Judy tended to feel her best right after her gym class. The physical exertion was wonderful; she tried her utmost and loved the ache of her protesting muscles. That was followed by the warm soothing showers, and to top it off, there was the wonderfully loud din of the full-body hare dryers.
On her sixteenth winter on the planet, she had a little extra reason to be excited. A tiny little puff of fluff had appeared right on the crown of her chest, her first dewlap. It made her beyond excited; as if she was a real adult. She was one step closer to getting out into the real world and fulfilling her dream of being the first bunny police officer in Zootopia.
Proudly wrapping her towel over the new bit of fur, she scurried on over to her locker to get her regular clothes on, but hesitated when she saw who was still occupying the space very near to hers.
"It's just so fluffy, Jessica..."
Another doe was fawning over one of her gym classmates, Jessica. The cream-colored bunny was wider set than Judy, but only just, and mostly in her hips. If that wasn't enough, she'd been endowed with a huge dewlap that didn't even go away with her summer coat. She was standing there, fluffing it shamelessly, with two sycophant friends of hers looking at her in awe.
"Can I touch it?"
"You don't just touch another doe's dewlap!" Her cohort scolded, smacking away her associate's encroaching paw.
"Sorry! It's just so... big!" The more timid one giggled. "Roger is sure to notice if you wear something a little tighter!"
"You think so?" Jessica asked, fluffing her cheeks, then her dewlap, giving a tiny smile. "I don't want him to get the wrong idea. I'm not a bad girl, I'm just fluffed that way."
"No way!" One of her yesbunnies quickly piped up. "He'll be pancakes in your paws for sure."
"Uh," Judy interjected, trying to scoot in and unlock her own locker. "I think that's 'putty' in your paws."
"Who asked you?" The more snippy of the two bunnies returned.
Judy was quiet at that and quickly moved to take off her towel and clothe herself.
"Pfff, hahahaha!" The rude bunny picked up when she caught a glimpse of Judy in the buff. "Is that your dewlap!? Looks like you just stapled on some pillow fluff!"
"Really now," Jessica frowned. "We can't help how we're fluffed. That's for Serendipity to decide."
"Yeah," the more cutesy of the two piped up, "but don't they say she has a great sense of humor?"
Judy hurriedly finished clothing and rushed out of the locker room, her teeth tight in her mouth.
Judy lay awake in bed that night, staring at the top bunk bed's underside. Her roommate sisters' breathing always seemed to rise and fall in a pattern, never synched up; it was so weird, almost musical. She couldn't sleep; she felt an unwelcome tightness in her chest that just didn't want to go away. The hallway's door opened.
A whisper: "Judy, are you still awake?"
Just as quietly, she said "yeah" back.
It was her mother's shadow that drew close to her, only filling out her features when she was away from the brighter light of the hallway.
"What's going on, Mom?" Judy whispered.
"Are you feeling okay, sweetheart?" Bonnie asked, sitting at her bedside. "You looked very melancholy at dinner."
"Pff, I'm fine, Mom," Judy rolled her eyes, but sat up to acknowledge her. "Really, out of all my siblings, you're gonna check on me?"
"It's a mother's job to tell if something's the matter with her kits," Bonnie said with a warm firmness. "So, please tell me if something is the matter."
"Rgh, it's nothing," Judy wouldn't meet her mother's eyes. "Just... ugh. Got made fun of today for my dewlap."
"Oh?" Bonnie frowned. "Well, I think it's wonderful that you're getting one, sweetie. It's a sign of becoming a fully-grown doe." She rubbed Judy's shoulder gently.
"Yeah, but it's barely anything," Judy pouted. "It'll probably be gone by the summer."
"Now Bunbun," Bonnie shook her head. "The Hopps does don't really get very big dewlaps, even in the winter."
"Yeah, but at least you get a nice one," Judy released a shaky breath. "Mine just looks dumb, like a tiny puff."
"Well, I also weigh a good bit more than you," Bonnie winked, nudging her with her side. "Maybe if you put on a few more pounds, it'd get bigger."
"I don't really want to do that," the smaller bunny shook her head. "I need to stay in shape if I'm gonna be joining the ZPD."
"Ah, yes, the ZPD," Bonnie gave a big breath. "Honey, have you considered what you might want to do if that doesn't work out?"
"It'll work out, Mom," Judy said with a determined but quiet voice.
"But... just, if it doesn't...?" Bonnie asked carefully. "Do you have anything else that you'd rather do?"
"Goodnight, Mom," Judy breathed out heavily, flopping back against her pillow. "...But thanks. I feel a little better."
"Okay, sweetheart," Bonnie said, going back to the door and looking at her daughter with concern. Her daughter seemed a bit annoyed, but quickly melted into fatigue. Figuring that was about as good as it would get, Bonnie left and closed the door.
Judy flicked off her full-body hare dryer and sighed, looking at herself in the bathroom mirror.
It'd come back, as it had every winter since she first got it. That tiny little dewlap; a mocking reminder.
The bunny carefully wrapped her towel around herself, making sure it covered that offensive little patch of fluff, and headed out into her apartment, making for the bedroom.
A wolf whistle quickly caught her ears, though it was a fox that made it. It halted her in her tracks and made her look toward the couch where there was Nick, looking on with approval, wiggling his paw in a little wave.
A chain reaction of thoughts exploded in the bunny's head and she walked closer to Nick.
"Nick, can I ask you a question and ask you to answer it truthfully?" Judy had a serious, unamused look on her face.
"Uh, I'm not sure I like the sound of that," Nick scooted up on the couch as if Judy's advance frightened him. Upon seeing the frustrated, plaintive look on her face, he finally nodded.
"Have you ever looked at bunny porn?"
