Kssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!
The blaring static of a CRT TV plugged into the wall of the otherwise empty room added background to the sounds of a scuffle between a bunny, a fox, and a deer.
"Ough!" Judy caught one of the deer's feet in the stomach and went staggering backwards, grabbing her stomach.
"Judy! Hrg!" Nick held up his hands to grab the deer's antlers as he swung his head to attack the fox. Holding tight, Nick shook at the antlers to try to throw the deer to the ground. To his alarm, his rough jostling broke the antlers off at their base and they went clattering to the other side of the room. Nick lost his balance and staggered to the side from the force of his push.
"My antlers!" The deer wailed. "I shall not let you listen to the song of the cosmos when you pass! You do not deserve it!" The deer passed by the TV and switched it off as he went to grab his shed antlers and hold them in his hands. "Only oblivion will take you!" He started wildly swinging his antlers at Nick and Judy. The tips of the deer's antlers had been illegally sharpened.
Judy and Nick dodged swipe after swipe. Looking for an opening, Judy drew her stun gun, but the deer wildly charged forward and slashed his right arm's antler across Judy's face. The attack dislodged the gun from Judy's hand and cut across her right cheek.
"Rgh!" Seeing his chance, Nick charged to the deer's left and attempted to get in too close for the deer to use his biological weapons. The deer caught this out of the corner of his eye and turned to stab both antlers at Nick. "Rrrrk!"
"Nick!" Judy screamed as the antlers began to pierce through Nicks uniform. The deer and fox both gasped for breath as the deer desperately tried to shove his antlers into Nick's chest and Nick's hands, locked around his wrists, equally desperately tried to keep him out.
"Die, heathen!" The deer shrieked. Judy grabbed her stun gun, slid between Nick's legs, and leaped up, thrusting her elbow into the deer with full force. The instant he lost physical contact with Nick, Judy fired.
Clack!
"Ggg-ggg-gggh!" The deer convulsed and hit the floor. Nick staggered back, holding his hands over his chest. He'd been punctured in multiple locations from the multiple ends of the deer's antlers. Judy's ears twitched as she heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs towards the room with alacrity. The door slammed open, and it was Officers Delgato and Fangmeyer.
"The CRT killer!" Delgato exclaimed.
"He's down!" Fangmeyer nodded, wasting no time in pouncing him and cuffing him.
Judy looked at Nick and let loose a shrill gasp of panic. "Delgato! Call a bus! Nick is hurt!"
"Gh..." Nick sat down hard on his haunches. He was bleeding from most of his wounds.
"No no no, Nick," Judy took out gauze from her utility pouches and tried to place them on as many wounds as possible, applying pressure. "Focus on my voice, okay? Delgato's calling for help."
"Rrgh!" Nick groaned in pain as Judy applied her treatment.
"Don't you dare play him the song!" The deer shouted as Wolford dragged him out of the room. Nick winced, starting to feel a bit lightheaded.
"This is Delgato. Suspect is in custody, going to need a mid-size bus for Officer Wilde!"
"Nick, stay with me, okay?" Running out of gauze pads, Judy pressed her own paws on Nick's wounds and held tight. "Please... we'll get you out of this."
Nick trusted her, but he also worried that these might be his last few moments in the world. Every bit of his soul wanted to tell her what he'd been holding back, but he couldn't be so selfish. He couldn't let the last thing he did be to burden his partner with his feelings.
He slumped a bit, and his eyes fluttered. His breaths were very shallow.
"Nick! Just hang on!" Judy again.
Her voice started to sound muffled, as if someone had covered his ears. He heard more movements; the world barely perceptible anymore. He heard other animals rushing in, and he still heard Judy, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. The other voices just sounded like indistinct buzzing. As he was loaded into the ambulance, he finally lost consciousness.
Judy centered herself, taking a deep breath as she entered Nick's hospital room. Her heart was beating quite fast.
"Judy!" Nick exclaimed, his tail wagging behind him as Judy entered. Both of them wore grateful smiles.
"Don't get up, you bozo," Judy said, holding up a hand. "Just checking up on you."
"I feel fantastic!" Nick said, smiling down at all of the bandages covering him. "And wow, there's something about you that I can't put my finger on. You just look so... amazing! Do anything different with your fur?"
"I think that's just the painkillers they have you on, Nick," Judy chuckled.
"Maybe so, maybe so," Nick nodded. "So! Did we get him? The CRT guy."
"Yup. Rocky Holideer," Judy shook her head. "What a psycho."
"Didja see how his antlers came off in my hands?" Nick grinned. "I must be pretty strong."
"Deer's antlers do get weak and break themselves off," Judy smirked. "Jeez, you were so lucky though. A little deeper or just a little bit to the left, and he would have gotten your heart."
"Mm! That might be your fault then, Judy," Nick pointed briefly. "You're my lucky bunny."
"Nick..." Judy had an exhausted smile. "You can't seriously be so frivolous about this... I could have lost you."
"Well, you helped keep me here, didn't you?" Nick said. "That's what partners are for, right? Maybe if you come back when the painkillers wear off I can whine at you."
"Speaking of 'coming back', Bogo gave me quite a bit of time off to help you recuperate while you're not supposed to be walking around from your wounds," Judy folded her arms. "So, I'll be crashing at your place for awhile."
"Great!" Nick chuckled. "My very own bunny maid; I like the sound of that."
"Don't get used to it, buster," Judy waggled her finger at him. "See you soon."
"What do you think for lunch, Nick? Would you like some tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches?" Judy approached his bedside.
