Chapter 2
"Nick, I am so sorry." Was the first thing out of Judy's mouth when she saw him the next evening. After being driven back to ZPD Headquarters by Lunis, the fox had promptly crashed on a sofa in one of the break rooms and stayed there for most of the day. Because upon waking up, all he'd been able to see in his mind was the wreckage that had been his apartment.
Not that he'd expected any less.
What was extremely unexpected was the sheer number of animals who stepped in looking for him, both to check on Nick's physical well-being and to offer their condolences over the attack on his home. More than a few promised that they'd be taking part in the investigation to find the ones responsible - even several officers who had made no secret of their disdain for him in the past.
Apparently Lunis' sympathy had just been a precursor. Maybe cops really did look after their own, regardless of personal prejudices.
Nick was still in a state of befuddlement over it all when his partner finally arrived, released from the hospital. Judy took one look at him, hopped up on to sofa and promptly snuggled up against his side. Too startled to resist, Nick carefully looped his arm around her shoulders.
"How are you handling this?" She asked, after a few minutes of peaceful silence.
"To be honest, I think I've been too numb to handle much of anything."
"Ah. Guess you haven't put much thought towards 'what's next', then."
"For cryin' out loud, Carrots, I've been asleep up until a couple hours ago!" He shot her an irritated look, which the rabbit easily ignored.
"Look," Judy stated, scooching herself around to look him straight in the eyes. "You know I've been thinking about upgrading to a slightly bigger apartment. How about we move in someplace new together and split the rent?"
Blinking, Nick just stared at her for a minute, baffled. It was one thing for the bunny to have inserted herself into his home life when he was wounded, but actually wanting to live with him full time...?
"C'mon, Fuzzbutt, don't leave me hanging - what do you say?"
"...Eh, why not. If nothing else, it'll be easier to snitch food out of those care packages your folks send."
"You do realize that since I mentioned your habit of doing that, they've started sending extra?"
Nick blinked. "They have?"
"Yep. And I bet if I say we're rooming together, my folks will send two packages a month, one for you and one for me."
"Well then, how can I say no to that?"
-N-
The bunny, as Nick swiftly discovered, was terrible at picking real estate. He'd suspected as much after seeing her dinky, greasy, walls-thinner-than-cardboard apartment, but the search for a new place for the both of them to share just proved it. So, in order to 'spare' Judy, Nick jumped into handling the research, prospect viewing, and price negotiation himself. Which turned out to have an unexpected bonus - when the landboar of the best fit yet discovered he could potentially house Zootopia's two most well-known and beloved officers, he dropped the monthly rent by a full hundred dollars.
Nick certainly wasn't going to turn an offer like that down, and decided to avoid mentioning it to his partner for as long as possible. Because, while Judy might have the sense of honor that demanded she pay full price for the place, Nick had spent far too long pinching his pennies to quit the habit at this point in time. Saving one hundred dollars a month for a rainy day? He'd gladly take that deal, thanks very much.
The apartment had a decent sized main room with a kitchen attachment, two small bedrooms, a hall closet, and a bathroom. Not much, but it was a bit of an improvement over Nick's previous sleeping arrangements, and a vast one over Judy's.
She fell in love with it the moment she stepped through the front door.
"Nick! This place is amazing!" The bunny immediately proceeded to hop around and inspect every single thing, so Nick just leaned against the bare wall and left her to it. This new apartment was, sadly, on the fifth floor of the building, but at least there was a working elevator plenty big enough to handle getting fox and rabbit sized furniture in and out.
Judy suddenly landed right in front of him, nearly giving the wounded cop a heart attack. "Can we afford this on the budget we discussed?" She demanded.
"Easy there, Carrots - we're way below budget limits, thank you kindly. In fact, I probably could have found a place twice this size for the amount of money you were originally thinking, but decided that might not fit with your sense of modesty."
At least she looked a little abashed. "Sorry. It's just, when I first moved to the city, I was trying to be really careful with my savings, which was why I was happy with a place so small."
"Yeah, I kinda figured. But! No more microwaved meals every late night - got everything we need here to whip up a well-balanced meal and store the leftovers afterward!"
Judy's nose wrinkled up. "You can cook?"
Instantly, Nick's paw pressed against his chest, just above the line of bandages. "You wound me, Carrots. What kind of self-respecting, reformed scam artist do you think I am?"
"The kind who'd eat his meals on someone else's bill as often as possible."
At that point, they decided a cooking contest would be in the near future, but first the new furniture had to be brought up and arranged. Thanks to Nick's still-healing injuries and Judy's oh so recent stay in the hospital, Chief Bogo had quietly asked a few of the ZPD to stop by and help their comrades out. Clawhauser led the charge, of course, followed closely by the others friends the pair had made over the last year. Well, mostly the friends Judy had made, but none of them held anything against Nick and for that he considered himself to be on friendly terms with them. Even Lunis and Romblesten showed up, bringing the boxes of Nick's belongings that had been salvaged from his former apartment.
