching Nick enjoy his blueberries.
As the episodes continued, the fox and bunny shared many laughs and glances. At some point once they were quietly comfortable, Judy found herself snuggled into Nick's left side. This wasn't unusual for them but now having realized she was genuinely in love with her best friend, the bunny bit her lip. Judy glanced up. Nick appeared to be pretty nonchalant about it, staring straight ahead at the TV screen like a laser.
Judy felt the natural desire to put her paw on his leg, just like long ago when they watched that Savage Seas movie. The thought of that spy movie brought forth the memory of that explicit romance scene between the rabbit and fox protagonists. The bunny felt herself blush. She forced her ears down to hide the spreading warmth. Despite that, it didn't quell her desire; summoning her courage, Judy decided to test the waters.
Meanwhile, Nick sat there in quiet contemplation. He wasn't really paying attention to the show anymore, occasionally blinking his eyes to fight his creeping drowsiness. When Judy pressed against him, it took all of his willpower to keep his eyes forward and be cool with it. She often leaned on him whenever they watched something together and he always enjoyed the blissful warmth and fluffy comfort. His Mom's words continued bouncing around in his foxy brain like a bunch of sheep hopping over a white picket fence.
A new sensation pulled him out from his internal conflict. Nick could feel Judy's paw land on his thigh. Suddenly the room was feeling a whole lot hotter as he very slowly exhaled through his nose. With a tiny gulp, he dared to look down. The fox's inquisitive eyes greeted the bunny's wishful eyes and they remained fixated for a long moment. They're two faces hovered only inches apart; slow breathes mixing. Judy appeared to nudge closer and pursed her lips as if she was about to speak.
C'mon Judy. Say something!
"Nick." Judy noticed Nick's ears flick forward, his full attention completely focused on her. "Nick… I…"
Before Judy could finish her sentence, her ears twitched and both mammals started at the sounds of a loud voice booming through the paper thin greasy walls.
"Hey, the bunny's back already?"
"I thought she was supposed to be gone for two weeks."
"Maybe somebody broke into her apartment?"
"What moron breaks into a cop's apartment and starts watching TV?"
"I dunno, maybe it's her boyfriend."
"Don't you remember that last conversation? She said they're only friends."
"Yeah, well I don't believe her! You hear how she sounds when she talks about him."
"What are you, some kind of love doctor?"
"Oh shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"
Judy withdrew her paw immediately, a sense of dread washing over her. No! This is bad!
"Shut your mouth!"
"Shut up!"
The bunny snapped. "Argh… GUYS shut up!"
To everyone's surprise, the kudu and oryx quickly stopped yelling. A moment of awkward silence passed.
"Hey bunny, I thought you'd be gone for a few more days?"
"I came home early! We'd appreciate it if you guys would be quiet!" Judy hissed.
"Did she say we?"
More silence. Judy and Nick glanced back at one another. Neither of them knowing what to say.
"Don't mind us. As you were."
"How are they supposed to go back to as they were, idiot?"
"They won't if you don't shut up!"
"No, you shut up!
"Shut up!"
Judy was just about ready to kill those two. She brushed her ears back, leaving a paw back there to nervously rub her left ear. The bunny found herself completely locked up. She certainly didn't want to say anything in front of Bucky and Pronk. Not that she was afraid or cared what they might think but Bucky's words… and Nick...
Nick had turned back to the wall, sending a thousand yard stare through it as Bucky's words pierced his heart. She said they're only friends.
Conflicted for now, he didn't care for the extra noisy company at this moment. His eyes darted over to Judy's alarm radio. 10:36PM. That was his cue.
The fox returned his partner's gaze, putting his best poker face forward. "Say, Carrots. I… uh… better head home. It's getting late."
Mouth pursed, Judy watched as Nick readjusted his tie, scooped up his Mom's tapirware, and sauntered towards her door. He stopped and made sure to smile genuinely for her. "Thanks for having me over. I'm glad you're back."
Nose twitching, Judy pushed herself off the mattress. "Wait, Nick!" She turned off the TV and ran up to him, not knowing what else to say. It was hard to concentrate with the constant yelling in the background. "I… I'll see you tomorrow?"
"You bet," Nick smirked and headed out.
"Okay, Nick." she did her best to force a smile back. "Goodnight."
"Night, Fluff."
And with that he was out in the hallway and closed her door. Despite her droopy ears, Judy was gnashing her teeth as Bucky and Pronk continued to shout at one another. Her bunny paws now balled into tightly wound fists, foot rapidly thumping the floor.
Down the hallway and rounding the railing, Nick descended the first few stairs before pausing to lean against the wall, his left paw rubbing over his heart. His mind was a mess of conflicting observations. That kudu, Bucky said that Judy only considered us friends… yet, she's been acting different lately. And that paw on my leg…
Nick rubbed his temples with a heavy sigh. Forget about it, Wilde. Better go home and sleep on it.
Back down the hallway, a door could be heard swinging wide open, followed by light stomping, very loud knocking, and another door opening.
"Yeah?" Bucky answered.
"What's she doing with that pillow? Secret Pillow Fight Club isn't till next week."
"Hey! First rule - you're not supposed to talk about it! Hey bunny, what are you… AAHHH!"
The hallway echoed with the sounds of furious whumping and the shrieks of a terrified kudu and oryx.
Just as the clock struck 5:28AM, Judy opened her eyes. Seems being back in the city set her biological clock right back to police hours despite the fact that it took some time to calm herself after smacking Bucky and Pronk around last night for disrupting her near moment with Nick. After the whupping, they reluctantly gave her a half-hearted apology, causing Judy to take a deep breath, count to three, and also apologize for her actions.
After enjoying a groaning stretch, she hopped over to her tiny mini fridge. The sight of the two boxes of blueberries made her frown. Nick left his blueberries here.
With a sigh, she reached into the fridge to whip out some food her Mom packed for breakfast. Much better than eating one of those terrible 'Carrots for One' microwavable meals. Once breakfast was over, the bunny passed the time to tidy up her apartment, neatly hanging her clothes back into the cabinet and dusting the room.
Knowing Nick would already be heading to work, Judy decided to distract her mind by going for a run. She'd text him later to see how he's doing.
Meanwhile, later that morning found Officer Wilde being pulled from patrolling Savanna Central back to the main Downtown Business District as Clawhauser informed him that a series of street lights had gone out, causing a few major accidents and traffic needed to be rerouted. The intersection was full of angry drivers shouting and honking their horns.
Nick was standing on top of Officer Rhinowitz's shoulders directing traffic with his aviators on, pawpsicle in one paw and a megaphone in the other as the rhino motioned according to the smaller fox officer's instructions. Another rhino, Officer Krumpansky, was watching the opposite direction.
"Alright folks… your turn, move along…" he ordered the next wave of cars with his paw, a smug grin on his snout as he smoothly shouted directions. "Sir, your honking isn't going to make everyone move any faster… Hey, no cutting across! I'm watching you... You kits over there, no stealing the traffic cones - aren't you supposed to be in school?… Alright, you folks next, keep it going..."
Rhinowitz motioned the next set of vehicles. "Think you're enjoying this too much, Wilde."
"I do believe I've found my true calling. Getting paid to herd mammals is easy street," Nick said while taking a lick.
"These rodents sure takin' their time all nice and easy. Slower than a sloth in a hundred yard dash. I'm sweatin' here," he grumbled at the huge caravan of lemmings in business suits who were delaying the next round of crossing vehicles. There must have been over a hundred tiny cars.
"It's not that bad, Witz…" Nick grinned. "You gotta relax buddy, crack a smile, smell that sweet mostly fresh air…" the fox inhaled as a truck drove by; spewing forth a nice billow of exhaust, causing Nick to waft the foul air. "Okay, it's not fresh at all. Anyway, sloths aren't that slow. I know a guy who races. We were on the track team together."
"Yeah? How'd that go?"
"Let's just say I never finished last unless I wanted to," Nick smirked. "Helped me pass the class."
"Hah," the bulky rhino chuckled.
"Hey, you over there!" Nick suddenly directed the horn at an impatient giraffe driver. "Watch the rodent vehicles, ma'am. We don't want any 10-54's today!"
As the vehicles began to funnel through more smoothly, Rhinowitz glanced over at the fox on his shoulder. "When's Hopps coming back? She still in Bunnyburrow, right?"
The rhino's question caused Nick to cough into the megaphone; sending a loud boom across the street and turning a few heads.
"Uh…" Nick paused a moment. Shouldn't matter if anyone knows. Right? "Actually, she came home early last night."
"Nice. Good for you, Wilde." Rhinowitz smiled while giving Nick a thumbs up.
What's that supposed to mean? The comment caused Nick to get distracted as his mind drifted back to Judy and last night. The paw, the way she had looked at him, she was going to say something when...
Ignoring the impatient honking and mobs shouting, Nick was snapped back to reality when his fellow officer yelled up to him. "Yo, Wilde. You awake up there?"
"Whoopsie. My bad." Nick shook himself and dropped it; returning his attention to the task at paw, guiding the new wave of cross traffic through the intersection.
A few hours passed and Judy was treating herself to a nice leafy salad at one of her favorite Downtown cafes. The bunny was sitting out in the patio, soaking in the sunshine and mammal-watching the herds of pedestrians rushing about during lunch hour. The hustle and bustle of the city was like day and night compared to homely Bunnyburrow and she loved every second of it.
Judy took a gulp of her carrot juice, leaning on one of her paws. I can't believe I couldn't say anything last night. Maybe I can try again today. A pastry delivery truck drove by that caught her attention. Oh. I know what I can do! And I still have those blueberries...
Once lunch was finished, the bunny was on her way to the grocery store when her phone notified her of a text. Recognizing the little ding, Judy smiled and checked the message.
[Nick:] "Hey Carrots. Stuck on traffic duty. Might be a late shift. I'll message ya later."
This unfortunate piece of news made Judy frown.
[Judy:] "Okay, Nick. Let me know!"
Judy ended the message with a little heart and carrots emoji before hitting send. Nick's text reminded her of something she wanted to do. Groceries could wait till later. With the new bit of free time, the bunny headed to the nearest subway station to take a train to Savanna Central.
A short while later, Judy found herself in front of an old acquainted home. She tapped the doorbell and wrung her paws. An older vixen opened the door then found herself looking down when she noticed familiar black tipped ears.
"Hi!" Judy waved with a little bounce on her flatfeet.
"Judy!" Mrs. Wilde gasped with welcoming arms. "What brings you here, my dear?"
The elderly fox and bunny embraced in a warm hug. "I wanted to thank you for that veggie loaf last night and apologize for interrupting your dinner with Nick."
