Continued from Chapter 5
"Thank you for the nice date, Nick, you really pick the most tasty restaurants," Judy smiled up at Nick as she insisted on following him through the subway all the way to the front of his apartment. Nick admired how radiant the gray bunny seemed even in the most plain dress.
"Anything for this yummy bunny," Nick quipped. "Now, how about a goodnight kiss?"
"Well aren't you forward?" Judy turned her head slightly away coyly, but kept eye contact. "Fortunately for you, I like that." Judy headed over and got on her tip-toes, gently pulling Nick's tie to make him meet her in a kiss.
"Mm," Nick wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Letting go, he grinned at her. "A nice end to the evening, I think."
Judy nodded, then looked him over with her eyes in a saucy way, which got Nick's pulse to quicken. "One."
"One?" Nick blinked.
"Mhm, one," Judy said. "Goodnight Nick, see you tomorrow!" Judy merrily trotted down the street towards the subway station.
"One what?" Nick called after her. Judy didn't turn around, but held her paw up and waved it in farewell.
Did he fail some sort of test? Nick scratched at his chin.
"Hah... hah...!" Judy squinted her eyes, pushing away from her desk and turning her head away. Nick, at the desk opposite hers, smirked at her as she stared at the wall, but nothing else happened.
"I think the next line is 'choo'," Nick quipped dryly, working on some case files.
"Oh shut up," Judy grit her teeth in agitation. "I hate when this happ-HA-TSEW!"
"Classic," Nick chuckled into his hand.
"Rgh," Judy shot him a dirty look as she wiped her nose with a tissue. "Two, by the way."
"Two, huh?" Nick spun his chair around to look at her. Judy nodded. "Two what?"
"Not telling you," Judy said flippantly, tilting her head up and closing her eyes.
"Ah, two years old," Nick nodded. "That's how you're acting."
Judy scoffed, whirled around in her computer chair, and got back to work.
"Knock, knock!" Judy said cheerfully on the other side of the door to Nick's apartment.
"Who's there?" Nick asked reflexively, wandering over to the door.
"Pizza!" Judy returned excitedly.
"Pizza who?" Nick quipped back.
"If you want a piece of pizza, you better open this door, fox!" Judy warned.
"That wasn't a very good joke," Nick opened the door. "What do I owe this surprise to, Judy?"
"You said you didn't know what you wanted to do about dinner, and I thought I'd like to hang out with my boyfriend," Judy smiled, setting the pizza down on his table. "How's that?"
"Works for me, bunny," Nick smiled fondly at her.
"Ooh, three," Judy gave a toothy smile.
"What is with you and this counting stuff?" Nick frowned. "It's starting to bother me."
"I know, isn't it great?" Judy's smile grew even wider. "I'm gonna see if you can figure it out before I get to ten."
"What happens then?" Nick held his arms out wide.
"Haven't decided yet," Judy said playfully.
"Rgh!" Nick ran his hands through his ears. He was hungry, though, so he got a couple of plates ready for a cheesy pizza dinner with his girlfriend.
The glow of the TV illuminated Nicks apartment. Judy was cuddled up to him from the side. They'd both had a long day, but it seemed to have taken more out of Judy. Nick looked down at her very tired-looking eyes.
"You should probably go to bed, sugar-fluff," Nick suggested, patting her head.
"Not yet..." Judy said. "This shows almost over. Wanna see who killed the guy." Letting loose a loud groan, she unleashed a huge bunny yawn, the corners of her eyes sparkling with moisture at the force of it.
"Adorable," Nick marveled.
"You better believe it," Judy smacked her lips. "Four, by the way."
"Right, four," Nick rolled his eyes. The program ended.
"No way, it was the niece? That's messed up," Judy said tiredly, then placed her head on Nick's lap. "You make a good pillow."
"Heh..." Nick shook his head. "I guess I could watch another show while you get a head-start on going off to dreamland."
"Such a nice fox," Judy praised, and opened her eyes briefly. "Five."
Nick sighed, but couldn't help from petting over Judy's side.
Nick yawned on another morning, passing Judy in the bathroom, who'd stayed the night again. It was getting to be more of a common occurrence, and Nick wasn't complaining. He halted his gait when he saw Judy in the bathroom, brushing through her ears and fluffing them by running her hands under them and letting gravity make them fall.
"Ah!" Judy pointed into the mirror with her brush when she saw Nick gawking.
"Let me guess, six?" Nick half-lid his eyes.
"Smart fox, six it is!" Judy laughed, continuing to brush.
"Maybe I could do that sometime?" Nick shrugged.
"What, count, or brush your ears?" Judy said. "You don't brush yours?"
"No, I do, I meant brush yours," Nick smiled. "Looks kinda like fun."
"Aw, sure!" Judy raised an eyebrow. "Huh, I don't know if that should count as seven. Maybe we'll keep it at six."
"Whatever you say, honeybuns," Nick said. "Blueberry pancakes okay?"
"I guess," Judy teased. "I'll be fluffing for awhile."
"Take your time," Nick winked. "You know I love that fluff."
Judy turned her head at the sound of Nick gasping. The two were shopping at the grocery store. The fox pulled a magazine off the shelves.
"Woah, the cover model for this years swimsuit edition of Sports Taxonomy is a bunny!?" He excitedly started flipping through the magazine. "Wonder if they're doing fur dye again this year."
"Uh, excuse me, hornball fox?" Judy scoffed incredulously. "I'm right here!" She stared at him. "This one definitely doesn't count."
