While Judy was talking with Tim, Nick had simply been leaning on the kitchen counter, taking the time to think to himself. To think about last night. To think about Judy. To think about... how he felt. Yes, it a nice experience, but he needed to be sure that what had happened was going to be a one-time thing. Something that he wouldn't happen again. Besides, as far as police work goes, intimate relationships and fraternization were forbidden in the workplace. He wanted so desperately to deny it, because, for once in his life that once-smaller fox's dream had came true. He was apart of something big and he helped improve the social status of foxes.

But, no matter how much he fought his emotions, his mind would become clear on something: he was in love.

"I guess I shouldn't blame myself though," Nick thought, "I mean, she was the one who got me out of a bottomless rut, helped get my act together and even helped me get my relationship with my mom back together. Heck, I didn't even think I'd see her again! Aside from all that, she... trusted me with her life."

The only mammals that he could think would do that would be his mother and maybe Finnic, but no prey he ever met would ever do such a thing for a fox like him, except for Judy. Just the thought of him being worth something in her eyes just made him feel... fuzzy and warm inside. Her personality was naïve, but she was almost always optimistic about things and had a heart bigger than her chest. But it wasn't just her personality that made him like her, it was also the way her lavender eyes poured into his, how cute she was when she wagged her cottontail if she got happy or when she'd rapidly stomp her foot when she got impatient or mad. Nick basically found her cute altogether.

"I guess it's final," Nick thought with a shiver of mixed emotions running down his spine, "I'm in love with a bunny."

"What was that!?" Judy hissed Nick as she suddenly barged into the kitchen.

"Oh CRAP," Nick thought panicking, "I completely forgot about what I told Tim to call Judy!"

For context, Nick had been counting on Judy to come home in a decent mood, that way when she reacts to Nick's joke, she would get a laugh out of it, even if it was something personal. But since she was obviously upset... well she'd be more than upset.

"Carrots listen," Nick said frantically, "I honestly have no idea what Tim heard to call you that!"

The doe's once subtle anger softened into confusion as she raised her brow.

"What are you talking about? Tim-" she paused as it hit her.

"Nick, what did you do?" Judy skeptically asks.

The silence that followed was deafening for Nick. It felt like he was caught with his paw in the cookie jar. With everything he had, he did his best to stay calm and collected when he spoke.

"Listen," Nick began, "I didn't realize that you were coming home in a bad mood, sooooo... I may or may not... have told Tim... to call you... fffffffffffffffffluff. But you have to understand that it was supposed to be a joke and I didn't mean for it to make you upset!"

Nick mentally prepared himself for a punch in the gut or an intense lecture from Judy, but it never came.

Judy just sighed before pointing at him. "You didn't tell him to call me the *c-word, did you?"

"No of course not! I knew not tell him that!"

"Just making sure. Anyways, that wasn't why I came in here," she said as her paw fell to her side.

"You wanted to know why I left you in there?" Nick asked.

"What else?" the doe asked sarcastically.

"**sigh**Look, I thought you needed to talk to Tim so you could pull yourself together, and since I knew that you might brush it off like you're tough, I forced you to talk to him."

"Nick, I appreciate the thought, but I don't need you thinking about what's best for me by doing things like that."

"**scoff** Carrots, If you ask me, it kinda seemed to have needed to, since you looked like you dropped your pawpsicle on the ground earlier." Nick countered.

"It wasn't like that!"

"Well why were you upset when we were back at the precinct then?"

Judy just lowered her head and ears but it was all Nick needed.

"Do you feel better now that you've talked to him?" Nick asked.

"... yeah."

The two just stood there in silence for a while before the bunny spoke again.

"You know," she began, " I would have liked it a little bit if you had just told me. I mean, we trust each other on the force, so I'd tell you about these things when they come up. Don't you trust me?"

"Don't you trust me?"

Those words echoed in the foxes mind. He absolutely did trust her. He's just not used to pushing others in the right direction, especially since the mammal in question happened to be Judy. So, he did what he could think of off the top of his head. Since he knew Judy was a bit stubborn, he thought the best course of action was to force her into talking to Tim, by getting the two of them alone together. Yes, it worked, but Nick failed to realize that Judy was also a mammal that deserved a say in the matter.

Taking in a deep breath, Nick responded.

"Of course I trust you Judy," he said, "I'll tell you what, from now on, I'll pitch out my thoughts at you so we can decide on something together, as partners."

Judy smiled. "Thanks slick."

"Although, I couldn't help but notice that you used my trust in you against me. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're copying me."

"Dumb fox," Judy giggled.

"Sly bunny," Nick chuckled.

For what felt like hours, they stood in place, looking into each other's jeweled eyes. But the moment was cut short as they suddenly back away from each other in awkwardness and looked away from each other.

Judy broke the silence.

"Soooo how long is Tim staying for?" she sheepishly asked.

"Hmmmm... If my memory's correct, which it always is, the social worker said that he'd check up on Tim in two days, but he didn't say how long he's staying here. My guess is that he isn't sure on how long he's going to stay here, so he's leaving him with us until he can get an estimate on how long he'll be living with us."

Judy's ears perked up. "Wait a minute, you're saying the social worker's coming to our apartment in two days? At what time though?"

Nick shrugged. "He never said."

The bunny sighed. "Well, I guess it won't be too much of an issue since I'll on duty when that happens, but what if he decides to barge into my room though? He isn't supposed to know we live together!"

"Then we'll put it all in a closet or hide it in a cupboard or under my bed," Nick followed up.

Judy opened her mouth to say say something but closed it at the last second.

Nick raised a brow at her. "C'mon fluff, spit it out. You don't have to say nothing."

Judy gulped. " ...I was going say," she began as a blush became increasingly visible as she talked, "...since Tim's already spending the night with us... maybe we could sleep in the same bed again?"

Once again, Nick was thankful for having reddish fur to help hide his blushes, but he swiftly suppressed it and tried to get out of the spotlight.

"You know," he flirted with a grin, "for a bunny trying to break stereotypes, it seems like you weren't kidding when you said, quote-unquote, 'we are good at multiplying'."

Now usually, whenever Nick felt his 'walls', mental fortifications that he made to keep himself from feeling vulnerable to being emotionally hurt, he would often divert attention away from himself and onto somebody else with some witty words. And this would usually work.

Usually.

After a moment Judy finally spoke.

"Are you actually trying to be funny with me slick... or are you trying to wiggle your way out?" she asked.