"Oh, don't even start, sweetie. I hope you liked it?" Mrs. Wilde pleasantly smiled.
"It was wonderful!" Judy replied with clasped paws.
"Good. Now come inside and have some tea with me. I insist."
Not like Judy was going to decline but Mrs. Wilde quickly led her inside by the paw and chauffeured her to the sofa before disappearing into the kitchen. Judy took the opportunity to look around the room. It had been three months since she last visited. Time sure went by fast. The green wallpaper instantly reminded her of Nick and that brought a bright smile to her muzzle.
"Here you are. Green tea with mint if I remember!" Mrs. Wilde announced while setting the coffee table.
"Thank you," Judy said, taking a nice whiff of the pleasant aroma with closed eyes.
"You know…" Mrs. Wilde took a seat next to Judy. "I've never been out of the city. You must tell me all about your trip."
"Oh. Of course!"
Judy shared everything about the past week's events back home in great detail. Mrs. Wilde enjoyed hearing about the wedding and the reception. The bunny made sure to leave out the part about Morty. She told Mrs. Wilde how Nick talked to Cotton and how much her little sister liked him. This made the elder vixen happily smile. Then Judy recounted some of her daily activities and answered any questions in general about Bunnyburrow and her family.
"Do you have any pictures from your trip?" the vixen asked.
"Sure! Let me show you," Judy exclaimed and scooted closer.
Mrs. Wilde leaned in as Judy brought up her phone. She pursed her mouth when she saw Judy's wallpaper. It was the exact same heartwarming photo that her son had on his phone. Blinking back misty eyes, Mrs. Wilde put a paw on Judy's shoulder while the bunny flipped through her gallery. There was lots of photos from the celebration and random selfies with various siblings and her parents.
"You have a beautiful family, Judy," Mrs. Wilde complimented.
The warm words gave Judy pause. She realized that she didn't know much else about the rest of Nick and Mrs. Wilde's family. "Do you have any relatives here in Zootopia, Mrs. Wilde?"
Nick's mom was quiet for a moment before she replied with a small curl of her lips. "Just me and my dumb fox of a son."
"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't think before I asked…" the bunny's ears drooped.
"Judy. It's okay, dear." Mrs. Wilde patted her knee and changed the topic. "Speaking of my dumb son… did you and Nicholas enjoy yourselves last night?"
Flashbacks of being against Nick and nearly spitting out her feelings came to the forefront of Judy's mind, followed by the unexpected interruption. "It was… real great!"
The elder vixen raised her brow, waiting for the bunny to continue. Mrs. Wilde sensed a trepidation in Judy, the bunny's subtle words and body language betraying her.
Taking the hint Judy continued, "We… ate dinner and watched some TV… then Nick had to go home."
Fighting back a frown, listening to the subtle tone of Judy's frustrated voice, Mrs. Wilde kept quiet. It wasn't her place to interfere. Nicholas, you stubborn mule of a fox. "Sounds like a lovely evening. Any plans for later?"
"I'm waiting for Nick to let me know when he's done with his shift." Judy reached into a pocket, "I planned to make this!"
Taking the tiny piece of paper, Mrs. Wilde studied what appeared to be a recipe with some extra instructions scribbled around it. It brought a big grin to her short snout. "Oh… he'll love this. Wait here, I have just the thing for you…"
Vanishing into the kitchen again, Mrs. Wilde fetched a special item out of the fridge. Judy curiously watched over the back of the couch when her phone dinged again. It was another text from Nick.
[Nick:] "Sorry, Fluff. Chief needs me to work a double. Grizzoli and Wolfard sick. Some canine virus making the rounds. Gotta help Fangmeyer and Delgato. Talk to you tomorrow."
Judy groaned. Just my squashing luck! She attempted to hide her disappointment as Mrs. Wilde came back out with a peculiar small tub of vanilla bean ice cream.
"His favorite brand. Put this on top," she offered with a beaming smile.
"Huh?" Judy cocked an eyebrow, accepting the ice cream and looking it over. "I've never seen him eat this at home."
"That's because I've never told him where I buy it… was always the perfect bribe to hustle him into doing his chores," Mrs. Wilde explained.
Judy chortled. "Okay! I'll do it tomorrow."
"Not tonight?"
"Nick just texted that he has to work a double shift today," Judy sighed.
"I see." Mrs. Wilde's own ears flattened at the news. "Well, you're welcome to stay and chat as long as you'd like. I don't mind."
"I could stay a little longer!" Judy said excitedly.
"I'll fetch us some snacks." Mrs. Wilde stood once more, taking the ice cream so she could return it to the freezer. "You can tell me all about your cases. I want to hear if my son is behaving himself."
"Behaving?" The bunny chuckled with half-lidded eyes. "Being his partner is my worst nightmare!"
"I knew it," Mrs. Wilde smirked back.
"Oh!" Judy clapped. "I can tell you about the one with the stinky cheese!"
Officer Wilde found himself completely slouched in his desk chair. Two back to back shifts, a little bit of sleep, and gallons of coffee kept him going into the next day.
After spending most of the morning with Rhinowitz, the fox officer was then tasked to assist the VICE team in Tundratown on a catnip bust. With Wolfard and Grizzoli out, they needed more noses to sniff out a warehouse located in Glacier Falls that was suspected to belong to a small snow lynx gang. To Nick's surprise he was reunited with Brian for this assignment and the two former classmates worked together to find a hidden storage area and sniffed out the trafficked goods. Nick informed the small timberwolf that Judy brought him a little surprise from home which delighted the officer from Precinct Two.
On the way back to Precinct One, Nick had the luck of pulling over a speeding pig without proper snow tires and an expired driver's license. The driver appeared to be high and attempted to make a run for it. Unfortunately for him, no one knew the city better than Nick; quickly catching his suspect and bringing him into the station to be booked.
Then in the middle of his paperwork, Chief Bogo came by needing him to stay overnight to work a shift with Delgato. A twenty minute power nap later, found the fox and lion duo patrolling the north end of Sahara Square when Clawhauser radioed the two officers to head over to Hyenahurst in the Canyonlands for a 10-15, a domestic noise complaint, where a group of hyena frat boys were causing a ruckus with an initiation ritual. They managed to break up the party but not without having to arrest two hyenas for indecent exposure and disorderly conduct. The night ended when they disrupted a 10-94; drag racers competing on a long neighborhood strip in Gnu York.
Back at the precinct again the following morning, Nick was patrolling Savanna Central when Clawhauser called in a 10-62, a neighbor reported a breaking and entering in progress, in a nearby neighborhood. The cat burglar broke into a home, stole a few valuables including some food that he dropped as he made his getaway. Nick was able to speak with the witness and follow the breadcrumbs all the way to the feline's home a few blocks away and make the arrest.
On his lunch break, the officer sent a quick text to Judy then attempted a short nap in his cruiser under the shade of a few trees in a park, only to be woken by the sounds of a purse snatching. He then chased the weasel thief through the park and into a Dik-Dik's sporting goods store, where the weasel attempted to hide but to no avail. Nick had to laugh when the weasel tried to pose like a mannequin next to a few displays.
After popping the weasel back to the station, Nick was greeted with the usual mountaintop of paperwork. Taking another sip of coffee, Nick leaned back over and began to scribble random notes. He almost found his bleary-eyed face on the desk when a loud boom shook him awake.
"WILDE!"
"I'm on it! I was just resting my eyes, sir!" Nick began to furiously type on his keyboard.
"You're no good to anyone exhausted." Chief Bogo snorted as he walked by. "Go home and take the afternoon off. Finish your paperwork tomorrow."
"I knew you never meant it when you say you don't care, Chief," Nick smirked while swiveling around.
"Shut it, Wilde, unless you want to work another double. Now get out of here before I change my mind!" Bogo ordered.
"Aye aye, sir!" came the lazy salute and a quick exit into the locker room; deciding to take a nice shower before heading home.
Elsewhere, Judy hopped down the hallway with a large paper bag in her paws. Coming to a familiar door with a nice foxy welcome sign, she managed with the keys and let herself inside. The bunny stepped into Nick's apartment and closed the door with her foot. She placed the bag onto the coffee table to give her arms a little rest.
On the table she recognized the pink cologne bottle and candy bag that Nick showed her a couple days ago when she was still in Bunnyburrow. Judy inspected the bottle and took a few whiffs. It actually did smell nice. Noticing the crude scribble of the stinky fox on the label caused her to snicker.
Setting the bottle down, she looked over the hefty candy bag. Surprisingly, there was still a fair amount of candies inside.
"What is it with foxes and sweets?" Judy chuckled to herself with a pleased smile. She helped herself to a piece; a nice dark chocolate morsel with a fruity interior. It was very bittersweet and melted in her mouth.
Glancing around the living room while savoring the treat, Judy could tell Nick hadn't really been home much lately. She felt bad that he had to work nearly three back to back shifts. As she scanned the room, her eyes landed on the partially open office door. Curiosity took hold and she approached the room; putting her paw on the door knob.
Judy remembered there was something Nick was constantly working on some time ago, as she often caught him coming out of the office and closing the door. Pausing at the door, the sudden memory rush of her trying to peek inside came flooding back; the attempted leap, Nick catching her midair, and their eventually rolling around on the floor, only to stop with Nick right on top of her when…
The bunny's nose twitched rapidly as a warmth and blush spread under her cheek fur and ears. Shaking her focus back, Judy looked down at her paw on the door knob. Frowning at herself with a small head shake, she gripped the knob tighter and closed the office door shut without peeking inside.
She grabbed the grocery bag and headed into the kitchen where she used a nice little stepping stool Nick bought so that she could use the counter more easily. Placing the bag on the breakfast bar, Judy began to fish out all of the ingredients she purchased and arrange them neatly on the counter.
With clasped paws and an excited toothy grin, it was time to start. "Okay, Judy," she told herself. "You can do this!"
Sometime later, Officer Wilde sauntered down the hallway, twirling his keys around his finger. A big yawn escaped his mouth, the hot shower he took at the station made him more sleepy rather than helping him wake up. Nick had changed into some fresh clothes after and dropped off his uniform for dry cleaning; the fox deciding he'd use his spare uniform for tomorrow. As he came closer to his apartment door, a wondrous smell greeted his nose.
The sweet aroma made Nick pause and take a step back. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath as his mouth watered. Wow. Smells like blueberries. Somebody was baking something utterly delectable. Pushing himself forward, Nick slowly began to realize that the delicious smell was getting stronger the closer he got to his door. Standing outside, he jiggled his key into the keyhole, noticing that the door was already unlocked. Partially suspicious and partially in wonder, the fox officer cautiously opened the door only to be greeted by an unexpected sight.
