It was a lazy day at the ZPD. The dull drone of chatter around the office floor was quieter than usual; not many reports to be filed. Nonetheless, Judy dutifully wrote up her reports on the computer for a few traffic violations she and Nick had caught. In the middle of her busywork, Nick sauntered up to her cubicle and leaned on it.
"Carrots...!" Nick drawled thickly, his smirk heavy in his voice.
Judy's ear twitched and she quickly swallowed a smile before looking back at him. "Yes, Wilde?"
Nick snapped fingers on both hands and pointed his indexes at the bunny. "Dinner, you and me, tomorrow night. Got my eye on this great place in Sahara Square. If you haven't eaten there before, mm! You are in for a treat." The fox placed two of his fingers in an "ok" sign and squinted his eyes shut as he shook that hand.
"Tomorrow's..." Judy looked conflicted and then shook her head, "sorry Nick, raincheck?"
"Are you serious?" Nick blinked, his arms collapsing loosely at his sides. "C'mon, the view is incredible! You said you love Zootopia, right? Well you'll love it even more after you get a couple eyefuls of the Sahara Square nightlife while eating a dish that will make your tastebuds explode- er, but in a good way. Oh, and it's omnivorous, too. You can get a salad that will make all of your fondest bunny dreams come true. No lie."
"Sounds really nice..." Judy nibbled on her lip, "but can we do it another time?"
Nick narrowed one eye. "What is with you, Carrots? It's always like this every other Saturday night."
"Prior arrangements, sorry!" Judy flashed a big grin.
"Right, and do these 'prior arrangements' have a name?" Nick folded his arms and his brow fell, his weight slung heavily against her cubicle wall.
"Wow, Nick," Judy let out a huff and beamed, turning back to her computer, "jealousy is not a good look on you."
"I'm not jealous!" Nick stood back up straight. "Just... curious! You've never mentioned what you do on these secretive Saturday nights!"
"That's because it's none of your business!" Judy tossed her head, punctuating her words with light taps on her keyboard.
"All right, you little-" Nick said, but got a foreboding feeling behind him. Tilting his muzzle straight up, he saw the upside-down frowning face of Chief Bogo. "Ghh...!" Nick started forward.
"Hopps," Bogo grumbled out. "Is this fox harassing you?"
"Oh, no sir," Judy tossed an angelic grin over to him and bat her eyes, "on the contrary, I'm harassing HIM."
Bogo's look of slight irritation morphed into mild confusion, then plummeted straight into extreme disinterest. He snorted and turned away. "All right, then. Carry on."
"Wh- 'carry on'?" Nick gawked after the retreating buffalo form. "How is that fair?"
"You've probably done something to deserve it, Wilde," Bogo said offhandedly while gesturing flippantly.
Judy badly hid a laugh under a loud snort.
"Y'know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that guy doesn't like me," Nick murmured loudly, leaning into Judy's desk.
"Nick..." Judy gazed at him with a cheese-eating grin, "are you going to let me finish my paperwork, or are you going to hover around me like a lost pup for the rest of the day?"
Nick gave her a quizzical look, straightened up, and adjusted his tie. "Message received. Good day, ma'am." He bowed facetiously and headed back to his own cubicle, just one down from hers.
Judy stifled another laugh as she saw fox ears poke up once or twice from Nick's end. She knew what she was doing, and was enjoying it enormously.
Nick stretched luxuriously and cracked his knuckles as the burnt orange evening sky welcomed his retreat from the ZPD. Tossing a suspicious glance to the skipping gray bunny heading off to the subway, he folded his arms, his tail swishing distractedly behind him.
"She's relishing your curiosity, Wilde," Nick told himself. "Drinking it in. Sipping it like a product of the vine. But she's not gonna get to you, is she? Ohhhh no. That's what she wants. She definitely knows that Nick Wilde isn't just someone you get to. If that bunny thinks she can out-fox a fox-"
Nick felt an air burst on the top of his head, then a wiggling, fleshy feeling as his head was jostled back and forth. "Nyuh!" Francine Pennington walked by him ponderously, aiming him a playful look downward as she did so.
