"UGH!"
Judy draped herself across her spacious couch in her apartment. It had been a long month that felt more like a year to the gray bunny.
Nick had gotten himself on a special assignment; he was undercover, helping to bust some sort of canid nip ring. Because of this, Judy had no contact with him while he was undercover, despite how much she might have wanted that. Just a word on how he was doing; making sure he was okay. Of course, Judy was pretty sure he'd be okay. Pretty sure.
Still, it would have been nice to know for certain.
Judy blew air out of her lips in a raspberry. She was strewn across the couch, dressed only in one of Nick's lime-green shirts, worn loosely on her small bunny frame. She turned the TV on and flicked the remote across to the far side of the couch.
Vvt, vvt.
Her phone buzzed, and Judy leaped onto the couch, reaching for it eagerly on the end table. She quickly sighed as she saw it was just a notification from one of her sisters. More followed, one seemingly every other minute.
Of all days for Nick to be gone, her days off were the hardest. This one in particular, because it was Couples' Day, smack dab in the middle of many prey mammals' mating seasons, so of course there had to be a holiday of it. Fertility was the patron of that one, and honestly Judy was sick of seeing that "sexy bunny's" likeness everywhere. The Hopps sisters and brothers were cheerfully showing off their dates, mostly other bunnies and hares, but a few had gone interspecies as well.
"Even Violet has a date tonight?" Judy whined. "I mean, I'm happy for her, but... uugghh..."
Judy turned off her phone in irritation at the relentless notifications and added it to the slowly growing pile of technology that was offending her.
"Oh well, I can deal without my fox for one Couples' Day," Judy claimed to herself with a grumble, staring at the TV. She shook her head subtly. "Way to 'fox and the grapes' it, Judy."
Only getting up for vital necessities, Judy continued to pout and lay down on her couch. It was only two weeks after Nick and Judy had moved in together that the assignment for Nick had come in. The apartment still felt fresh and new to the bunny, yet its size also channeled and amplified her feelings of loneliness.
Of course, the fact that every TV show on had a bunch of Couples' Day commercials didn't help. Judy felt herself ready to gnaw at a throw pillow she'd clutched to herself. She really should get up and exercise a bit on their new adjustable elliptical to get her mind off things. She should, but...
The clincher came when Ellen DeGenetres' talk show came on. She was a predator, a celebrity genet that had famously come out as having a female prey as a mate around twenty years prior. It was hard for Judy to believe that it was that short of a time ago when pred-prey relationships were looked upon with a much more critical eye. Of course, interspecies relationships were nearly always a thing, and pred-prey wasn't uncommon either, but for some reason society seemed to cast a disdainful eye on pred-prey relationships in particular. Something about them being "deviant" and fueled by unnatural lust and kinks on both the predator and prey's part. It was a feeling that had been perpetuated throughout society and only recently had come under attack as being narrow-minded and closed-off.
When Ellen DeGenetres did "come out", her career as a celebrity almost ended due to backlash from some mammal groups, but she persevered and held on in the public eye, and eventually started to help spread tolerance and positive feelings toward mammals of all walks of life. In a pred-prey relationship herself, Judy found herself relating more to the celebrity's message, even more so than just her message of love and inclusion.
But at that moment, with the host's dry jokes about Couples' Day and fun games, Judy found herself irritated, nearly fuming. When Judy couldn't get what she wanted, she was often bitter and frustrated. And what she wanted at that moment, more than anything else, was her fox. But, infuriatingly, it was completely out of her control. There was nothing that would make Nick get home any faster, and he didn't get any "days off" on his assignment either. It wasn't fair. Judy picked up the remote and turned off the TV right as the genet was delivering her famous "be kind to one other" catchphrase.
Judy remained there with poor posture, looking toward the kitchen. She was craving vanilla ice cream, as she often did when she was feeling mopey. She knew she was out of it, however, already having gone through a tub of it over the course of Nick's absence. She groaned as she reclined there on the couch, eyes and ears droopy.
With very little ceremony, Nick opened the door to their apartment and walked right on in, plastic bags under each hand.
"Nnh-NICK!" Judy ears and the rest of her shot straight up, jolting upright to her feet on the couch.
"Whoa..." Nick grinned with a leer at the bunny's attire as he stepped inside, dropping his bags on the kitchen's island. "So you did get my text?"
"What- no- I..." Judy babbled, emotions crashing into her as the reality of her fox being home started to hit her. "Nick!" She lunged at him, leaping into his recently vacated arms.
"Yikes!" Nick caught her, barely, though she gripped on so tight he needn't have offered any support. "You didn't get my text? So you're just lounging around in one of my shirts-" Nick's eyes widened as his paw supporting her lower half touched fur, "and... apparently nothing else? ...You're just being sexy for no reason?" Nick chuckled.
"I um, I had my phone off," Judy gave little bashful chuckles, rather unlike her, nudging her forehead against his, kissing him, then rubbing her chin along his muzzle. "Too many of my siblings bragging about their dates tonight." Judy's nose wrinkled. "You smell weird."
"Well, hanging around ruffians will do that to you," Nick offered her a small kiss in return, holding her close for awhile, sniffing along her ears. "Been awhile since I got to smell something as pleasant as this bunny as well." Said bunny hummed happily in response.