Nick's eyes bulged and his mouth hung open as he looked straight into the kitchen. "Carrots!?"
Judy spun around to face her partner. "Oh… hey, Nick! You're home early!"
It took another moment for Nick to collect himself, suddenly feeling more alert. "Are you… baking something?"
"Uh huh. I wanted to surprise you. So… surprise! It's almost done," she announced with arms wide.
"Color me so…" Nick said as he came into his kitchen where the enticing aroma engulfed him and overloaded his senses. His neutral face betrayed the fact that he was actually stunned by Judy's gesture. He leaned an elbow on the counter and gestured to the oven, a kitchen towel blocking the view inside of it. "What's baking?"
"You'll just have to wait and find out, impatient fox," Judy ordered while putting a paw against the oven door to halt any advances.
Nick was smirking before he suddenly looked past Judy and started. "Oh my god!"
"What? What?" she twirled around to look at his fridge.
Utilizing the opportunity, Nick lunged to move the towel.
"Oh no you don't, you rascal!" Judy leaped at Nick after realizing her folly.
Too slow to sneak a peek, the fox bolted out of the kitchen area instead with a bunny in hot pursuit. "It's not my fault you're so gullible, Carrots!"
"Come back here you scaredy cat!"
"Hey, just because that impala mistook me for a kitty that one time doesn't make me one!" Nick yelled back, putting the couch between them.
Naturally, Judy leaped right over the couch but Nick wasn't falling for that again and ducked back the way he came, darting away. Unfortunately it only delayed the inevitable when his partner got a hold of him, tripped him up, and pinned him down.
The fox yipped as he fell, attempting to roll onto his back. There was a loud clicking sound and the feel of metal on his wrists. "Wha? How? Where were you even hiding these things?" Nick asked while staring at a pair of pawcuffs on his wrists.
A triumphant Judy hovered over him with a winning smirk, flashing the key. "You're under arrest, Slick Nick."
"Really? For what?" Nick decided to play along.
"10-62," Judy shared and lowered her tone. "A shifty fox attempting a breaking and entering with the oven."
"Well, you got me, Officer Fluff," he smirked and jostled the cuffs. "What's the punishment?"
"You can just sit there and think about what you've done until your surprise is ready," Judy said, waving the key in her paw before putting it away in a pocket, leaving her partner on the floor.
Nick took his partner's words literally, eyes returning to the cuffs. She's never done something like this before. Sure she often brought food over and the two of them were often quite physically friendly and very playfully flirty at times but something about this felt entirely different to him.
You're overthinking it Wilde. Just your best friend doing something nice for you. Don't spoil it, you dumb fox.
Rolling himself up, Nick decided to slide onto one of his barstools next to the breakfast bar and observe Judy impatiently looking at her pink FitBite sports watch.
The fox crossed his arms together and leaned over them. "Staring it down won't bake it any faster…"
"I'll have you know that…" Judy stopped, ears up when she heard metal clanking against the countertop. Turning around, the bunny found her partner out of the cuffs with an overly sized smug grin on his muzzle. "How did you...!?"
"Abnormally small wrists do come in handy," he smirked while holding up his arms to emphasize his narrowing forearms, twisting his paws back and forth.
Judy didn't know whether to be impressed or annoyed. Before she could speak, her watch alarm set off, alerting her that the surprise was finished. She pointed a finger at her partner. "You just got saved by the bell."
Nick's eyes followed Judy as she put on some rather oversized oven mitts meant for a fox and opened the oven door with her own little tail wiggle. The hot aroma blasted from the oven like a tsunami over Nick's nose. Peering inside, he finally saw Judy's surprise; a huge golden-brown blueberry pie.
Carefully removing the tray with the freshly baked dish, Judy gently placed the pie on top of the stove, proudly clasping her mitt-covered paws at the results. The bunny turned around to face her partner only to pause at the stunned look on Nick's face.
Clamping his hanging mouth shut, Nick's eyes met Judy's. "You baked a blueberry pie?"
With paws behind her back, Judy appeared a little bashful. "Since we kinda ruined the last one we tried to make, I thought it would be nice to try again… I used the blueberries you left at my apartment…" her ears drooped. "I hope you don't mind?"
With a sweet smile, Nick slid off the barstool and walked into the kitchen proper. He stood next to Judy, wrapping his paw around her petite shoulders. "Of course I don't mind."
Feeling happy, Judy playfully shoved Nick to get out of the kitchen.
"Hey!" he yelped looking over his shoulder.
"Sit back down while I cut you a slice," she ordered.
Doing as he was instructed, Nick was back in his seat in no time flat. Before he could say anything else a nice slice on a small plate appeared below his snout along with a fork. It was hard to resist waiting any longer. Not wanting to be rude and diving in before Judy was ready, Nick took a deep breath and simply wafted the aroma. He was so distracted that he didn't notice Judy hop to the freezer, fling it open, and jump to grab a bucket of ice cream. His ears flicked as Judy addressed him, sliding his plate away from him.
"Ah ah ah, Slick." the bunny waved a disapproving finger at the fox. "You didn't wait for the last touch."
"What last touch?" he cocked a curious eyebrow.
With an ice cream scooper in paw, Judy plopped two creamy scoops onto the slice, which began to immediately melt into the pastry. "Don't wait for me!"
The vanilla's texture looked extremely familiar. Nick carefully pierced the desert with his fork and took a slow, deliberate bite. The flavors assaulted his taste buds as he swished the heavenly morsel around on his tongue. Oh my god! Not only did the pie turn out perfect but this was his favorite brand of vanilla to go with it.
Nick whipped his head to face Judy who was already next to him with a plate of her own. "Well? Whatcha think?" she asked with a mix of curiosity and dread.
It would be too cruel to tease Judy about an oh-so-delicious confection she had made for him, so Nick decided on a half-tease. He leaned his chin on a paw with an easy going grin, smacking his lips loudly. "Not bad," he critiqued, despite the fact that he deliberately took another huge chunk and stuffed it into his maw.
"Not bad!?" Judy scoffed. "I even asked Gideon how to…" She stopped herself mid sentence and winced, knowing that Gideon Grey might still be a sore subject for Nick.
To his credit, Nick didn't let it get to him. In fact, his expression softened when he looked at Judy's genuine worried gaze. "Judy. It's wonderful. I don't think I've ever eaten a better pie before. Thank you."
His use of her name and the compliment made his partner completely perk up in joy; even her feet began to thump air from the high barstool. "Really!?"
"Really, really," he smiled and took another big chomp.
It dawned on Nick that he never shared with Judy about his love for this particular brand of ice cream since he was a kit; mostly because he could never find it. The only other mammal who knew about this was… his mom. Nick's eyes darted back over to Judy who was now sampling her own handiwork with an approving bite.
She went out of her way to talk to that baking fox back home and learned about this ice cream… from my mom?
If he wasn't confused enough already, Nick's growing internal conflict was dealt another polarizing hand. The duo ate in comfortable silence. Besides the fact that he was starving, Nick further showed his appreciation by eating another slice. Then a third, fourth, and fifth.
Judy was studying him by the fifth slice. "Careful there, Nick. You shouldn't overdo it."
"I dunno what you're talking about, Fluff." He rubbed his satisfied belly and stood to take his plate to the sink. "Gonna relax on the couch for a few. I'll do the dishes later."
"Okay," Judy said, still working on her single piece.
The fox eased into his cushy couch and allowed himself to slouch down. It didn't take long for all of his energy to be diverted to digesting all that pie he stuffed himself with. Paws on his belly, Nick closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and allowed himself a content moment to relax.
Judy cleaned some cookware and put all the dishes into the sink before eventually coming around to join him, hopping up onto the couch effortlessly. She eyed his stomach before letting her eyes trek up to his face where he appeared to be breathing heavier, eyes closed and a very satisfied smug grin on his lowered snout.
"Someone's in a food coma," she teased. "Dumb fox. You never listen to me…"
No comment.
"Nick?"
There was continued silence. Judy leaned over to wave her paw in front of his muzzle. Nick's only reply was a deep breath followed by a light snore.
"You must've been really tired, huh?" the bunny whispered.
Looking down at her paws in her lap, Judy wondered if she should go grab a blanket and simply let Nick sleep. Her thought was interrupted when a heavy weight slid over and pressed against her head and shoulder. The bunny glanced over to see him leaning over her shoulder for support. Not daring to move, Judy tried to deduce if she could lower Nick to the cushion without waking him.
Before Judy could do anything, the sleeping fox slipped further and now his head lay completely in her lap. Oh gosh. Okay… this is okay… really, no big deal… She was hesitant to move. Thankfully his snout was facing away from her. Judy stopped to stare at Nick's muzzle, her nose twitching as she saw his lips slightly curled with a look of total contentment on his face. Being close enough to the armrest, the bunny leaned on a paw while smiling down.
"Not tonight, I guess…" she huffed softly.
Continuing to watch her partner sleep for a long while, Judy observed how Nick's ears flicked about. Temptation got the better of her and she slowly placed her right paw between them and began to gently caress his scalp fur. It was much thicker than a bunny's fur but still very soft to the touch. Judy noticed an instinctive tail wag and a slight kick of his right leg that made her chuckle as she continued to run her fingers through his scruffy fur.
"Sweet dreams, Nick," Judy said as she began to quietly hum a little lullaby, just letting time pass.
Nick stirred awake, his brain still hanging on to a few lucid images as they slowly disappeared from his mind one by one. The fox realized he must have zonked out at some point in the evening. When did I fall asleep? I was eating pie with Judy and went to the couch and… The thought drifted away as he was way too warm and comfortable to care.
A soft little song lingered on the edge of his mind. One he hadn't heard for some time but the familiarly pushed him back into an eased state, allowing his subconscious to recall the source of the tune; a petite gray bunny he loved all too well.
Then came the sensation that Judy was touching him, her silky paw running through his fur. The very idea caused him to smirk. Boy, that's a dream. Must have eaten too much pie after all. With a small huff of air, Nick forced his eyes open; his nocturnal sight triggering in the dim living room. The apartment was enveloped in darkness with the exception of a small light from the kitchen area.
As his foxy brain became more alert, his eyes flicked to the entertainment center where a digital clock on his DVD player informed him that it was 4:27AM. What!? Last time I saw the clock it was 5:09PM... If that wasn't enough of a shock, his 'pillow' suddenly moved underneath him. Nick's eyes darted down to notice an all too familiar pair of black leggings under his cheek. Another subtle movement made him acutely aware of a small weight resting on top of his head. Almost too afraid to look around, Nick slowly twisted his neck to find his chin lying right across Judy's thighs and her right paw between his ears.