"You okay there, Wilde?" The elephant grinned enormously, retracting her trunk from messing with Nick. "Talkin' to yourself is one of the first signs of goin' crazy." She made a looping motion with her trunk.
"Don't you worry, Ms. Pennington," Nick brushed his head fur back into place. "I'm totally fine and completely in control of all of my faculties."
"If ya say so," Francine's large leathery ears flapped in fond farewell, "see you on Monday, Wilde!"
"Bye, Francine!" Nick waved pleasantly, then turned around completely in both direction and demeanor. His pleasant facade morphed into serious consideration as he started to head to the subway to get to his own apartment. He rubbed over his muzzle thoughtfully.
Think, Wilde. You can find her tomorrow. You're a fox, she's a bunny. She's YOUR prey-
Nick flinched bodily, a shiver traveling up his spine.
"Okay, might be best if I didn't think that way," Nick noted aloud with a nervous giggle, regaining his composure.
She's your PARTNER. Just get into her head, find out what she's doing, and then hang it over her for the rest of the month, at LEAST. Like a balanced mammal.
Nick's expression morphed into a devious smirk, and he rubbed his paws together briskly.
"Heya, Carrots."
"Ghhh!" Judy shuddered like she'd been zapped by a bolt from the blue. She'd just come out of Maulgreens, and the surprise made her hug her shopping bag close to her body defensively.
With a baffled expression, the bunny turned to face Nick, who was leaning against the storefront with his hideous golden-yellow shirt, mismatched navy tie, and dark sunglasses. For added insult, he was slurping on a pawpsicle.
"Nick, what are you doing here?" Judy waggled her head subtly, staring up at him.
"Just wondered what my favorite li'l bunny was up to," Nick nosily slurped his treat, making Judy cringe in annoyance. The fox jerked his thumb back to the store. "This is your favorite store, after all." He wiggled the pawpsicle in Judy's direction. "Buy anything interesting?"
"Ah ah!" Judy swerved her body and closed her shopping bag up tight. She managed to get it away just in time before a red drip of juice leaped greedily from the pawpsicle to try to land on the bag. "You get your foxy nose out of my business, mister."
"Mmm, so you did buy something interesting," Nick nodded sagely. "How... interesting."
"Nick, I really don't think you'd be that interested in my shopping habits," Judy said dully. "It's always you that's trying to squirrel his way out of going shopping with me anyway."
"Hey, I happen to know a lot of squirrels who like shopping," Nick said, bending down his glasses to give her a facetious glare.
"Give it up, Nick," Judy suddenly smirked. "Desperation looks even worse than jealousy on you."
"Who's desperate?" Nick shrugged, going back to loudly slurping on the pawpsicle. "Just a curious and concerned friend, is all."
"Uh huh..." Judy didn't buy that in the slightest. "Well, I better not catch you on my tail for the rest of the day."
"Oh, you won't," Nick smiled pleasantly. Judy gave him a piercing look with a tight frown, then when he seemed to be behaving, she headed back for her apartment.
Nick pocketed his sunglasses, flicking his pawpsicle stick into the trash. He sighed in irritation. "Easy there, don't get her too defensive, else she'll just be harder to crack."
Judy left her apartment building at the Grand Pangolin Arms, looking left and right curiously. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she even checked the alleyways bordering the apartment for any snooping foxes, but upon finding none, she headed off down the street, her cautious gait giving way to a more casual walk.
Nick casually walked out from the alley across the street and went to cross at the crosswalk.
"A creature of habit, that rabbit," Nick smirked to himself, "always has dinner at a similar time, almost never cooks for herself."
Entering her floor, Nick walked up to Judy's door, and felt in his pants' pocket for the emergency key he had to her apartment.
