"Isn't this exciting?" Judy bounced up and down with tiny little hops, clapping her paws. "Tell me this is exciting!"
Nick and Judy made their way into southeastern Sahara Square, dressed in their uniforms. The hot sand greeted their toes as they walked about. Nick marveled at the unique taste of the air, sighing contentedly.
"I think it's pretty incredible that you managed to not explode into giggles when we got this assignment," the fox chided casually.
"Right!?" Judy laughed. "The Sunner Fun- er, Summer Fum- kuh! Summer Fun comcert series- you know what, forget it." She stepped especially hard into the sand, causing a little burst of it to escape the intruding toes.
"My my," Nick teased, rubbing his chin, "she's so excited she's dumbfounded."
"Whatever," the bunny trotted forward proudly, "whatever the heck it's called, we get to be some of Gazelle's security detail for her concert."
"Just make sure you keep your eyes on the crowds and not on the starlet, Hopps," Nick gently chided with clearly-forced professionalism.
"Ha! You forget who you're talking to," Judy narrowed her eyes and wore a dangerous smirk, pointing at herself with a thumb. "I'm the very picture of a model police officer."
This got Nick to laugh loudly. "Thought you turned that down, Fluff!"
"Wha- who told you about that?" She looked around, baffled.
Nick merely grinned as they continued forward to the temporary stage set up for Gazelle's concert, and Judy decided not to pursue the subject. Far before the show was to start, there were already mammals of all shapes and sizes slowly gathering to watch the performance. Judy swept her eyes over them for any suspicious-looking individuals, and caught a glimpse of Gazelle and her dancing tigers onstage, doing microphone checks and making sure everything onstage seemed perfect. A big "hee...!" escaped the bunny's mouth. Her view sweeping back to Nick, he saw the fox's gaze on the stage as well, and traced it right to Gazelle.
"Hmph!" Judy folded her arms, leering at Nick sidelong. "I should be the one telling you not to stare at Gazelle. She's performing in a swimsuit, after all."
"Gazelle's not really my type," the fox responded casually, "and even if she was, her usual performance getup is racier than a mere bikini." He chuckled. "Speaking of, it's a shame you and I can't look the part of 'beach cops'." He glanced at the bunny briefly. "Not that your uniform leaves very much to the imagination anyway."
"Hey, watch it!" She shot Nick a reproving glance. "This uniform is designed for ease of movement and protection. The ZPD doesn't exactly issue swimsuits as uniforms."
"And what a shame it doesn't," Nick said, "tsk"ing three times, "if it did, we could look like something out of Braywatch." The fox pretended to run in exaggerated slow-motion.
Judy had a small giggle over that. "You're ridiculous."
Nick swallowed a cheesy grin as he gave up his joking run. A serious look passed over his muzzle. "Y'know, I've never actually been to the beach before."
"No?" The gray bunny blinked in surprise. "Not until just now?"
"Psh," Nick closed his eyes and wagged his head. "This isn't the beach."
"Sure looks like it," Judy's shoulders hopped up. She surveyed the sights. "You have your drink stands, beach volleyball, everyone in swimwear..."
"I mean yeah, it has the atmosphere," the fox gestured casually, "but look." Nick pointed out to the horizon, where past the body of water, land could be seen. "We're not on the ocean, so this isn't a true beach."
"Guess not," Judy furrowed her brow. "I've been to the beach! One summer weekend, anyway; it was a singular thing. With the whole family, even! It was quite an adventure."
"Uh?" Nick blinked. "Getting a few hundred bunnies to a beach and back sounds like a logistical nightmare."
"Oh, it is, it is," she laughed, "thank heavens for family organizers!"
"Hm," the fox looked thoughtfully out toward the edge of the beach, where a small sheep boy carefully worked on a sandcastle near the shore. "I've had dreams of going to the beach."
"What stopped you?" Judy furrowed her brow.
"Not like, aspirations," Nick shook his head. "Just dream dreams. Almost more like a... I dunno, a nightmare, kind of. Standing there on the beach, the surf lapping your ankles... never truly experienced that, only in those dreams. In that moment, you'd have everything you've ever known at your back. Staring forward, you see nothing. Just... water. Kind of intimidating."
"Are you hydrophobic?" Judy tilted her head with a finger on her mouth. "I thought you said you could swim."
"I'm not scared of water," he grunted, "just... I dunno, the unknown?"
Judy's face softened and her eyebrows turned up. "Huh... you have that dream a lot?"
"Not so much anymore," Nick smirked slightly. Judy returned a genuine smile.
The concert eventually started, and as usual Gazelle's production values were through the roof. The show had a lot of bright lights and choreographed dancing, and the songstress seemed to pour herself into each song. The gathered crowd mostly behaved themselves, though Nick had to warn an unusually rowdy group of otter teenagers. Judy couldn't help dancing a bit during the music herself, though she tried to keep it subtle.