"I'm guessing all went well, then?" Judy looked up hopefully at him.
"Oh yeah, everything's tied up with a bow at the office, and I'm one shower away from being right as rain," Nick nodded. "I wrote quite a dissertation to you in text, kinda miffed you didn't read it. Also asked what you wanted for tonight, it being Couples' Day and all."
"Oops," Judy flashed her teeth in a guilty smile. "But you know all I really wanted for Couples' Day was for you to come home..."
"Aww..." Nick smiled pleasantly at her, then gently set her down. "Corny and cliche. That's my bunny."
"Ugh, you jerk," Judy weakly hit his side with an open paw. "I've missed you."
"Likewise, sugar-fluff," Nick replied, going to the bags, which mostly had groceries; a lot of Nick's indulgent foods. "It has been too long since I had a proper fish sandwich..." Judy's nose wrinkled again. "I'm guessing you ran out of this." Nick held up a tub of vanilla ice cream.
Judy gasped, rushing over and hugging the tub before placing it in the freezer. "Eee! Yes! Mmm, see, this is why you're my boyfriend."
"Because I indulge you," Nick said casually, putting the rest of the groceries away.
Judy rolled her eyes, but then gave a conciliatory nod and shrug. She scoffed. "How can you be so casual when it's been so long since we've seen- oh." She started to laugh.
"What?" Nick blinked.
"Your tail's going pretty fast," the bunny giggled into a paw.
"God," Nick looked skyward and wagged his head, "I swear that guy's gonna get me into trouble one of these days. He just won't wear the mask."
"Well, if 'trouble' is what you want to get into," Judy said amorously, brushing up against him, "then 'trouble' is my middle name."
"I thought it was 'Laverne'," Nick said calmly, though his tail thrashed faster.
"Nick," Judy deadpanned, looking up at him, but unable to avoid cracking a smile. "I'm trying to be flirtatious here."
Nick nodded with his eyes closed. "And I appreciate the effort, darling. I, however, am trying to tease you 'til you get to just that point where you become your most feisty."
"Whew, you do know me," Judy tapped her foot and folded her arms, feeling outplayed by the smug fox in front of her. "You're lucky you're such a dashing rogue, or else..."
"Or else what?" Nick winked, affectionately rubbing her head, which she leaned into like a kitten. "You'd still find me irresistible?"
"M-mm-maybe 'insufferable'!" Judy tried weakly to regain her ground and her dignity after such an egregious submission to his affection.
"Mm, it has been awhile since I had you eating out of my paw like this," Nick smirked. "I'm enjoying it. In fact, maybe we should literally do that sometime. Might be something I could get into."
"You are so crazy," Judy shook her head and sighed. "Here I am ready to pour my heart out to you and you're just- you're still so Nick."
"By all means, pour, my dear," Nick smiled at her, petting her ears.
"Well, uh, I mean-" Judy brushed her hand through her ears, her paws running up against against her love's. "I actually was wearing your shirt because, uh, y'know. Smells like you. I was- to be honest- I was kind of pouty the last few days."
"'Intolerable' was the word Bogo used," Nick stared out the window.
"Yes, well," Judy folded her arms tightly, looking away. "Maybe if you weren't such a slick so-and-so, we wouldn't have had to spend so much time apart."
"Judy," Nick laughed, dropping to his knees and hugging her. She grumbled and eventually relented, hugging back tightly. "You wanted me to turn down that assignment? To be honest I was kind of flattered that Bogo thought I could handle it."
"Well no, but... I just wish we could have worked on it together," Judy hung her head a little. "Y'know, we're partners."
"Wouldn't have worked, babe," Nick's smile became apologetic, "all-canid operation. I've got an every-fox face, and you..." Nick gently squeezed her cheeks. "Have one of the most adorable- and recognizable- faces of all bunnykind."
"Thankoo," Judy said through mooshed cheeks. Nick gave her a small smooch and let her go. "I'm surprised you wanted to get me anything for Couples' Day anyway. You're not a 'holiday' guy."
"That's correct, I am not," Nick nodded, getting up and loosening his shirt, "but I do want to make my bunny happy."
"Oh?" Judy's pulse quickened up as the disrobing fox made for the bathroom.
"Yup," Nick shut the door before he could get to the fun parts. He continued to speak through the door. "After my shower, we should have a long discussion."
"Um, 'bout what?" Judy pressed against the door, hopelessly attracted to that infuriating fox.
"About how much I missed you," Nick said gently, but with his typical smug spice.
"Yh-yeah?" Judy bit her lip, a grin exploding onto her face. "I hope, um, I hope it will be an 'emphatic' discussion..."
"Oh, definitely," he crooned, "with lots of gestures."
"That sounds fun...!" Her excitement was close to bursting, the bunny's paws wiggling by her face. "Hh-hey, after your shower, I want to dry and groom you, okay?"
"Mm, if you insist," Nick's husky, echoing voice came back as he stepped out of the shower. "Leave the shirt on 'til we get to the bedroom, though. It's kinda doing it for me."
With a broad grin, Judy rushed her way into the kitchen, got out a small bowl, and fixed herself a meager portion of vanilla ice cream. Digging in with a spoon, she took just one mouthful, then squealed and gave a full body shiver as she jumped a half-foot into the air.
It was going to be a fun night.