A frown came over him as he had an unwelcome attack of conscience. Was he really going to burst into her apartment and tear it up looking for the secrets he craved?
No, no that would be too easy... THINK, Wilde.
Nick leaned his head on the door to Judy's apartment and looked down at the floor. On it was just one thing out of place, and Nick curiously bent down to pick it up. It was a tiny bit of fuzzy white fluff.
"Judy's...?" Nick sniffed at it. It didn't smell like much like the familiar scent of the bunny, or any other mammal he could think of for that matter. "Mmm, synthetic material? Could probably get this looked at..."
Nick heard contesting voices coming from the next door down, and brightened up considerably.
"Ah, the crazy, nosy neighbors," Nick looked elated. "Jackpot."
Nick pocketed the little fluffy evidence and knocked on the neighbor's door, folding his arms behind his back and putting on his most polite smile. The arguing ceased, and the door opened slowly.
"Good evening, gentlemammals," Nick said politely.
"We don't want any," the oryx on the other side grumbled.
"H-hold on!" Nick held a paw up. "I'm not selling anything. My name is Nick Wilde, ZPD, and-"
"Oh, ohhh...!" The kudu pointed at him. "You're the bunny's fox, ain'tcha?"
"I am her partner, yes," Nick nodded.
"Oh yeah?" The oryx smirked. "How's that work out?"
"I mean, we're obviously good with interspecies," the kudu motioned between him and his own partner, "but you make a size difference like that work? Shoo, must be-"
"No no no, wait wait, aheheh..." Nick swallowed tightly, "not partner like that, police partner."
"Oh... that's a little bit more boring," the oryx drawled. "Anyway, name's Pronk."
"Bucky," the kudu waved dully. "What do you want?"
"Just had a question about Judy," Nick cleared his throat. "She been acting strange lately?"
"Well, I dunno about that," Pronk's brow furrowed. "She's a bunny cop. That's strange by default, isn't it?"
"Ah, point taken," Nick smiled patiently. "Just... anything out of the ordinary. For her."
The two grazers looked at each other briefly, then shrugged and shook their heads.
"Naw, pretty much same ol', same ol'," Bucky shook his head. "Nice of you to be concerned, though."
"Mmm, more than a casual interest, huh Buck?" Pronk grinned.
Nick's brow furrowed as he felt the inquisition spinning around on him. "No no, that's enough then. Just watching out for her. Professional courtesy."
"I'm sure," Bucky didn't seem convinced.
"Anyway, I'll let you get back to your bickering, good day!" Nick bowed politely.
"Thaaanks...?" Pronk narrowed an eye and shut the door swiftly. The arguing did not start in earnest.
Nick considered that fact as he began to head for the elevator to leave. "Hm... something to hide? Waiting til I'm gone to start bickering again? Maybe they do know something, or else I'm reading too much into this."
The fox was still deep in thought, standing in the elevator as the doors opened to the ground floor.
"NICK!"
"Hyugh!" Nick flinched as Judy was on the other side of the door, holding a small bag from Chez Cheese. "Ggh- whoaaa...!" Judy grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him out of the elevator.
"Nick, what are you doing at my apartment!?" Judy hissed at him.
"Oh, nh-nothing," Nick flashed a delicate smile.
"Did you go into my room!?" Judy glared at him.
"I didn't!" Nick held up a paw in an oath. "Scout's honor."
Judy tilted her head, twisting her mouth in muted anger. "Just drop it, Nick, you're starting to annoy me."
"Only 'starting'...?" Nick pursued with a pleasant smile, then Judy scoffed loudly and let him go. She entered the elevator and snacked on a small stick of string cheese with a cross look on her face, glaring at Nick as the elevator doors closed.
Nick growled quietly in frustration, and made his way out onto the street.