Now wait a minute… oh boy… this is happening…
Daring to glance up, he found the rest of Judy. His partner was completely asleep, twisted and leaning over the armrest with her cheek resting on her left arm, ears hanging over the side. The bunny's chest raised in rhythm with her slow deep breaths. Nick watched as Judy shifted and her arm moved, dangling her right paw down between his eyes.
With methodical and deliberate movements, Nick eased his limbs around while contorting his elongated torso, trying to find the best way to remove himself without disturbing Judy. Eventually he was able to separate and slowly slide his head out from under the bunny; catching her with his large paws so she wouldn't slump forward. Of course she'd sleep through it.
Nick gently scooped up his partner; cradling her in his arms as he tip-toed towards his bedroom.
"Couldn't have it any other way, huh Fluff?" Nick whispered. "I can't believe you stayed like that the whole time…" The soft words caused her ears to twitch as she nestled more deeply into his chest.
Reaching his destination, Nick gingerly lay Judy on the mattress and tucked her in. Before he could ease away, she tossed and turned a bit, aimlessly pawing about.
"Nick… don't…" the bunny murmured. One paw managed to find his dangling tie and caught hold of it in a vice like grip, almost yanking Nick forward.
Catching himself on the edge of the bed with both paws, Nick watched as Judy rolled to her side, facing away from him, his tie still in her grasp.
"Great…" he chuckled.
Luckily, she didn't yank him hard enough to cause him to choke or suffer a muscle pull. Nick carefully loosened the knot on his tie, slipping it over his head and let Judy claim it. He stood watching her curl into a ball for a few moments. "Don't… go…" came another hushed mumbling.
Judy's words made fresh waves of realizations hit him right in the muzzle.
"That wasn't a dream… was it?" the fox muttered to himself, eyes narrowing in contemplation. "Your paw was on my head and that lullaby… the one from the hotel… and just now you..."
Nick found himself looking down at the floor, paws in his pockets before his eyes returned to Judy. His gaze landed on his tie tightly clutched in her fists.
What if you're wrong, Wilde? Could you really let her just slip away?
With a deep exhale, Nick peered at his nightstand. A notepad and pen was next to his alarm clock, still there where he had placed them while writing his thoughts about the dollhouse case. A renewed debate waged within Nick before a decisive glint finally flashed in his eyes and he reached for the pad, silently scribbling a note. Tearing it off and folding it, he left it standing upright on the edge of the nightstand, facing the sleeping bunny.
Stepping softly across the carpet, Nick grabbed his spare officer's uniform and slipped back towards the bedroom door. Managing to close it without a peep, the fox glanced through the remaining slit at his partner with a genuine smile.
"Sleep tight, Judy," Nick whispered, clicking the door shut.
The early morning sunshine poked through the blinds and landed on a pair of gray eyelids, causing Judy to flutter her eyes open and suddenly jolt upright, nose twitching. Despite her half groggy state, she was able to immediately identify her location.
This isn't the couch!?
"How did I end up…?" Judy looked around the room. "Nick?"
There was no reply.
"Maybe he's still on the couch sleeping… I'll just go and..." Judy stopped mid-thought when she realized she was holding onto something in her paws.
Peering down, the bunny noticed that she was tightly gripping one of Nick's ties; the special violet one he was wearing yesterday when he came home from work. She tilted her head in confusion. "Why do I have you?"
Judy shifted herself to the edge of the bed, carefully straightening the tie. As she leaned over to place it on the nightstand, the bunny noticed two things; first, it was 5:42AM and second, there was a folded note with her name on it. She grabbed the note and unfolded the small piece of paper.
"Hey, Sleeping Bunny. I'm going to work early. Call me when you wake up. -Nick" Judy read the message aloud.
He carried me in here like he always does… she thought with a smile. Judy hopped off the bed and headed into the living room, searching for her phone. She found it already plugged into a charger on the TV stand. If Nick had left some time ago, he should already be at the precinct. Taking a moment to pat down her ruffled bed fur, Judy tapped the MuzzleTime speed dial.
Nick's smirking image appeared within just a single ring, already at his desk with his usual morning coffee. "Hey, it's Officer Sunshine! I was wondering if you'd sleep in."
Judy had been prepared to apologize for falling asleep but her partner's irritable morning smug face immediately shifted her gears. "Well, I must have dialed the wrong number… the fox I know would still be in bed waging war against the snooze button on his alarm."
"Madam, I'll have you know I am the pinnacle of punctuality and responsibility," he declared proudly.
Snorting at Nick's cockiness, Judy walked out onto the patio, pretending to look east over the railing towards the rising sun.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking to see if Sahara Square froze over…"
The two partners shared a smile. Nick's cocky expression softened, appearing to muse over his next words as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey Carrots, about last night… I didn't mean to fall asleep on you like that…" Nick did his best to remain slick but his voice still came out uneven.
"Nick, don't… it's okay. I didn't mind, really…" Judy interrupted, fighting a blush in the meantime before giving Nick a mischievous smirk. "Though next time, I'm writing you a restraining order on the number of slices you're allowed to eat."
The fox chuckled. "Hah! Duly noted, Officer Fluff." The two shared another quiet moment. Looking at Judy's smiling face, Nick took a breath. "Say, Carrots… are you… doing anything later today?"
"No. Why?" Judy curiously asked, ears twitching at the unsteadiness of Nick's tone.
"After today's shift, I have the next two days off. I… uh… thought we could go grab a bite to eat tonight. Just you and me."
While they often ate out together, this particular invitation almost sounded like… like a real date? It's what Judy almost blurted out but luckily stopped herself in time. Reigning in her jumpy emotions, Judy decided to play coy, tapping her chin before returning an innocent gaze to Nick. "I think I'm available…" she said, laying it on rather thick. "What did you have in mind?"
Nick momentarily raised his brow, having to clear his throat before leaning an elbow against his chair's armrest, forcing himself to remain confident. "I know a place. Real classy. You'll like it."
"What time should I be ready?" the bunny asked, biting her lip.
"Let's do 7 o'clock. I'll meet you at your place."
"Okay, Nick." Judy smiled excitedly.
"See you tonight, Fluff." Nick winked with a little salute, ending the call.
Judy came back inside the apartment, a bit more pep in her step, closing the sliding door. She grasped her phone tightly while looking at the wallpaper photo. Tonight… Yes! Tonight, I'll tell him! Her plan renewed, Judy gathered her things, locked up the apartment and headed out. She had a few things to take care of before the evening arrived.
As he hung up, Nick let out a huge contained nervous exhale, slumping back into his chair while drumming his nails against the armrests. It was a done deal. No going back now, Wilde. Now to get through his shift for the day. The fox officer turned back to his paperwork, as there was still some time before he would need to head into the bullpen to get his assignment for the day.
Luckily for Nick, he was graced with an uneventful day of patrolling Downtown. After dropping off the Hareraiser at the precinct vehicle lot, Nick finished his remaining paperwork and found himself outside in the mid-afternoon sun on the main steps to the ZPD, checking his smartphone.
Nick brought the phone to his ear to make a call. Should be open by now...
"Good afternoon. Thank you for calling Meerkangelo's. Joanna speaking, how may I assist you?" a pleasant female voice answered.
"Hello, Joanna. Is ol' Spitfire Michelle in today?" Nick asked in his friendliest tone.
"She is, sir. May I ask who's calling?"
"Tell her it's Nick Wilde," Nick said as he watched mammals coming and going near the town square's fountain, paw in his pant's pocket as he made his way south.
"One moment, sir. Please hold."
After a moment of waiting, an older soft-spoken voice picked up the call. "Nicky! Long time no talk. Saw you in the papers the other day, you lil' troublemaker!"
"Miche," the officer smiled. "Been too long. Say darling, I know this is short notice but I was wondering if you could do me a real solid?"
"What's in it for me, Big Red?" the voice teased.
"A lifetime supply of pawpsicles from Finnick and my undying gratitude?"
This earned him a chuckle. "What do you need?"
"Was looking for a table for two at eight o'clock tonight."
"Done. Our finest table, just for you. Special occasion?"
Nick scratched his neck again. "Yeah… you could say that. I owe you big."
"Don't mention it, hun. I'll be seeing you tonight."
"Bye now!" Nick said with a grin.
Continuing his trek, Nick passed a few street vendors and happened to walk past the bunny vendor where he witnessed Phil swipe the blueberries in front of him. That's right. The blueberries. The fox's mind immediately flashed back to the berries from the care package and the pie Judy baked.
Phone still in paw, he brought it back up and dialed another number. A few rings later, an older gray rabbit with a gentle, motherly smile and a smaller bunny in her arms answered the call.
"Why Nicholas, it's good to hear from you," Bonnie greeted warmly. "Judy must have given you the blueberries I packed."
"Mrs. Hopps," Nick smiled back. "She sure did and let me tell you, delicious as always. I can't ever thank you enough."
"You're very welcome, dear. You've caused quite the ruckus around here lately with being on the television so much. Is everything okay with you?"
"It is, it is. I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble," Nick said while wondering exactly what sort of ruckus Bonnie might be referring to.
"Not at all, in fact…" Bonnie stopped mid-sentence when another voice interrupted her in the background.
"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy! Is that Nick?" asked a small rambunctious pair of swiveling cream colored ears from below the camera's view.
"Yes it is, Cotton. Now behave yourself, young lady," the matriarch said as she lowered her phone.
Nick watched as a familiar teensy smiling face appeared, unable to control her excitement. "Hi!"
"Well, there's my favorite little lady… just don't tell your big sister that," the fox greeted with a wink.
Cotton giggled. "Is Judy there too?"
"Actually, your sister's probably at her home. Did you have fun playing with her while she was there?"
"Uh huh! I have my own partner now too!"
"You do? Who's the lucky bunny?"
"He's not a bunny, silly..." Cotton exclaimed and suddenly held a fox plushie up high that she was holding off screen with a small badge sticker on it. "It's him!"
The real fox officer blinked in surprise before returning a big smile to the small bunny. "That's a cu––cool little plush you got there, Cotton." Whoopsie, almost said cute to a pair of bunnies.
"He was Judy's! She gave him to me before she left!"
What? Nick had to stop on the side of the sidewalk; eyes wide and mouth agape, not knowing how to respond to that. She had a fox plushie?
Watching his expression, Bonnie leaned down over her little daughter, "Cotton. I'm sure Nicholas has a lot to do… say goodbye and go wash up for supper, hun."
"Aww," she pouted before turning back to the phone. "Okay, bye Nick!" And just like that she was gone like a carrot-powered little rocket.
Nick managed a small paw wave before regaining his focus and turning his attention back to Bonnie. "I hope you don't mind her, Nicholas. She can be a little pawful, that one."
