A shorter installment.
The next few days were spent at Nick's new apartment. He'd let his previous place go while at the academy and had found a new place, smaller, and almost nice if he hadn't reduced it to a cluttered bachelor pad almost instantly. Unlike Judy's little shoebox, it did have a proper bathroom and a hint of a kitchen, and to Judy's suspicions, two bedrooms. What was he thinking when he first rented the place?
Not that it was a bad thing at the moment, as she needed to be his live-in assistance, at least until the majority of his paw splints came off.
"Nick, you need a bath." Judy regarded Nick's less than pristine coat as she gave him a perfunctory brushing to tidy him up for the day's lack of activity.
He gave himself a theatric sniff and didn't need to fake an expression. He was getting a bit pongy. But, he considered his condition, "And how will I do that?"
Judy held up some small plastic garbage bags. "These, and some rubber bands will keep your damaged parts dry, and I can give you a proper scrubbing."
Nick's brows shot up, "Hot shower with a hot bunny?" Then became a little concerned, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Judy rolled her eyes and smiled. "Nick, we've seen each other naked before, and we've groomed nearly everything. Simply scrubbing you down is no big thing."
Seeing his leering grin with the potential double entendre, she grinned and shook her head. "Seriously, you're worse than my teenage brothers."
Judy stripped Nick down in short order, making a point of reacting to how stronger his stank was without the containment of his clothes.
She got his limbs baggied-up and aimed him towards the bathroom as she disrobed.
"Aw, no show?"
"Get in there or I'll call Finn to do the deed."
The bathroom's only virtue was in that it had a class F mammal sized walk-in shower stall. Plenty of room for the pair, and, say, a half-dozen more beasts of their size.
Judy came in, bring a little step stool, and Nick suddenly felt a little embarrassed. They had in fact seen each other nude before, and it was no major issue, but this time...
She got the water going and steered him under the stream. She got on the stool to give herself some height to begin shampooing his head hair.
"Carrots, I can't thank you enough for this. For all of this, ya know."
"Yeah. Its what we do for our partners."
He chuckled, "I got to touch a fox!" In a bad imitation of Judy's voice.
She laughed at that. She then began working on his head in general. He couldn't help but react to her attentions to his ears and then his neck ruff, his face in a goofy grin and dangling tongue.
He did stiffen up, however, as she worked her way down his body. Not that going below the waist was anything special. Actually, truth be told, he did have some small fantasies of things that could be done in a shower, but not here and not with her now.
There were any number of jokes about tests of friendship in the worst situations. This little bunny had helped his aim, so to speak, and wiped his butt for the last many days without batting an eye. And she was about to wash him down there as though it was nothing.
And on one paw, it was nothing, a simple practical act. But he could not help but feel a kind of shame, that his circumstance would mean she would compromise herself like that.
Once she was done with the scrubbing and was well on the way to getting him rinsed off, he sat down on the now unoccupied stool to get more eye to eye with her.
"You deserve a much better me than what I actually am." He looked into her eyes wishing he could smile, but felt only a small regret.
Judy looked at her goofy Fox, suspecting, pretty much, just what he was feeling. "I know, but I'm stuck with this one." And gave him a little peck on the nose.
She got him up, giving him a big smile; "There's the little kit, all nice and clean. Now let's get him dried off." In her best motherly tone.
Between towels and the over-size air dryer that came with the place, they were both done in short order, looking a bit poofy. Judy got to brushing Nick down, and while doing so, found one of his scars. It reminded her of Agent Anlef.
"Nick, you mentioned something about Anlef back in Rain City."
"Oh, you mean her scars?" He turned to her, looking rather sober, "Yeah, she took a shower while we over-nighted, and I saw her body. She was laced with scars, kind of horrible, actually. And she likely has any number of other old injuries, saw some little limps and hitches in her motion."
He nudged at Judy's paws, all he could do for the most part with his splints, "She gave me a bit of a groom, very strong fingers. But I think it was as much for her sake, ya know." They shared a knowing look about the sad cat. "Then she wouldn't let me give her any kind of reciprocal groom or brush. The scars, I guess."
As Nick was still in no condition to give Judy a proper groom or brush out, she had to do it for herself while Nick watched. Seeing her there, her sleek grey form in full view, he was struck with a great sense of contentment, of serenity. Here was his mate, in all but name, as unlikely as anything, but undeniable.