Bafflement burst onto Nick's face, and then he suddenly laughed. "Oh, okay, you want me to answer that honestly, hm? That sounds like a classic girlfriend trap if I've ever heard one."
"Please just answer the question," Judy continued, trying not to let her voice dip into the tone she used when interrogating belligerent mammals at the police station. "I promise I won't get mad."
Nick considered her expression for a few moments, then shrugged. "Okay. You know that bunnies and foxes often rank among the top ten sexiest mammals in polls by other mammals, right? Usually even top five?"
"...I guess I could see that," Judy nodded, unaware of such a thing.
"Well, I've checked out the 'competition' a few times, you could say," Nick explained with a practiced casualness.
"Mm," Judy's head dropped a bit. "And the girls, the bunny does. They have big... ah..." her paws made round gestures near her chest. "...Right?"
"...Um, I'm not sure I follow," the fox looked confused, not sure how much he wanted to own up to.
"Dewlaps!" Judy blurted as if it pained her. "They have big dewlaps, right?"
"The heck is that?" The fox had to try very hard not to laugh at his girlfriend.
"It's like, this huge wreath of fur on a lot of female bunnies, especially the 'fuller' ones," Judy explained hurriedly. "The bunnies have those, right? The does?"
"Oh, yeah," Nick got a far-off look on his face, barely smiling. "They're pretty nice."
"Guh," Judy looked deflated, her ears drooping.
"What's going on with you?" Nick squinted.
"This is all I ever get," Judy pulled down on the top of her towel and showed off her small dewlap. Nick looked at it with muted appreciation.
"Looks nice to me," the fox smiled serenely.
"It's tiny," she winced.
Nick shook his head, confused and trying to process the events that had just transpired. "Okay, hold up. Is my wonder-bunny trying to compare herself to a porn star? What's going on here?"
"No, NO..." Judy hid her dewlap and wrapped her paws around herself, grumbling and spinning on her heel. "It's not that at all, I'm just... ugh. Listen, I know you like fluff, okay? I'm just- I wish I was fluffier, for you at least. Even during winter, I think your coat makes you fluffier than mine makes me..."
"Um, so?" Nick chuckled. He shook his head as though he pitied the bunny. "Are you thinking that I don't find you sexy? Truly? Have you seen your butt?"
Judy hid a little embarrassed smile, realizing she'd done a less-than-complete job of wrapping the towel behind her.
"The curvature! And it's topped by that lovely little tail," Nick purred with a lazy, reverent voice. "Just like a blueberry pie with a puff of whipped cream." He kissed his fingers. "Mwa! Perfection."
"Well, thanks," Judy had a begrudging voice, but a smile was splayed all the way across her face. She tried not to let it catch Nick's eye just yet. "Nice to know you find me 'tasty'."
"Oh, for sure," Nick nodded readily, but then his brow went forward and he began to get a sleazy grin. "But... there's always a way you could be tastier..."
"Yeah...?" Judy tried not to suddenly sound disappointed.
"Wear your Crittermas gift for me," the fox responded.
Judy's head hung and she let out a long, groaning sigh.
Minutes passed, and the shuffling sound of clothing came from their bedroom.
"I feel ridiculous," Judy muttered through the door.
"Well, sexiness is mostly attitude," Nick checked on his claws. "I would know. Give it your best, fluffybutt."
Judy appeared in the doorway, eyelids low, balancing her paws on the door frame. She took a step forward, leaning her weight onto her hip and pushing one of her shoulders up.
"Hmm?" The bunny tried a dangerous smirk with her questioning hum.
"Oh, yes, yes, very yes," Nick head bobbed ridiculously and his tail thrashed as if he was a kit that'd caught his first ball.
The bunny was wearing a rather chaste lounging shirt, panties, and socks. Whereas the lounge-wear was hers, the socks were a gift from her fox. They were bright cyan and purple striped.
"Ooh, the colors pop so well," the fox nearly had heart bubbles leaking from his head as he looked at her from over the couch.
"I really can't believe you think this is hot," Judy rolled her eyes, giving a tired smile.
"You're only as hot as you feel," Nick coached. "Just keep it up."
"Well, my toes feel warm, at least," Judy tried stepping forward one foot after the other. The socks didn't allow as much grip as her feet, but the carpet mitigated any worry that she'd fall. She made her way to the couch, and Nick scooted back to make room for her. She oozed onto the couch like silk, drawing her knees up to herself in a kind of hug, wiggling one of her sock-clad feet in the fox's direction. His gape was positively cartoonish.
"Good God," Nick shook his head, his breath shuddering in delight as he exhaled. "What a piece of work has been created before me."
"I'm barefoot most of the time, Nick," Judy looked at him curiously. "Why do you like the socks?"
"I have no idea, but don't shame me," Nick wagged his forefinger. "Why is anything sexy? Heck if I know. I just know what I like." His fingertips wiggled. "And you, my dear, are it."
"So, what else do I have to do with these to rev up my foxxie?" Judy's head and ears bobbed, displaying a coy smile. She placed one of her clothed feet on Nick's midsection and began rubbing it back and forth.
"Oh, th-that works-" Nick barely got out, before his vocalizations turned to giggling mush.
"Hm, maybe I could get used to this," Judy grinned mischievously.
Nick slapped his paws together in supplication and shut his eyes, directing his muzzle skyward.
"The heck are you doing, silly tod? Praying?" The bunny laughed lightly.
"Oh yes."
"To who, Karma?" Bemusement lit her face.
"Mm mmmmm..." Nick shook his head firmly. "Serendipity. I feel very lucky right now."
Judy was somewhere between touched and turned on, and a playful, happy smile burst onto her face as she started to bounce forward.
"Okay, come here, you!"