The fox was still skulking around the block long after the sun went down; a hastily-eaten fish sandwich only slightly improving his mood. He glowered up at Judy's apartment light, which unexpectedly went out just as he was looking at it.
Wiggling his muzzle in disbelief, he looked down at his phone. 8:00 PM? He knew Judy was early to bed, but that seemed a bit ridiculous. He took the piece of fluff back out of his pocket and mulled it over, sniffing it again.
"Artificial fluff, what would that be for..." Nick snapped his fingers three times. "Stuffing? It's too coarse to be the fur of a stuffed animal... maybe a pillow's stuffing."
A feeling of curiosity started welling within Nick, mixed with a slight fear, and if he was honest, even a pang of jealousy. Was she sleeping somewhere else one night every other week? Why would she hide it from her best friend instead of just talking to him about it?
Nick waited for fifteen minutes for Judy to show up at the door to the apartment complex, but she never did. He slunk out from his hiding spot in the alley and, gathering his wits, headed for her apartment floor.
The light was indeed still out in her apartment, and Nick trained his ear on it to see if he could hear her breathing through the door. It would be a trick, even for a fox, but he tried it anyway. As he did, his head was pointed in the direction of her neighbors, and he could see a soft light glow, like that of a television, coming from under their doorway.
Suddenly, he heard screaming and yelling coming from behind that door.
A bolt of dread traveled through Nick's body. Two voices? Three? No, definitely three. The sounds of a struggle. One of them was definitely Judy's.
Nick reached deep in his pockets, fumbling for his stun gun, and he attached a loose battery pack to it, hearing it whine as it powered up. He braced himself against the door.
"ZPD! YOU HAVE TILL THE COUNT OF TEN TO GIVE YOURSELF UP!" Nick bellowed in a voice that he barely recognized. "One, two...!"
The screaming stopped.
"No, wait-!"
"TEN!"
Nick braced himself and shoved his shoulder into the door with all of his might. Thankfully, the medium-size door buckled and broke open under the fox's assault. His shoulder didn't like him very much, however. Nick's adrenaline let him ignore the pain as he swept his stun gun around the room. Frozen in place were Bucky, Pronk, and Judy, all wearing nightwear and wielding pillows.
"Nick!" Judy's eyes bulged, but she looked more shocked than angry.
"What the heck is going on here!?" Nick's paws vibrated. "I thought you were being attacked!"
"Well, kinda..." Bucky rubbed behind his head.
"Shut up, Buck!" Pronk hissed at him.
"Well, anyone?" Nick grumbled.
"Nick, put the stupid stun gun down," Judy grumbled. "We're all fine."
"This is..." Pronk grumbled. "It's a pillow fight club. And the first rule of pillow fight club is that you don't talk about pillow-"
"Right, okay, I got it," Nick's brow fell and he disengaged the stun gun. He let loose a loud groan. "Just as well, because I'd like to never speak of this again." He looked at Judy skeptically, gesturing around the room with a paw. "This is what you've been blowing me off for every other Saturday?"
"Well, yeah," Judy shrugged. "I knew you'd think it was dumb and you'd probably tease me relentlessly about it, so I thought I might as well leave it as a big mystery."
Nick shook his head and poked his temple twice. "No, I doubt it. You didn't tell me because you were afraid I'd kick your little tail in a pillow fight."
"Tuh!" Judy placed a hand on a thrown out hip. "As if! You've got so much more tail to kick than me, fox!"
Nick lunged forward and grabbed two throw pillows off of the nearest couch and leaned forward in attack position. "I'll make you eat those words, bunny..."
"I'll make you eat this pillow!" Judy shouted, flinging herself at the fox with pillow drawn back with both arms. "Hyaaaaaaaagh!"
The two quickly exploded into a scene of fluffy violence.
"Think we should, uh, join in?" Bucky scratched one of his horns.
"Eh, I'm gonna make some popcorn," Pronk muttered, jerking his hoof at them. "Something tells me this duel's been a long time comin'."