"Not at all, Mrs. Hopps," he reassured. "She does remind me of a certain bunny I know…"
Bonnie tilted her head with a nose twitch. "How is my girl? She happy to be back in the city?"
The two previous nights flashed through Nick's brain, causing him to turn red under his fur. He often thanked god for having matching fur color to hide such uncontrollable reactions. "Yeah… she's been doing swell. We spent a little bit of time together between my shifts," he replied, failing to keep a steady voice.
"I'm glad to hear it."
With a quick clear of his throat, Nick calmed himself. Despite feeling a little nervous, he put on his best smile as something came to mind. "Speaking of Judy, Mrs. Hopps… there is something I'd like to ask you."
"Certainly, dear. What would you like to know?" Bonnie asked with an inviting smile.
The little orange rectangular dual mode alarm clock radio read 6:42PM.
Judy was nearly finished with getting ready. She was bouncing on her toes, standing in front of her full body mirror while tugging at the collar of her shirt. The bunny had spent the later part of the afternoon trying on different tops from her cabinet rack.
Ugh. Why am I so nervous? What would Nick even think if he saw me like this? Probably give me some spiel about dating 101 if it wasn't the two of us…
Thoughts of whatever advice he might possibly come up with gave Judy a chuckle. Taking a deep breath helped to calm herself a little bit. She finally decided to settle on a black off-the-shoulder top with bell sleeves and a nice high-low hem that she purchased before her trip, pairing it with a light blue skirt. Giving herself one last one-over, her right ear swiveled up to the sound of a recognizable set of footsteps in the hallway followed by a playful knock on the door. Only one sly mammal she knew had such a dorky knock.
Binkying to the door, Judy took a moment to breath again before swinging it open to find a dapper red fox leaning against the door frame with one arm, while keeping the other behind his back. Nick was wearing his favorite slate vest and pants, collared shirt with rolled up sleeves and the violet tie.
They both inspected one another from head to toe before Nick broke the ice. "Hey, miss. We meet again."
It reminded her of the night she went to meet Nick's mom for the first time. "Hello again, sir. I see you didn't get lost this time."
"Sure didn't. May I come in?" he leaned forward with his paw, the tiniest hint of nervousness in his voice.
Judy stepped to the side to let Nick enter, the fox making sure to keep his back turned. The bunny eyed him suspiciously. Her nose began to twitch; as there was an undeniable fresh earthy scent surrounding her partner. "Nick… are you hiding something?"
"Nothing gets by you, does it, Officer Hopps?" The fox scratched his neck with his free paw; forcing his voice to remain even. "I… um… wanted to give you these… for the pie…"
Nick finally presented his hidden paw; revealing a lavish bouquet of assorted pink, red, blue, and purple flowers.
The reaction was instantaneous. Judy's ears plummeted as paws flew to cover her mouth, a vocal gasp escaping through her fingers as her eyes became as wide as saucers. She was frozen long enough that Nick wondered if this was a bad idea, or if he maybe had accidentally broken his partner, and was about to speak up again before Judy cut him off.
"Oh, Nick…" Judy dashed towards him, crushing him in one of her strongest bunny hugs he had ever felt. The fox stiffened like a wooden board, feeling like his feet left the floor from the impact. Nick fumbled to make sure he didn't accidently drop the flowers as he wrapped one paw around Judy's back.
"I take it you like them, Carrots?" he asked with an anxious tone.
Collecting herself, Judy let go and took the bouquet. She brought it up to her nose and deeply inhaled the wondrous floral fragrances. No one had ever given her flowers before. "I do. How did you know that paeonia suffruticosa, platycodon grandiflorus, papaver nudicaule, and lupinus & russell hybrids are my favorites?"
The fox's previous expression turned to immediate amusement. "A Wilde guess, I'd imagine…" Putting his paws behind his back, Nick's half-smirk gave away how pleased he appeared with himself.
Judy blinked, her police mind not buying her partner's cryptic answer.
"And just so you know…" Nick interrupted her musing, "Us common city folk happen to call those tree peonies, balloon flowers, poppies, and lupines, you botanist bunny."
Playfully shaking her head, Judy filed her thought away for later while ignoring Nick's jab. She closed her eyes with a smile and taking another deep inhale of the flowers' fragrance. Deciding to remain quiet, Nick watched Judy begin to paw through the bouquet and meticulously pull out a red poppy. Nothing prepared him for what he was about to witness next, as Judy opened her mouth and nibbled a petal off the flower, slowly chewing to savor it before plucking off petal after petal until the flower was gone.
What is she doing? Jaw to the floor and brow up, Nick's bulging eyes followed her paw as Judy blissfully ignored him, plucking a purple balloon flower, then a pink tree peony; indulging both before fishing out a bluish lupine, saving her most favorite flower of the bouquet for last.
Judy eyed the lupine with hungry eyes. She was so tempted to break her plan and say something right now. I can't believe he got me these flowers… The bunny opened wide and slowly enjoyed the elongated flower like a popsicle treat before biting off the top half.
Tugging on his collar… Is it hot in here? Nick's paw searched for something, anything, to lean against and keep his balance. "So, uh…" Nick hesitantly began, causing Judy to stop mid-chew to look at him, realizing she got caught up in her moment. "If I had known I might spoil dinner, I would've planned on us going somewhere else…" he smiled trying to play off his unease.
Snapping out of it, Judy swallowed her cheekful of lupine. "What? Oh..." she chuckled nervously. "Guess you've never given a bunny girl flowers before, huh?"
"You'd be the first and only, Carrots." Nick crossed his arms, leaning his body against her cabinet.
Oh fiddlesticks. He wouldn't know about this. Judy raised the bouquet over her muzzle as if to try and hide behind it to cover her twitchy nose and intense blushing while also brushing her ears back. "Well… it's a bit of tradition to eat the flowers of someone special… like…"
"Like your partner, huh?" Nick interjected.
"Right… partner…" Judy glanced away, inwardly sighing. She took a quick breath. "And I won't spoil my dinner, silly fox. I just wanted to try each one…"
"Is that right?" Nick walked closer and picked out a small blue lupine. "This one looked like your favorite."
"Was it that obvious?" Judy asked. "What are you gonna…?"
With a flick of his wrist, Nick laced a portion of the lupine into his lapel and smiled for Judy.
Smiling back, she gently tapped his arm at the gesture. "Sly fox. Now I need to find something to put these in."
"Ugh," Nick slapped himself. "I should've thought of that."
"It's okay!" Judy exclaimed hopping past him, heading out the door to catch a breather away from the heat she had been feeling steadily building up inside the room.
The bunny rounded the corner and proceeded to knock on her neighbor's door. A confrontational kudu opened the door, looking down.
"Yeah? What do you want, bunny? We're being quiet," Bucky stated despite the fact that he was firmly cowering behind the door, ready to run at a moment's notice.
"Hi! I was just wondering if you guys might have a vase I could borrow?" Judy gleefully asked with a tiny binky.
"Hurry up and do what she says!" Pronk yelled from their living room.
"Will you shut up? I'm getting to it!" Bucky shouted back as he went inside the room.
"No, you shut up!"
"You shut up!"
After some noisy fumbling, Bucky returned with a red vase. "Here," he drawled while handing it to Judy.
"Thank you!" she smiled while accepting it.
Nick had stepped outside as the door was slammed behind her and several lock bolts could be heard being fastened.
"What was that all about?"
"Oh nothing… nothing at all." Judy mischievously smirked, memories of pillows and fulfilled revenge satisfying her mind. "Let me get some water and we can go."
The fox leaned against the hallway wall while Judy ran down to the communal bathroom area, filled the vase and jogged back. Placing the flowers inside and on her desk, she was all set to go; locking her apartment door being the final step before she turned to face her partner.
"C'mon, let's go!" Judy exclaimed.
With anxious smiles, the fox and bunny walked down the hallway, heading towards the stairs. Behind them a door opened to a slit as a pair of kudu and oryx eyes watched their departure.
"I didn't know she was with a fox," Pronk whispered.
"I told you he sounded too smooth to be a rabbit," Bucky snorted.
"Yeah, well you thought he was a beaver," Pronk shot back.
"I did not!"
"Oh, shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"
"Shut your mouth!"
Soon Nick and Judy were on the subway heading east. Nick was being rather tight-lipped about where they were headed, deflecting Judy's every attempt to find out. Normally not one to give up, Judy, however, let it go and gazed outside the window as they entered Sahara Square, the train taking a turn south, away from the Palm Hotel and towards the Beach Promenade.
Arriving at their destination, the duo walked a short distance and entered the Meerkat Marketplace. By day it flourished as a busy market of street vendors; by night it transformed into a colorfully lit entertainment scene of music and food. Judy absorbed all the sights, feeling even more thrilled with the energetic nightlife that bustled about around them. Making their way through the crowds, they arrived at the outer marketplace square dotted with beach facing restaurants.
Nick led Judy up the stairs of a posh looking establishment named Meerkangelo's. Holding the door open for her, they entered the crowded, main hostess area where numerous couples were waiting to be seated. Judging by the patrons, Judy noticed the restaurant catered exclusively to smaller sized mammals, a relief after one of their after work dinners had nearly ended in disaster when the server forgot he had placed them in an elephant sized booth, leading a pair of pachyderms to almost sit on them at the assumed 'unoccupied' table.
Judy's ear perked towards the reception area where a meerkat hostess was greeting another couple who walked in ahead of them, informing the two beavers that the current wait was an hour and a half.
The bunny tugged on her partner's sleeve, the announcement from the employee shocking her. "Nick. The wait is ninety minutes! Are you sure you want to wait that long? We could just go over to..."
Interrupted by his trademark grin, Judy trailed off as Nick leaned down with a confident wink. "Don't worry, Carrots."
They walked up to the desk, Judy eyeing Nick from head to toe suspiciously as her partner leaned against the counter, wondering what trick he might have up his foxy sleeve or who he would try to hustle in order to beat the wait time.
"Good evening, welcome to Meerkangelo's. How may I help you?" the hostess greeted.
Nick's eyes flicked to her name badge. "Hello, Joanna. We spoke earlier. Nick Wilde, party of two," he said with a charming smile and holding up two fingers.
Checking the reservation list, the meerkat cheerfully smiled back. "Of course, Mr. Wilde. Your table is ready. Right this way, please."
Tucking two menus into her arms, Joanna stepped out, ready to guide them to their table.
"After you, Fluff." Nick gestured.
"Hmm. Let me guess…" Judy leaned closer.
"Know everybody? You betcha," Nick said following with paws behind his back.