The partners were standing at nearly opposite sides of the platform during the performance, and only rejoined each other after the show was well and truly over and the crowd had peacefully dispersed.
"Well that was fun," Judy rushed over to her partner, holding her fists close to her chest. "Y'know, even though nothing unusual happened."
"What's unusual is that you managed to mostly keep your focus on the crowd instead of Gazelle," Nick chided, shoving Judy gently.
"Hey!" Judy frowned. "Well, were you watching the crowd, or me?"
"Little of this, little of that."
The bunny flinched as, in the middle of their conversation, Gazelle herself drew near with a pleasant smile.
"Hello!" She waved. "I'd like to thank you for your service and- oh, Nick!"
Nick grinned, but Judy looked like she'd been slapped, her jaw dropping.
"Pleased to see you, Ms. Gazelle," Nick graciously nodded and bowed his head a little.
"Oh, stop, you know better than that," Gazelle waved a hand dismissively. "Look at you! You've come quite a long way since we were young."
"Wh- but..." Judy stammered, to an enormous smile from Nick.
Gazelle looked at her. "And you're Judy Hopps. I've seen you around... the things that happened once you became an officer... just incredible. I can only hope we're entering a new era of understanding and acceptance."
"Yes! I mean, thank you!" Judy awkwardly smiled, a manic look in her eyes as a nervous, high-pitched "heh!" burst from her mouth.
"I wouldn't mind having you two as my security detail again sometime!" Gazelle waved playfully as she gracefully walked away from the two. "Adios!"
Judy shot Nick an indignant look. "No. No. I don't believe it."
"What can I say, Carrots?" Nick couldn't keep from flashing a huge, toothy smile. "Told you I know everyone."
"That was a figure of speech!" Judy roared, throwing her hands up.
"Was it, though?" Nick teased, chuckling.
Judy's fury fizzled as the two started to walk back toward their cruiser. Before Judy took her final step off the sand, she stopped and looked back out toward the beach.
"We should go."
"Go where?" Nick responded, similarly stopping and trying to follow Judy's gaze.
"To the 'real' beach!" Judy chirped, gesturing at both of them. "You and me."
"Uh, why?" The fox's eyebrow piqued.
"Why not?" Judy shrugged. "It'd be like a vacation!"
"I don't really see a need," Nick shrugged. "I'm not a 'vacation' kinda guy. We haven't exactly been under a lot of stress to get away from lately."
"Well, you went with me to Bunnyburrow!" She held her arms out.
"Yeah, only cause you twisted my arm. Shoo, what a hassle that was," he smirked, folding his arms. "Being buried in bunnies got really old after the first time. At first it was just terrifying."
"C'mon, they loved you," Judy insisted, tilting her head to the side.
"A little too much."
"Well, I'll twist your arm again!" The bunny rushed over, making grabbing motions with her hands. "C'mere."
"Ah ah!" Nick swiped his arm away, keeping it out of reach as Judy made a playful, if halfhearted hop for it. "Geez, what is with you? I told you about my mixed feelings for the beach and suddenly you wanna go there? I thought vacations were supposed to be relaxing."
"Well, if it was just the two of us, how could it not be relaxing?" She smiled amicably.
"I'm trying my hardest not to answer that honestly," Nick replied in a dry tone. He slowly smirked. "Plus, the beach is just sand. Y'know, it's coarse, irritating and it-"
"If you finish that quote I'm going to figuratively kill you," Judy muttered; no humor was in her voice.
"Okay, okay, jeez," Nick held his paws in front of his chest as he shook sand from between his toes. The two walked toward their cruiser, both hopping in wordlessly.
Checking the mirrors and buckling up, Judy sighed. "C'mon, you don't wanna go on a vacation with me?"
"Are we still on this...?" Nick rolled his eyes.
"I mean," she huffed, "you'd get to see me in a swimsuit."
"Sold," Nick chirped suddenly, placing his hands together. "When do we leave?"
"Really...?" Judy grit her teeth. "Is that what it took?"
"Am I going to say 'no' to getting to see a little beach bun?" Nick grinned wickedly. "No, no I am not."
Ugh, he really is so simple, Judy thought with distaste. Her brow furrowed as she started the cruiser so the two could make their way back to the station. Her snippy attitude was evident even in the way she changed gears.
Nick's devilishly confident look melted fast, and he began to look thoughtful and downright wistful.
"...And maybe I'll tell that ocean," he started suddenly, baffling Judy. "I'll tell it..."
"Tell the ocean...?" Judy echoed, her face scrunched up.
"Even with everything I know at my back," Nick said very quietly, staring straight ahead, "I'll still have what I was searching for at my side... looking into that unknown with me."
Judy couldn't think of anything to say in response to that. She tried not to smile too widely.
Or maybe... maybe he's more complex than I thought...