"Yes, please. Maybe just one sandwich and a small bowl," Nick nodded, laying at an odd angle in his bed to not disturb his wounds, propped up on multiple pillows. He knew it wasn't much compared to him, but he still felt some mild distress when he saw the fresh slash marks on Judy's right cheek. They did make her look a bit rugged in a way, he thought. Judy left to prepare his meal. Now that the mild high of the painkillers and the rush of the situation had worn off, he did find himself worrying more about what would have happened had he not survived his injuries, and how Judy would fare.
Judy brought him his lunch and carefully placed the standup tray over him so he wouldn't have to bend over to get at his food. She climbed onto the bed and sat close to him while he ate. There was a rather long silence between the two as they exchanged glances. Judy would smile silently at him, grateful for the red fox to still be around. Nick wasn't supposed to breathe too deeply, but he would give little shallow sighs at seeing the pleasant-looking gray rabbit.
"So, Nick..." the bunny looked at him with a soft, warm, look. "When were you going to tell me?"
"Tell you what, Fluff?" Nick wondered, finishing up the last slurp of his soup. Judy carefully took the items off Nick's bed and got right back in next to him.
"That..." Judy hesitated, looking away slightly. "That you love me."
"Huh?" Nick raised his eyebrows. "How could you possibly think you know that?" Judy didn't respond. She stayed silent and slightly turned her head towards Nick. "...Carrots?"
"Shh," Judy whispered. "Don't talk." Judy shut her eyes and was quiet again. Nick started to feel somewhat anxious, which seemed to immediately cause Judy to smile. "There."
"There... what...?" Nick narrowed his eyes. "You aren't making any sense."
"Let me answer your question, then," Judy smiled. "This is probably going to be the cheesiest thing I ever say, so pay attention. The reason I know you love me is... because your heart told me."
"My heart?" Nick repeated, baffled.
"When we're alone and all is quiet," Judy explained. "Your pulse rises when I get close to you. At first I thought it was a fluke, but it's become a reliable pattern. I make you nervous... for seemingly no reason. But then it hit me after awhile... you love me."
Nick bit his lip. "How...?" Judy just tapped her ears. "Really? You can hear my heartbeat?"
"Only faintly, and only when we're fairly close and everything else is quiet," Judy explained. Then, her smile faded. "So... when were you going to tell me? I almost lost you, Nick."
"I wouldn't have said it then," Nick closed his eyes. "What a selfish thing to do, to burden you with. To tell you I care for you when I'm dying? To make you live with that?"
"Good thing I already know, then," Judy gave a weak smile. "I kind of always wanted you to admit it, but when that happened to you... when you almost left me... I realized any moment could be too late. I really wanted to hear it from you."
"I love you, Judy," Nick admitted, his eyes still closed. "Have since your confession at the bridge, really. What a genuine, wonderful bunny you are." Judy smiled softly, feeling her eyes getting a little glassy. "D-do you love me...?" Nick looked at her with fear, his muzzle tilted down a bit.
"Do I love you, Nicholas?" Judy's smile vanished. "Are you asking me that? If I realize in my own heart that I love you?" She smiled again. "The answer's still the same as it was two years ago. Yes, yes I do."
Nick felt tears approach his eyes and escape, rolling down his cheeks. He somehow was managing to cry without sniveling or sobbing too much, which was good, as it would have only disturbed his chest. "Can I ask you something, Judy? ...What would you do without me?"
"If you had gone..." Judy thought, her voice distant. "I... it would be rough."
"Could you keep being a police officer?" Nick cried a bit more. "I know it's your fondest dream. Would being so close to me, then losing me... would that ruin it for you?" Judy considered this seriously for a few minutes.
"No," Judy shook her head finally. "In you, I validated my own dreams and values. I proved to myself that 'anyone can be anything' with you. A fox who always wanted to do the right thing, but was beaten down by this world, becoming someone who fights for that very same world. Isn't that much more impressive than a stubborn bunny who was going to be a cop no matter what?" Judy wiped her own eyes, giving a shaky laugh. "I'd keep going for you, and your memory. You're proof that the world is worth fighting for."
"Judy, I don't know that I'm that strong," Nick frowned, his eyes squeezing shut. "Without you I don't... I don't know if I could keep being a police officer. I feel like you're just... too perfect to replace, as far as a partner goes. We do our best work together, with each other. You're my compliment; you complete me. I guess that's why I love you, huh?" Nick gave a small, defeated laugh.
"Mhm," Judy said, carefully making her way over to kiss his nose. "But you promise me something, Nicholas Wilde. You promise me that even if I wasn't in this world, you wouldn't give up. You'd keep trying to be the best fox possible, whatever you ended up doing. Show others that determination you showed me."
"I promise, Judy," Nick nodded solemnly, and accepted a small fist bump from her.
"Now! When you're all healed up, we should probably schedule a day for me to just lay on your chest and kiss you for the whole day, hm?" Judy smiled brightly.
"Sounds a bit monotonous," Nick smirked.
"Ugh," Judy rolled her eyes. "Never change, Nick."
"I'll try," Nick promised again, softly running his hand over Judy's uninjured cheek. "...Uh? You have scars here?"
"A long time ago," Judy affirmed. "From a fox, if you can believe that." Nick's eyes opened fully as he considered this.
"...Wow," Nick swallowed. "So you went from being attacked by a fox, profiling one, and hating one-"
"Briefly!" Judy interrupted him.
"To... loving one, huh?" Nick let out a breath slowly.
"I guess it's good that some people can change, huh?" Judy shrugged.
"I'll keep her like she is now, please," Nick smiled fondly. He beckoned her over, and he softly kissed her forehead.
"You got it, Nick."