I'm skipping the disclaimer. I doubt anybody reads them anyways.
"What will it be, folks?" a waitress asked the two. Their booth was small and both animals were effectively smushed against one another, which was really beginning to restrict their movements. Alas, it was either this or having to deal with an hour long wait for a bigger table, so they had resigned themselves to their fate with reluctance.
"I'll have 5 regular pancakes and a side of chocolate milk," Nick asserted for the waitress, who busied herself by jolting down their order. Judy resisted the urge to snort. He was reading this off the kids' menu, or course. Her partner had requested to have the 'little critter menu' as soon as they had entered the building. This was just further proof that her companion truly was a five year old kit in disguise.
"I'm sure you will," she said, opting for a smirk. "Meanwhile, like every mature grown up on the planet, Nick, I will have a cup of coffee and a silver five."
"The first time you tried caffeine was on the way back from the place." Nick's expression turned almost haughty. "A whole cup will have you bouncing off the walls, Fluff." She crossed her arms and faked annoyance. Her companion tried to pretend that her actions weren't adorable.
"You act like the sugary pancakes and the excess chocolate milk won't do the same to you, Slick. We can be hyperactive together."
"Oh, the claws are finally coming out."
"I try."
"Feisty little bunny, I see. You wound me, Carrots."
"What can I say?" she teased. "I'm wild at heart."
"Don't you mean 'Wilde', Ms. Hopps?" the fox responded smoothly. After a second, though, he froze. "I mean, not that you are . . ."
"I'm still here, you know," reminded their server. She appeared to be a middle aged jaguar called Sandra, judging by her name tag. The waitress took a moment to smile at the stunned duo; they had been completely oblivious to the woman. "I take it that's all?"
"Yes, that's it," Judy nodded, beginning to blush. The jaguar gave them a knowing look and wagged her finger slightly.
"Alright, alright, I'm leaving. Don't want to interrupt the happy couple, now." With that said, she began to walk away.
"It's not like that! We're not a couple!" gasped Judy after the waitress, who had already gotten out of earshot. The gray bunny slumped back down in the booth.
"Look at it like this, Fluff: we are a couple. We're a couple of animals waiting to be fed. I don't know about you, but this place better hurry up. I'm starving!" She couldn't help but laugh at his corny jokes; Nick was special in his own right.
"You're a dork," she proclaimed, ignoring the way her heart hammered. Being a couple didn't exactly sound bad . . .
"Yes, but you keep me around anyways. I'm your dork now," he told her dutifully. The rabbit only rolled her eyes.
"Right, until you get married. Then you'll be some other girl's dork." All he could do was shake his head.
"You're wrong."
"Huh?"
"I'll always be your dork, even if I got married." After a split second, he amended that statement. "Especially if I married you." Judy . . . well, she pretty much short circuited. "Are you all right?" asked Nick, still not really realizing what he just said.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she told his hoarsely. Nothing else was spoken for the next several minutes. Much like the car ride, the environment turned unusually quiet. This silence was broken only after Nick decided to use his kids meal crayons as walrus tusks, earning a chuckle from Judy and a glare from a walrus sitting across the restaurant.
"How is it that you're an adult? I swear you're still in grade school," she grinned at him, happy to be back in more familiar (and therefore less romantically confusing) territory.
"Ah, you finally figured out my secret. I'm actually only two feet tall. It's all the fur, you see."
"But of course it's the fur. That explains so much, actually," she hummed in agreement. He laughed now, and she couldn't help but smile at his face. He looked so happy.
There it was again! That flip in her stomach. It couldn't be . . .
There was no way she liked her partner; not like that. He was silly, childish, impulsive, and cracked terrible jokes. He was simply . . .
He was simply the guy she would always go to with her problems, or whenever she had a bad day, or whenever she just wanted to see someone. He was the animal that made her laugh for no reason at all, the one who always had her back no matter what. He was brave, smart, talented, sweet . . .
He was simply the best friend she'd ever had.
There was no way she would risk losing him over whatever this was becoming. Whatever happened this morning when she woke up with him would not affect their relationship negatively; she refused to let that happen.
They ate together only 20 minutes after they placed their order. Nick, playing the role of the sly fox he was, kept stealing bites off of her plate whenever she so much as blinked. In retaliation, Judy would scribble on top of his 'little critter' drawing, effectively ruining it.
Neither of them really minded, however. That was just the way of it. They were Wilde and Hopps, the renowned and elite crime-fighting unit, and this was what they lived for.
As the duo paid the bill for breakfast and left the diner, the gray bunny felt accomplished in some small way.
Nick only felt full. He ate way too many pancakes.
So, yup. This was essentially a useless filler chapter.
Sue me. I'm currently working on about 10 other fanfics at the moment as well as managing school, a blog (that I am way behind on posts with), writing three books, and reading. Existing right now without spontaneously combusting is kind of a full time job.
Anyways, I'm sorry this update is so late. I promise that I have no intentions of abandoning this story anytime soon; I've just been super busy.
in the meantime, expect another oneshot (probably for Miraculous Ladybug or Heroes of Olympus) within the next two weeks. I will add to this story whenever I get the chance. For sure, it will happen within the next month, just don't expect anything right away.
Bye for now, everybody! I'll see you soon!