Joanna led them to the south-facing outdoor patio where several types of special booths were chiseled into the unique smooth stone formations swirling with muted reds and dark oranges; classic colors of the Saharan biome. They reached a curvy and plush booth-style seat raised high above the other seats giving them a perfect view of the evening sky and a panoramic vista of the marketplace and distant shores.
The hostess removed a reserved note and lit a candle in the middle, motioning for her guests to take their seats. Judy hopped up and slid in with Nick scooting in behind her. The table was set and Joanna informed the two that their server would be with them shortly.
Unable to contain her fervor, Judy's eyes darted everywhere, taking everything in as Nick watched her in silent amusement. Dimly lit old-style lanterns sitting in small carved nooks provided a rather romantic atmosphere as a small band played easy-listening music from a central stage below.
"Oh my gosh, Nick… this is so different!" Judy declared, fidgeting joyfully in her seat.
"Like an above ground meerkat manor," Nick said leaning an arm across the table. "Told you, you'd like it."
"Hello!" Nick and Judy turned to see their server arrive, a slim mongoose in all black with a friendly voice. "My name is Regina and I will be taking care of you tonight! May I start you off with any drinks or appetizers?"
The fox and bunny exchanged a glance. A little liquid courage never sounded better to Nick right about now. "Actually Regina, a drink sounds perfect. What do you say, Carrots?"
Leaning in again, Judy whispered up to Nick's ear. "Are you sure, Nick? Wouldn't it be a little pricey… I mean, I don't have to drink…"
"Ma'am the first round is on the house," Regina said. "Courtesy of the owner, Michelle."
Not missing a beat, before Judy could speak, Nick jumped right on the gesture. "Well now… can't be rude to the owner, right?" He turned to his partner, gesturing with an open paw. "I do believe the lady will enjoy a kiwi and mint Tomcat Collins."
Impressed that Nick remembered the drink from their night out with Brian and Valerie, Judy decided to play along and live a little. "And the gentlemammal will have a Stella Argalis."
"Wonderful! I'll be right back," Regina smiled and disappeared.
Nick leaned into the cushions of the booth. "You know me too well, Officer Fluff."
"That's because I have to put up with you all day, everyday, Officer Wilde."
"Madam, I am the perfect partner," Nick said in dramatic anguish.
"Perfectly insufferable," Judy replied with half-lidded eyes.
Snickering at the return of their comfortable ribbing, the drinks arrived along with a basket of various breads and two glasses of water. The two grabbed their respective drink, Nick held up his chilled mug as a toast.
"Cheers, Carrots."
"To your first big case, Slick," Judy whispered, voice full of pride.
Their glasses clinked, fox and bunny enjoying the gaze they exchanged more than the refreshments they sipped. Regina returned, ready to inform them about the restaurant's exquisite menu.
Glancing between the two happy mammals, Regina waited for the moment to pass before waving to get their attention. "Are you two ready to hear about the Chef's specials?"
"Absolutely. What's on the menu tonight?" Nick grinned.
Regina happily shared several special plates available for the evening, starting with a Sahara Tabouli to an Eggplant Parmesan before describing the Wine-braised Lentils with Cricket Sausage, and the Mozzarella Arepas with Summer Veggies.
Mouths already watering at the sound of those delicious entrees, Nick and Judy agreed to forgo the main menu and ordered from the specials; Judy taking the tabouli salad while Nick ordered the cricket sausage. Regina departed with their order and left the two with some privacy.
Judy nibbled on some toasted bread, looking out to the nightly bustle of the marketplace. Nick moved a little closer, beer glass in paw, to get the bunny's attention.
"Do anything special today?" he asked.
Perking up at the sound of his voice, Judy turned to face Nick directly. "Oh… I saw Brian and Valerie! I think I've finally found another mammal become as excited as you when I gave him the blueberries. Brian was really happy for your case too."
"Nose is a good guy."
"I still can't believe you never shared any blueberries with him when you two were classmates…" she gently nudged Nick's side.
"All's fair in love and cards, sweetheart," Nick boasted while taking a sip of his beer.
His use of sweetheart never fazed her before, but tonight it made Judy feel a little more special. She eyed her partner, daring a little what-if scenario. "If we had been classmates and you got them elsewhere, would you have shared them with me?" Judy asked with a rather thick tone.
Nearly swallowing the beer down the wrong pipe, Nick recovered quickly, pretending like nothing happened. Leaning on an elbow, he mischievously smirked directly at Judy. "Yes."
"Really?" Naturally Judy wanted to hear a yes but she was rather surprised how extra nonchalant his answer was.
"Because I know you'd find some way to hustle them out of me, sly bunny," Nick stated rather matter-of-factly with a wink.
Opening her mouth to counter, Judy pointed at Nick before pausing. She playfully glared at him. "Fine. I'll give you that one. At least you admit that I'd find a way."
Nick clinked his glass against her's and finished his drink. He scooted away and carefully slid down the rock surface from their raised table. "Be right back."
"Already, Nick? And you tell me I have a tiny bladder…" Judy teased.
"I'll have you know I camped out all night in a bush. Twice," he smirked. "We'll see who buckles first on our next stakeout."
Watching his bushy tail disappear around the rocky base, Judy was left with her thoughts; ears twisting to listen to the band down below. Judy rested her chin on both paws smiling at the fun they were having tonight as her mind drifted back to the flowers. How did Slick Nick manage to pick out that particular floral arrangement? The bunny was tapping a finger to her chin when her eyes caught a glimpse of red fur approaching the stage from the side.
As the band finished their song, Judy watched as Nick huddled with the lead singer, being quite adamant with his gestures before both mammals came to an agreement and nodded at one another. The fox slipped him a tip before leaving with a smug grin as he sauntered back out of sight.
"Sly fox…" Judy whispered to herself before making a connection. A wave of warmth passing through her that wasn't the alcohol. "Wait… if he did what I think he just did…"
"Miss me?"
The bunny nearly started as her partner was already scooting back next to her, derailing Judy's speculation.
"Bout as much as I miss soggy and shriveled carrots," she shot back for scaring her.
"Ouch." Nick mockingly rubbed his heart. "Well, I don't know how you eat those crappy TV dinners."
"You eat crappy TV dinners too!" she pointed at him.
"Yeah but I'm lazy. What's your excuse?"
"I'll have you know..."
Judy stopped when two servers appeared with a tray of their meals, alongside Regina who served each plate.
"Sahara Tabouli for you, ma'am. And the Wine-braised Lentils with Cricket Sausage for the gentlemammal. Would you like anything else? More drinks?" Regina asked.
Exchanging a quick glance and nods, Nick turned to the server. "I think we're good. Thank you, Regina!"
The mongoose lightly bowed and left to check on another table.
Nick pointed to the tabouli with a fork. "Mean looking salad you got there, Carrots."
Judy inhaled the scent of the sweet fresh greens and offered her plate. "Try some?"
Poking it with his fork, Nick took a small bite. "Not too shabby… for greens." This earned him a little shove. He proceeded to cut a morsel of his entree and present it to Judy. "I know you don't normally eat this kind of food but... it'd be rude of me to not offer," the fox smiled.
Judy stared at the piece of cricket sausage in front of her causing her nose to twitch at the steamy aroma of the grilled morsel.
"There's no shame in not trying everything," Nick teased, dangling the fork just outside of her lips.
That foxy dare was all it took. Just as he was retreating the offer, Judy snapped forward and took the bite. With equally wide eyes, the two stared at each other as Nick gently removed the fork from Judy's mouth. The bunny chewed the food painstakingly slowly while maintaining direct eye contact. Judy turned away from Nick, paws over her mouth with drooping ears as she reluctantly swallowed.
Finding himself a little bit shocked, yet not really, a smug grin formed on the fox's muzzle. "Well now… so how did it…"
"IthinkIlikeit," came a short mumbling admission.
"Come again?" Nick mockingly leaned over, his right ear perked, cupping a paw next to it.
"I said... I. Think. I. Like. It." Judy admitted in a hushed voice. The bunny twirled around, latching onto his arm with both paws, nearly knocking the fork out of his paw. "Is that weird? Oh mouldy peaches… does that make me weird!?"
"Judy…" This caught her attention. "You're not weird. It's not like you're eating meat or anything. It's just bugs. Honestly, who knows if it's mostly paste with what they probably mix in with this stuff."
Seeing the bunny calm down and release his arm, Nick excitedly cut himself a nice juicy piece. "Bon appetit!" The fox stopped halfway, mouth wide open when he saw Judy watching him from the corner of his eye.
"Can… I try one more?"
Nick backed the morsel out of his mouth and cocked an eyebrow, blankly staring at her, then at the piece of cricket sausage, and back to Judy. Her eyes were zeroed in on the food, then flicked up to search his. An amused smirk appeared on his face. "Should we trade?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows.
"No." She narrowed her eyes a little bit. "And don't judge me…"
"Perish the thought." Nick planted his chin on his left paw, flashing a toothy grin while twisting his wrist sideways so the fork was pointing back to Judy.
Taking one more piece of Nick's dish, the two dug into their respective plates and ate in comfortable silence. As the meal went on, Judy scooted closer. Their feet would occasionally brush, causing a small burst of foot tag, before stopping and then beginning anew a few moments later.
In record time the plates were emptied and the two content mammals slouched into the cushions, bellies happily full. Nick leaned an arm out against the cushions, crossing a leg and looked over to the band. He appeared to be intently gazing upon the lead singer. Judy slid closer so she could watch and listen better while closing the gap between them. She spied Nick making eye contact with the meerkat. When the next song finished, Nick scratched his left ear with a single finger and gave it a little tug.
It looked like the meerkat nodded and prepared the band for their next song. They began to play a nice classic rendition of 'Just the Way You Are' by Billygoat Joel. The bunny's mouth pursed, peering up at Nick who was bobbing his head slightly to the song with a small curl of his lips.
Nick felt the brush of soft ear tips against his arm, then a soft warmth press against him when Judy came closer, peeking past him to watch the performance. Keeping his cool, he snuck a glance down only to meet her eyes and a soft smile. Smiling back for her, he shifted his position to accommodate Judy as she nestled closer, her head gently resting against his side as the two quietly listened to the rest of the song.
Judy could feel Nick's strong heartbeat. It was much slower than a rabbit's. As the song neared its end, she wondered if her partner didn't think she realized this song was intended for her. He's been a little different since yesterday. What if he feels the same way as me? The bunny's train of thought was making her feel even more anxious about tonight.
When it ended, a small round of applause could be heard from a few patrons. Nick and Judy sunk a little deeper into the plush cushions.
"I like that song," Judy whispered, looking up to Nick.
"It's a classic," he replied before glancing down.