"Appreciate it, guys." He'd said when the pair were getting ready to depart. Sincerely, even, with only a hint of reluctance. "I could've just picked the stuff up myself from HQ tomorrow, but..."
Romblesten nodded at him, then gave her partner a pointed look, and Lunis let out a pained sounding sigh. "Wilde, it was pointed out to me that I neglected to explain my position on you properly the other night."
"Uh...?"
"When I said I don't like you, it's because I don't like anyone who doesn't take this job as seriously as I do. You're lazy with your paperwork, show up late to your shift far too often, and give the Chief more headaches than the entirety of the rest of the ZPD. With the possible exception of Hopps." She added. "Still. You've proven yourself to be dedicated, and haven't fallen into any corrupt tendencies, making use of your power to gain favors among the criminal element. And I ought to mention, my neighbor and best friend growing up was a fox." And on that surprising note, Lunis turned and hurried off toward the elevator. Nick blinked in shock, and it took a nudge (read: punch) from Romblesten to snap him back to the present.
"She's feeling pretty guilty, seeing you freak out over your partner and then being attacked personally like that." The heavyset rhino explained. "Don't expect it to last, but being nice like this is her version of an apology."
"Oh. Well. Uh."
"See ya at work, Wilde. Hope you settle into the new place okay." Shaking his head as the other officer headed off, Nick stepped back into the apartment and closed the door. Romblesten and Lunis had been the last to depart, and the fox was relieved to have some peace and quiet again.
Though, considering Judy was still somewhere close by, maybe the quiet wasn't such a good sign... As soon as he turned around though, Nick saw that the fear was unfounded. His partner, apparently worn out from the day's activities, had set herself down on the sofa and promptly fallen asleep. The fox shrugged, grabbed a convenient blanket from one of their moving boxes, and pulled it over both himself and the bunny.
"G'night, Carrots." Hopefully, with her nearby, he wouldn't have any nightmares featuring the Natural History Museum...
-N-
Something was sitting on top of his face. Nick's nose twitched, trying to identify the scent, only to blink blearily when he realized it was familiar.
Specifically, that of a certain rabbit.
"J'dy." He muttered, turning his head to try and get out from underneath the large foot draped unceremoniously across his snout. The second one was sitting on his collarbone, while the rest of his partner's body stretched off down the sofa. Nick, by contrast, was only occupying a third of the seating space, his own hind paws tucked up against the arm.
"You're smaller than I am, dang it." The fox groaned in disbelief. "Why am I the one all scrunched up?"
"S'cuz yer nice..." His partner murmured, still clearly half asleep.
"Yeah, no, obviously you're just pushy." Nick snorted. "What time is it, anyway?"
Finally free of Judy's feet, he pushed himself upright enough to see the earliest streaks of dawn through the window. He flopped back over with a groan, mentally protesting the early hour. His partner's only response was to roll over and promptly fall asleep once again. Nick did his best to straighten out the blanket, but gradually gave up as the yawning overtook him.
A couple hours later, both of them jerked awake to a knock on the door.
"I'll get it!" Judy announced, bounding to her feet. Groaning at the turnaround from sleepy bunny to energized bunny, Nick just flopped an arm over his eyes.
"Emmitt! Octavia! And the boys, come on in - we're just getting up, I'm afraid..."
"Oh, Judy, I do apologize, we can come back later-"
"No, it's fine, really. Cooper, Lenny, Nick's over on the sofa." The instant he heard those words, the fox's eyes snapped open, and he hastened to flee the area. Sadly, the blanket slowed him up, and suddenly there were a pair of grinning otter pups in his lap.
"Oof!" Nick winced at the sudden weight. "I do not remember you two being this heavy last month."
"Granny came an' visited." The younger of the two boys, Lenny, explained to him. "She always brings lots an' lots an' lots of clams."
"Dad always says he needs to get a bigger pair of pants whenever she comes and cooks for us!" Cooper added. Nick chuckled, having felt the same way after his few visits to the Hopps homestead and being sent home with bags full of treats.
"Are your boo-boos better yet?" Lenny poked a paw towards Nick's chest, careful not to touch the bandages on display as his button-up shirt hung open.
"Mostly. Still need to take it easy for another week, and by then my fur ought to start growing back." That comment got both boys to giggle, and then their parents swooped in after a quiet talk with Judy.
The four Ottertons stayed until mid-morning, when they had to head off for Cooper's soccer game. Before leaving, though, they brought up a load of groceries to deposit in the apartment's kitchen. At first, Judy protested the generosity, insisting on paying them back - only to be stopped in her tracks when Emmitt winked and said that Mr. Big had asked him to do it, with a refund already promised.
"Huh." Nick mentioned as the family departed. "Think we could get the biggest crime boss in Tundratown to spring for all our groceries?"
"Nick!"
-N-
"They're in the same apartment now? Damn..."
"Don't get your wool in a twist - this might be a wrinkle now, but we can make it work."
"Maybe so... I still wish your thugs had killed the fox in his home."
"It would've been too soon. Trust me, in the revenge business, you want to take it slow and steady, up until it's time for the final blow."