They cuddled together in bed, as now was their habit, Judy tucked perfectly into Nick's curve. She shifted just a tad and rubbed her head against Nick's chin.
"You know what that means, don't you?"
"Uhuh. That's why I'm doing it."
"And you know what that means?"
"Maybe Clauhauser will stop hitting on me?"
'Oh, there is that." And Nick hugged her even closer.
As the days wore on and Nick got more of himself free of various bandages and splints, Judy cajoled him to get back up on his general physical conditioning. Cruel and murderous jogging sessions and arcane tortures of calisthenics that would leave him whimpering for mercy. And keep Judy's concentration on him instead of her likely dismissal from the ZPD.
As she figured it, she'd be lucky to only be fired. There would likely be criminal charges too, perhaps suspended sentences, no jail time but extended probation. Again, if she was lucky.
But she didn't feel lucky. Moreover, she was willing to take whatever she got. Shooting that one rabbit was in the heat of the moment. But what had she hoped to do when she first went dark and pursued the PDR agents? She was unarmed getting on that train, but she didn't need any instrument to kill those who had attacked her father. But she didn't. And that was it's own secret little shame.
But that she was even there, seeking a private justice was the bigger shame. A violation of her oath of service, and the trust of Bogo and the rest.
A week later, though far earlier than the promised hearing date, she got a call from Bogo. Off duty and out of the precinct. A little private talk.
Bogo sat on a park bench, overlooking a distant sportball field. But he wasn't watching the game, rather, he was poking at his tablet 'phone, seeming very engrossed in something.
"Hey Chief." Judy stood some distance off.
"In a second, Hopps." And he made a few key touches and then closed the unit. "Work never ends." He motioned the Bunny to join him on the bench. It was built for bigger beasts, but she easily hopped up and sat down, though not too close.
"I'd like to apologize for the heat of the moment back when we last talked." Bogo grumbled.
"Sir, you had every right. I did betray your trust, acted recklessly, and even when I could have, I didn't coordinate. Worse, seeing how this isn't the first time things like this have happened; I can't honestly say I'd never do it again. Even as much as I'd like to."
'Yeah. About that. I do believe your earnest desire to be a better team player and work within the system. And that this had been in so many ways, an extraordinary circumstance. That is why I'm considering you for reinstatement, without a formal review."
"Sir, I don't understand."
"As so much of it involves Our Friend, there were national security issues. And the possibility of serious criminal charges against you, were a hearing be held, which would sort of get in the way of maintaining your reputation as the Hero of Zootopia."
Judy made a particularly pained face at that. "But Sir, playing fast and loose with the law isn't how it ought to work."
"So, you'd take dismissal, even face the possibility of criminal prosecution, rather than take the easy save?" And he held up his hoof to preclude her answer as he continued. "Yet your actions were themselves playing fast and loose with the law."
Judy hung her head and whispered, "I'm - prepared - to pay for my mistakes."
The Buffalo looked at the remorseful little bunny for long moments.
"Well, the Mayor, the Commissioner, and a couple of Judges and I don't entirely agree with you on that."
Judy looked up, both puzzled and disapproving of the likely back room political maneuvering implied.
"Considering it as cost/benefit. They felt you're a much greater net asset, both for your reputation, and the actual service to the city." Bogo gave her a faint hopeful smile. "You were critical to the case, again."
Then Bogo rolled his eyes, "And if I merely fired you, Our Friend threatened to recruit you on the spot. Given that kind of endorsement, I couldn't see loosing you as an asset."
Judy didn't like where this was going. She'd been stewing in guilt for the weeks since the events and now was prepared to take the hit for her actions. "Sir, I can't just come back as though nothing happened."
"You're right about that." Bogo gave her a stern look. "You'll be loosing all your accrued time in rank and time in service for pay and promotion. But -" And he gave her a wicked little grin, "You'll still be partnered with Wilde, and still functioning as his senior for administrative purposes."
Judy made a sour face at that. "All the responsibilities without the pay or rank." Yet she could remain on the force.
"Will that satisfy your need for punishment?"
Judy considered another thing. "Wilde and I also have a personal relationship..."
"And that is somehow news?"
"Sir? Fraternization..."
"And in all the time you two have been together, has that compromised your performance?"
"ah - no?" But Judy had to wonder about that one little hitch that broke her cover when the PDR agents had Nick.
Bogo chose not to notice the little tell in Judy's response. "Okay then."