A shuffle of feet coming closer drew their attention away from each other as they saw an older meerkat appear, dressed in a sharp dark business suit, glasses, and a pleased half-smile, clasping her paws by her waist.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything…" came the surprisingly husky voice.
"Hey, Miche. I was wondering when you'd stop by," Nick said, shifting himself to face his old acquaintance.
"How could I not come say hi to my favorite silvery-tongued troublemaker?" she playfully gestured. "Are you gonna introduce me to your pretty date or just sit there like a stump?"
The two mammals blushed and shared a quick glance, before Nick managed to find his voice. "Ah, yes… darling, I'd like you to meet Judy Hopps. Judy, this is Michelle Selmy, the owner of this fine establishment and one spitfire of an entrepreneur."
"Hi, nice to meet you." Judy waved. "I love your restaurant!"
"The Judy Hopps? I thought I recognized you! So you two work together? How sweet," Michelle gushed. "And thank you, honey. Big Red here actually helped me get it started. I always told him he had a good scent for business."
"Oh, really?" Judy tilted her head curiously at Nick.
"Too kind… but you're the one who got it off the ground," Nick pointed out. "Just my two cents."
The meerkat rolled her eyes while Judy tapped Nick under the table with her foot. "I hope Judy doesn't have to put up with that all the time."
"Everyday!" Judy exclaimed.
"Good to see nothing's changed," Michelle mused.
"Alright, ladies. No ganging up on the poor innocent fox," he mockingly glared at the meerkat, then the bunny, who just smiled back.
Looking at the cute couple, Michelle extended her paw. "Gimme your phone, Nicky. We should get a nice picture of the two of you."
"That's a great idea, Nick!" Judy added, bouncing in her seat slightly from her excitement.
"Okay. Don't have to twist my tail." Nick handed over his phone as he wasn't going to argue with the two ladies.
"Now get in real close you two…" Michelle said, bringing up the phone.
Nick moved his paw to make room for Judy who scooted over. Giving in to her growing desire, Judy brushed both ears back, then wrapped her paws around Nick's neck and leaned in under his cheek. Not fighting the urge, Nick let his paw glide over to the small of her back and offered his best award winning smile to the camera.
"Absolutely precious," Michelle sang, tapping the camera button.
Slowly moving his paw up, Nick managed to sneak in two fingers, giving Judy another pair of rabbit ears at the last snapshot.
Judy's bunny sense tingled but it was too late. "Nick! You keep doing that!" she blurted out before assaulting his torso with some soft jabs under the table.
"Stop, stop, stop…" Nick chuckled, attempting to put up a guard by hugging himself.
Finding himself in a losing battle, Nick was saved by an amused throat clearing, halting Judy's attack. Michelle simply stood there, snapping one more photo, looking rather pleased with herself. "I think you'll be pleased…"
Taking his phone back, Nick shot Judy a side-glance as she stepped away from him, shooting him a brief death glare in return.
Holding up the phone so Judy could see, Nick began to flick through them. Michelle managed to capture the full spectrum of a cute pose devolving into their physical horseplay.
"Good shots. You're a natural, Miche."
"These are wonderful, Michelle!" Judy said, returning to Nick's side. "Thank you so much."
"You're very welcome, Judy. I'm glad to see Nicky here finally find himself a nice girl to make him honest," the meerkat teased.
Still sitting quite close together, the two shared another glance, before Nick went to deflect with a bit of humor. "You could say Judy here has strong powers of persuasion."
The bunny raised her brow and crossed her arms in retaliation. "Someone had to hustle you in the right direction."
With a hearty chuckle, Michelle excused herself. "I'll leave you be. Nicky, order whatever you two like. It's on me."
"What? Now wait a minute, Miche. I told you last time, I'd pay you back and cover my next meal."
"Pish posh. Judy, help a fellow gal out?" Michelle said, not budging an inch.
"What was it you said, Nick?" Judy said in a soft mocking voice. "Can't be rude to the owner, right?"
"Fine. You win this time, Miche." Nick huffed as he pointed a finger at the older meerkat.
"I'll let Regina know," Michelle sing-songed. "It was nice meeting you, Judy!"
"You too, bye!" Judy waved as the owner slinked away to greet more of her patrons. The bunny turned to her partner. "I like her."
Regina then appeared with a dessert menu. "Would you two be ready for some dessert tonight?"
Nick leaned over to whisper in Judy's ear. "Say Carrots, I wasn't expecting to get a free meal and I was thinking we'd go out to the square. I know this nice little ice cream vendor you'd really like. What do you say?"
Agreeing not to take too much advantage of Michelle's hospitality, Judy nodded. "Okay, Nick."
Turning back to their cheery server, Nick leaned an elbow on the table. "Actually sweetheart, the bill would be fine, if you please. By the way, did I tell you how great the service is here?"
"Sorry, Mr. Wilde. My boss already told me not to give you the bill or give in to your charms," the mongoose winked. "If you need anything else, please holler." With that, Regina vanished, leaving Nick with a half-frown on his face.
Judy was giggling next to him and leaned over. "Can't talk your way out of this one, Slick."
Regardless, Nick already had his wallet out, rolling out crisp bills onto the table. "Joke's on them. I know how much everything here costs."
"Then let me pay half!" Judy said, reaching for her wallet.
"No," the fox shushed her. Judy glared at him. "Let me have this one, Fluff. You can get the ice cream. How's that?"
Softening into a smile at Nick's generosity, Judy ceased. "Okay. Deal."
Easing back into the cushions, they listened to a few more songs before heading out.
Making their way through the Meerkat Marketplace, Nick gave Judy the grand tour as they walked closely together from one end to the other. Crowds of mammals bustled about, listening to music, socializing at the various cafe-style tables, while treating themselves to the various local comfort foods and sweets.
Soon, they found themselves in a line for Wily Willy's Creamery Cart. The older gruff addax made homemade ice cream daily and sold it in the evening with his family. As they got closer, Nick noticed Judy give out a little 'eep' in anticipation. It always brought a smile to his face watching her become genuinely excited even over the simpler things in life. When it was their turn, Judy found herself staring at the dozen organic flavors, wanting to get a scoop of each one.
Holding up the line, she eventually settled on a trio of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry on a waffle cone. Nick went with a fruitier option of just strawberry and raspberry. Wily handed Nick the ice cream while Judy paid.
"Yowzers!" Judy said, gawking at the size of the scoops as Nick handed the bunny her order.
"Good thing you can eat like a…"
"Don't even…" came the warning growl.
"... a bunny." Nick smirked. "What did you think I was gonna say?"
"Don't play coy with me, Slick." Judy said, then turned to her ice cream and took a big bite. Reaching up to grab Nick's tie, she guided him back to the north side of the marketplace. "C'mon, let's keep walking around."
"What the…" Nick yelped, nearly smashing his snout into his two scoops as he was lurched forward.
The duo sauntered around, continuing to head north. As the evening progressed, Nick eventually guided Judy to the nearby Mile Square Park. They sat down on a nice remote empty wooden bench, eating their ice cream and sitting close together. Off in the distance, they could see the elevated railway as a train traveled by, passing the giant palm monument of the Palm Hotel & Casino with its colorful spotlights lighting up the clouds in the night sky. The bright lights of Downtown could be seen behind the hotel, painting a panoramic and picturesque cityscape.
Judy finished her ice cream first, looking over at Nick who was chomping the last of his waffle cone. Gazing back to the city lights, she couldn't imagine being with anyone else but with this sly fox sitting next to her. The bunny allowed her head to gently land against his torso. To her surprise, Nick shifted his arm that was lying against the top of the bench and placed it around her bare shoulder, the warmth of his paw pads giving Judy a welcoming comfort.
The bunny's eyes remained forward. Watching other mammals pass by. It reminded her of their first day together as partners in the ZPD. It wasn't terribly long ago but it already felt like a lifetime, and one that she wouldn't trade for anything else.
I should say it. I want to say it here.
As if reading her mind, Nick broke Judy's reverie when he spoke up, voice smooth and soft against the warm desert breeze. "Reminds me of our first day at work."
Smiling, Judy whispered back. "It does. Except this time we don't have to run off to catch a street-racing sloth."
"Flash is one fast animal," Nick joked.
Stifling a giggle, Judy peered at Nick. "Are you still taking extra driving lessons from him?"
"Not lately," Nick said. "But maybe I wouldn't need to if a certain bunny would let me drive more often. Me and the Hareraiser have formed a special bond while you were gone."
"Stop calling her that!" Judy poked him. "And I better not find any spray painted artwork on her or funny smells inside when I get back."
"Madam, I'll have you know..." Nick began with a theatrical hurt expression, "That I took perfect care of the ol' gal while you were gone."
"Good." Judy smiled, closing her eyes. She brought her legs up near her chest and leaned back into Nick, nestling herself underneath his arm.
Shifting her position caused Nick's paw to slip off her shoulder and fall into the warmth of her lap. Sensing where it landed, Nick was ready to move it until Judy placed both her paws over it, trapping his paw against her waist.
Taking a breath, Nick smiled while adjusting his tie with his other paw, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart. "So… Carrots. You haven't told me how the rest of your vacation went before you came home."
The question caused Judy to momentarily tense up as memories flashed of Violet bringing forth evidence of her own surfacing feelings and her realization when she chinned her little fox plushie…
"Oh… you know, just family and farming stuff… you wouldn't be that interested in it…" Judy fidgeted.
"Tell me, Judy."
Naturally, Nick's use of her name gave Judy pause while also easing her mind. She did her best to calm herself against the bubbling anxiety. Okay, I'll just leave out a few parts. "Well… my sister, Violet, and her partner, Cecilia came to visit for a few days."
Nick mused over the names. He remembered Judy telling him that Violet designed the wedding invitations and picked out the outfits for the rabbits to wear. "Partner, you say? Like business or…?"
"Both," Judy said craning her neck back to look Nick in the eyes to gauge his reaction.
"Both..." Nick repeated, gazing down intently at Judy, his soft breath tickling her hanging ears. "Sounds like two lucky mammals."
Judy could feel Nick's much larger paw curl into her tiny waist, the blunt part of his claws sending a tingling wave of sensation right through her whole body. "I think so…" Judy's breath hitched and her words trailed to a murmur as she looked up to see Nick staring at her directly, "too..."
Remaining silent, Nick simply stared into those large beaming purple eyes, as the way the park's colorful lamps lit them up hypnotized him. She didn't move away from him, even when he had instinctively caressed her side with his paw. Their closeness reminded him of how they sat next to each other on Judy's bed, sharing a meal, catching up, and just being together; how truly and blissfully happy he felt when she came back home…
The way Nick continued to look into her eyes, caused Judy to reposition their paws out from between them, sitting upright again but not letting go. Instinct and desire took over when his thumb pad gently caressed the top of her petite paw, brushing through the soft velvety gray fur, feeling her grip intensify. A moment of heavy breathing passed before either of them spoke up again.