"Oof, I don't know why I didn't get into bunnies earlier," Nick winced in appreciation at checking out the magazine. "They're definitely some good-looking mammals."
"Give me that!" Judy snapped up the magazine from him, scoffing again. She gasped when she saw who Nick was gawking at. "Nick! This is one of my sisters!"
"Doesn't that describe like half of the bunnies in Bunnyburrow?" Nick asked dryly. "It would explain why she's so hot, though."
"Uh huh. You're going to be sleeping on the couch tonight, mister," Judy shut the magazine and playfully bopped him with it in the chest.
"Oh, so that means you're coming over," Nick grinned widely.
"I guess I am, lucky you," Judy said. "And lucky seven."
"Tsk, I'm lucky every day I'm with you," Nick wiggled his eyebrows.
"I'm still mad, don't think you can turn up the charm that easily!" Judy squinted her eyes at him.
"Luckily for me, you're hot when you're grumpy, too," Nick grinned, taking the magazine from her and putting it back.
Judy rolled her eyes. "If I didn't find your audaciousness attractive, you'd definitely be in trouble, buster."
shaaaaaaa...
Judy stood outside Nick's apartment complex as it rained softly. Judy had her eyes closed and was smiling serenely, letting the drops splash onto her face. The rain was pleasantly cool and refreshing. Nick wandered up to her, carrying an umbrella.
"The heck are you doing, you silly rabbit?" Nick sounded confused. Judy opened one eye and grinned wider. "You have a key to my place. Why're you standing out in the rain?"
"It's just water, Nick," Judy said, her eye glancing over his form. "Eight."
"You are a pretty bunny, even when you're being baffling," Nick sighed, offering the umbrella to her.
"Nick..." Judy said. "Wait, before we go inside, I was thinking we should just cut out the middlemammal."
"In what way?" Nick said. "Are you going to tell me what this game you're playing is?"
"No, haven't got to ten yet!" Judy smiled. "I want to move in with you, Nick. I spend so much time over here as it is."
Nick gasped briefly. "That... I mean, yeah, sure!" Nick smiled. "You are my girlfriend and all. My partner..."
"Nine," Judy smiled, gazing affectionately at him. "A very solid nine."
"I'm a ten, thank you very much," Nick leaned in.
"Not just yet!" Judy winked.
"Okay, ready?" Judy said, rushing up to Nick in the park at sundown. Both of them had each of their own hands closed together. "How many do you have?"
"Less than ten," Nick rolled his eyes.
"I probably only have like seven or so," Judy giggled. "Ok, let 'em go!"
Both Judy and Nick opened thrust their arms upwards and opened them, and the fireflies they were carrying in their hands perked up and flew off into the distance. It looked like they were both releasing a little pawful of yellowish-green pixie dust into the air. Judy giggled pleasantly and Nick smiled up at this. He turned his gaze back to Judy.
"You're such a kit," Nick said, his voice clearly adoring.
"Yeah, but you loved it," Judy said accusingly, her hands on her hips. "So what does that say about you?"
"That I've found the one I'm meant to be with," Nick sighed, hugging her. "I love you, you silly bunny."
"And I love you, dorky fox," Judy looked behind Nick. "And what a nice ten."
"Can you tell me about this thing you've been torturing me with now?" Nick pet Judy's head.
"Sure," Judy said, looking away, suddenly bashful. "I've been, well... I've been counting the ways I can make your tail wag."
"What, seriously?" Nick blinked. He looked back to confirm this and his tail slowly stopped wagging, as if it was shamed to be caught doing so. "How did I never pick up on that?"
"Well, your tail wagging is kind of subconscious, right?" Judy said charmingly. "I was kind of hoping you wouldn't catch on."
"Cause you like winning so much," Nick rested his paw firmly on Judy's head and fuzzled it.
"Uh huh," Judy flailed playfully at Nick's paw to get him off. "And what a prize!"
"I'm quite a catch, I'll admit," Nick said wistfully, looking at the beginnings of the stars that were coming out.
"It's more like..." Judy bit her lip. "My prize is knowing there's... well..."
"Go on?" Nick looked back down at her.
"Nick!" Judy squinted her eyes shut. "There's no way I can say this without sounding incredibly dopey..."
"Never stopped me before," Nick shrugged his shoulders.
"True!" Judy pointed at him, laughing. "Okay, my prize is knowing that I have a lot of ways to delight you on that... that inner level. You know? It makes me feel like we were meant to be together."
"Oh Judy," Nick sighed warmly. "That is really dopey..."
"Liar!" Judy squeezed Nick in their hug. "Eleven!"
"Oh come on, really?" Nick looked back at his wagging tail. "You're such a tattletale."
"Tattle tail, heh," Judy wiggled her eyebrows.
"Wow, I did just say that, didn't I?" Nick groaned. "Anyway, c'mon. This little kit needs to get home to bed." He scooped her up into his arms.
"You just wanted an excuse to hold me," Judy accused, but she snuggled into his grasp.
"Didn't need my tail wagging to tell you that," Nick chuckled.
"So is it?" Judy curiously tried to poke her head around his shoulders to look. "Twelve? Do I see twelve?"
"Judy, seriously chill," Nick laughed. "We'll be at one hundred before long."
"Aw, you think there's a hundred different ways I can make that tail wag?" Judy cooed.
"At a very conservative estimate," Nick laughed.