"Nick... I…"
"Judy, there's…"
They halted as they accidentally spoke over each other, exchanging nervous chuckles. For a brief moment, their eyes scanned one another. Judy's nose twitched while Nick scratched the back of his scruffy neck.
"Normally, I'd say lady's first but there's something I want to tell you," Nick spoke softly yet clearly.
Judy waited with expectant eyes, her entire lithe body bristling in anticipation. "Okay."
"You see... there's been something I've wanted to tell you for awhile..." Nick stammered. "And I... was afraid to say it... because I... was afraid to lose everything that we have... but I can't stop how I feel..." Nick paused to take a breath and try to calm himself. "I... I..."
"Love you…" Judy whispered. Her words caused Nick to freeze, eyes snapping bewilderingly wide at the bunny as if he didn't hear her correctly.
Did she just say…?
"I love you," Judy repeated, her claws began to lightly dig into his paw, almost breaking the skin under his fur. "Nick, I love you…"
His brain finally recovering from the shock, Nick smiled… the same genuine smile he gave Judy when she asked him to be her partner; when he had forgiven her under the bridge; when he stood on the graduation deck, saluting her after she proudly pinned his badge; when he posed with her for their favorite photo; and now as that same bunny just told him that she loved him before he could…
Nick's short stunned silence was causing some anxiety to build within Judy. She was visibly breathing harder, her bunny heart racing at full-throttle. Regaining his focus, the fox reached out with his other paw to cup her right cheek. The tender gesture calmed Judy as she leaned into his leathery warm paw pads, releasing one paw to place it on top of the one on her cheek.
"I love you too, Judy," Nick finally answered back, voice thick with inflection.
Not knowing what to do next, Judy inched closer, her eyes never breaking contact while continuing to hold both of his paws tightly and smiling sweetly and nervously.
Another realization hit Nick as they shared this quiet moment. "When you came home early… is this why you…?"
The bunny's response was an anxious chuckle and a wiggle of her right paw's petite fingers. "Quixotry."
The word smacked Nick right in the brain like a clean hook, harking back to this very same moment like today, all those months ago. He couldn't help but close his eyes and chuckle to himself.
"Sly bunny."
Raising his arms from Judy's grasp, Nick opened them wider in an invitation that welcomed Judy as she scooted in for a longing embrace. Large paws wrapped around the small of her back, enveloping her in a comfortable warmth while small paws stroked the scruffy neck fur that always puffed out from his collared shirts, digging in to gently caress the skin underneath. Judy buried her head into the crook of Nick's fluffy neck. The two remained that way for several long moments.
Nick traced a few fingers down her long velvety ears. He could've sworn he heard her elicit a purr-like breath. It felt so good that Judy stirred and briefly separated. Her half-lidded eyes fluttered in a deeply amorous gaze. She drew forward again ever so slightly.
Experience recognized the subtle movement, the hint of intention in her glistening eyes, the barely visible quiver in her tiny lips. Nick returned her gaze, shifting himself on the bench, and edged forward too. Their eager breathes began to mix as they both closed their eyes in anticipation, only to be greeted with a small setback as the fox and the bunny misjudged the differences of their muzzle lengths and ended up leaning into a wet nose boop.
With eyes open again, they shared a snicker at their silly blooper. Judy was certainly one to never give up easily. She immediately closed the gap again, lidded eyes remaining open just a moment longer as the bunny craned her neck in the appropriate direction this time. Their parted lips brushed against one another on their second attempt and softly pressed together.
Neither mammal knew what to expect. As the kiss began, Judy found herself in a whole different world of sensation. It wasn't just the difference in their species, but the act itself. It wasn't her first time somewhat romantically kissing another. However with Nick, it went beyond that. It wasn't sloppy or wet. He wasn't trying to overzealously devour her mouth or tongue. It felt like a well rehearsed dance, as if they had practiced it a thousand times prior, responding appropriately to her every movement, sound, and touch.
Judy exhaled a tiny whimper, daring to explore with her tongue. She could feel the sharp tips of his fangs. It didn't cause her to retreat but become more curious as she licked them lightly. Nick responded in kind, his much longer tongue teasing hers with a gentle slide and tickle. He pulled it away to discover that she began to relentlessly seek it out again. Ending his tease, Nick allowed his tongue to become entangled in her's. This only caused Judy to smile more deeply into the kiss.
They almost parted for a moment to catch their breaths but Judy was having none of that nonsense. One small paw reached up to grab Nick by the loose knot of his violet tie, the special tie she knew he bought for himself as a reminder of her eyes and fiercely pulled him closer. The other paw offered a silky touch against his snout, deepening their kiss.
Nick uttered a satisfactory breath of compliance as he found himself lurched forward by his partner's strength. The fox found himself completely lost in the hunger of her affection, responding in kind by gently cupping the back of her head. He had no idea what to expect, never having kissed a completely different mammal before, much less a prey species. But everything he was experiencing in this one moment, made him wish he had taken the plunge sooner.
Despite both of them having gone through a long period of not sharing such pure affection with another mammal, everything was just falling into place, filling a void of longing they both had shared. It felt so natural and wonderful that truth be told, Nick didn't want to stop anymore. Kissing Judy for the first time surpassed every expectation he imagined as a shudder pierced through his whole upper body.
Even the taste of her was far different than any vixen he had been with before. There was an earthy sweetness that made everything Nick experienced in the past utterly pale in comparison. It was intoxicating and only drove his pent up desire further. Judy responded to his renewed passion with a small lip bite and tug, causing Nick to raise an eyebrow in amusement and exhale a delighted groan of his own.
After what seemed like an eternity yet still not long enough, the two finally parted breathlessly, their panting muzzles floating a mere inch from each other. Their eyes remained locked in a heated daze.
Judy was the first to whisper. "That was..."
"Amazing," Nick quietly finished for her.
"Yes. Yes it was."
Still reeling from the kiss, Judy let her head fall forward, bopping against Nick's shoulder as she wedged herself into the soft thick fur of his neck. Gently grinding her teeth, she elicited a soft purr. Nick craned his neck to rest against her soft fluffy cheek, closing his eyes, basking in their shared euphoria. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Instead Nick wrapped his tail around Judy, further enveloping his bunny in his warmth.
A short distance away, an older pig in a turquoise bowling shirt and a smaller groundhog in a colorful summer dress, strolled down the cobblestone pathway together, paws intertwined. The pig noticed the younger fox and bunny on the park bench and nudged his wife.
"Ain't that something? Would ya look at that, Mary?" the husband asked, gesturing to the bench.
"Now, George… it's rude to stare," the elderly groundhog playfully swatted her husband's arm. "But you're right. Those two sure look so adorable together!"
George chuckled to himself. "Yep. Time's sure are a' changin'!"
The interspecies couple continued on their way, leaving the fox and bunny comfortably content in their newfound bliss.
Nick and Judy made it to her apartment's floor, walking down the hallway holding paws. They kept quiet as it was rather late and they didn't want to disturb any of her neighbors. Judy unlocked the door and stood there in the doorway.
Leaning up against the doorframe, Nick traced a finger along her chin. "Pick you up for breakfast, tomorrow?"
Judy cupped his larger paw, keeping it still between her tinier paws. "I'd like that."
"I'll be here at nine."
"Eight!" she said.
"Seven it is!" he winked.
"Ei…" Judy paused mid-counter, shaking her head with a pleasing chuckle. She socked him lightly and he returned it by swatting her with his tail. "Okay, seven. Don't be late," Judy ordered.
"Yes, ma'am," Nick said.
Letting go of his paw, Judy reached up once more, pulling Nick down by his tie into a short goodbye kiss. However, her plan failed and they continued to kiss for several minutes longer. Finally separating, Judy gave him one last soft peck on his cheek.
Nick turned and headed out, offering her a small wave. "Sweet dreams, Carrots."
"Goodnight, Nick." Judy said watching her fox go until he slinked away on the first set of steps with one last look over the shoulder and a salute.
As Nick descended the stairs, he gently placed a paw on his cheek where Judy had kissed him again, smiling like a silly teenager. The fox paused for a moment, taking out his phone, changing the homescreen wallpaper photo from the booth shot to one of the pictures Michelle had taken of the two of them at the dinner table. Satisfied, Nick continued on his way with both paws in his pockets. He was eager to rush home so he could get up bright and early, ready to take Judy out for breakfast.
Meanwhile, Judy closed her door and locked it. She pressed her back against the frame, closing her eyes with a big joyous smile while clasping her paws. The bunny's nose twitched as the fragrance of the flowers had filled her entire apartment with a fresh country scent in her absence. Her happy thoughts were interrupted when her ears perked up and the photos on her wall began to rattle.
Those two are still awake!?
"Hey bunny, it's about damn time!"
"Leave the officer alone! Can't you just let her bask in the moment?"
"Oh, shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"
The bunny shook her head. Judy wasn't going to let her crazy neighbors ruin her happiness. As her eyes fell on the source of the wonderful scents, she reached for her phone and took a few pictures of the bouquet. Humming a little tune afterwards, she slipped into her comfy pajamas, and fell onto her mattress. Judy reached for one of her small rabbit plushies and curled up into a ball facing her desk.
Staring at the vase full of beautiful flowers glistening in the gentle moonlight, heavy eyelids tugged her into a welcoming sleep as a smile curled on her tiny muzzle.
Author's Note: So… that happened! ;) WildeHopps is finally here ladies and gents after that long wait and homestretch buildup.
I personally hoped everyone enjoyed the scene between Nick and his mom as that's been one I've had cooking since the beginning and is one of my favorites in the whole story. With Mrs. Wilde being a clean slate minus the movie flashback showing us that she was kind and generous, I injected a little bit of my own mom's personality into her to help shape her character throughout the story. So that scene is dedicated to all the great Moms out there who will do or say what's needed because they want to see their kids happy.
I would also like to thank everyone for the growing comments, reviews, favs, and follows - you're all super awesome, and a special thanks to some of you who sent me some really nice messages since the last chapter. I hope this latest entry was fun to read, met expectations, and felt satisfactory. If not, please do let me know what can be improved for the future.
Also a special shoutout to Cimar of WildeHopps and Anistuffs for once again offering their time for editing, comments, feedback, ideas, and critiques. These last two chapters wouldn't have been the same without their contributions. I've been very lucky to stumble across their help. Do give their works a read too!
So let me know what you guys think! Next chapter will bring a few fun surprises, laughs, and a ton of fluff. No spoiling it!
