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Nick pulled the blankets over his head at the blaring of his alarm. Just five more minutes...
The grating noise persisted, forcing him to poke one arm out from his warm cocoon. He swatted at his cell phone with sloppy aim. Third attempt at a swipe finally engaged the snooze function, and he allowed himself to retreat into his warm haven. He just wanted to sleep, and sleep...

"...lo?"

His ears pricked up in sudden dread. He never did set an alarm, did he? He pulled the phone under the blankets with him, squinting at the burst of light he had to endure to get it. "Wilde here."

"Wow, Nick, you sound awful." He winced at the sound of her voice. Should have checked the number first.

"Just woke up." He rasped. He tried to clear his voice, and his mind. What time was it?

"You been asleep all day?" His tail gave an involuntary wag at the obvious concern in her voice.

Traitor.

"Isn't that what sick leave is about? I never really took it before. Am I doing it wrong?" His own voice sounded strangely loud in his confines.

She hurried to correct herself. "No, no, sleep is good. I'm really sorry I woke you. Anything I can do to help?"

Hah.

"I'll be fine, Carrots. You just... Try not to tackle any cases alone, alright?"

"Why officer Wilde, I'm touched by your concern."

He deadpanned. "Hardly. I just don't want you running off with all the credit." Her laughter was better than coffee. "But sure, if you prefer concern... Ask the Chief to assign you another partner when you go out, alright? It's a big scary world out there."

She hummed, a dead giveaway of a smile. "I will. But only if you promise to take care of yourself. Are you drinking enough fluids?"

He groaned. "Carrots..."

"I'm serious, Nick. Don't make me call your mom."

"Fine, fine, fluids and rest. Anything else, Ma'am?"

She was grinning, he was sure of it. "I'll think of something. I better let you get back to your resting now." He grunted, and moved to end the call. "Oh, and Nick?"

He returned the phone to his ear. "Yes?"

"Miss you."

Her phone clicked off before he could think of a reply. He was dimly aware of a faint thumping.
His tail was wagging again, trapped under the sheets.

Damn her.


She called again the next day. First around noon to check up on him, and again after her shift ended, to give him an update on precinct matters. She was doing it to cheer him up more than to keep him in the loop. He could tell, but he didn't mind. He was starting to look forward to the calls, actually. He did miss her, and at least over the phone, he couldn't mess anything up. Made things easier.

So when Thursday evening rolled up without her usual call, he got... Worried wasn't the right word. Restless, maybe? She could easily just have drawn a late shift, but if she had, she hadn't mentioned it in her noon phone call. He checked his phone for the sixth time. Seven o'clock. She probably wasn't going to call anymore. He put the phone back and shifted on the couch. No big deal. He'd talk to her tomorrow. Or not. Whatever. He involuntarily reached for the phone again, when a knock came at the door. Confused, he got up to answer. Which of his neighbours needed his help this time?

He opened the door, and stared. Judy stared right back, slowly raising an eyebrow as she looked at what he was wearing.

"Love the boxers, partner." She chuckled at his panicked attempt to cover himself with the blanket. "Oh don't mind me. This is Zootopia after all: you wanna be naked, you be naked." He scowled at her unbearable grin, finally succeeding in covering up everything from the chin down.

"What are you doing here, Carrots?"

She raised the bag she was holding. "I brought you soup."

His annoyance melted into surprise. "You did?" She nodded. "Why?"

"Because that's what friends do, silly." She slipped past him into his place. He had no choice but to follow.

"To tell you the truth, I'm actually not quite sure what I brought." She gave the bag a confused frown. "Your food is complicated. Luckily I got help from a very nice lady. So, kitchen is through there?"

"Eh, yes, but..." She was already gone, fiddling with the microwave. He left her at it, ducking into his bedroom to find some damn pants. He was buttoning his shirt when she came back out, carrying a steaming bowl and a spoon.

"Now you are going to sit, and eat this." She placed it on the table before him, hopping on the opposing chair. "Work is boring without you, so I need you to be all better by Monday, kay?"

Still a bit windswept from her sudden appearance, he sat down and reached for the spoon. Might as well eat and make her happy. And if he was honest, this was much better than a phone call. Better, but dangerous. He was going to have to keep his wits about hi—
The scent of the soup crashed his train of thought. His ears dropped, utter surprise stealing over his face.

"This... This is my mom's soup."

She beamed at him across the table. "Yup! I was actually just going to get you something from the store first, but, ah... I got confused with all the options? I mean, how many bugs are there? So I called your mom for help, and she insisted I just come over so she could fix me up." She grinned at his dumbfounded expression. "Don't let it get cold, now. Eat up, it's good for you."

He forced himself to look down at his spoon, unable to hide his damned smile. She brought him soup. The soup. The kind he used to sip through fevers, puffy noses, even the occasional tears. She went all the way to his mom for this? He dared a quick glance her way as he blew on the broth. It's not that she had never met his mom before, even been over at her house a couple of times, just... never without him.
She smiled encouragingly as he took a tentative sip. It was just like he remembered it. He ate in silence, slowly savouring, while she talked about her day, about the new case, about Grizzoli's stupid jokes.

When the bowl was empty, she offered to refill it for him, but he declined. "I think I'll save the rest for tomorrow." He gave her a genuine smile. "Thanks Carrots."

"You're very welcome. So!" She jumped from the chair in her usual energetic way. "That's the soup done, now for the movie."

He blinked. "You sure? It's a work night for you. Won't that make it too late?"

She picked up her bag with a shrug. "Nah, I'll just sleep over."

He snapped his teeth shut. Down, Wilde!

"You're not staying over, Carrots." He stated blandly.

She flicked an ear in annoyance, rummaging through her bag. "Don't be silly Nick, of course I am. I've slept on your couch before, it's bigger than my bed. Now, I've got horror, comedy, buddy-cop movies... What are you in the mood for?"

He groaned internally. She's just trying to cheer you up. Trying to take care of you. And she's not going to take no for an answer.

It was downright unsettling how deeply that pulled his strings.

She was looking at him, her smile faltering under the silence.

He shook his head with a soft chuckle. "Buddy cop sounds fun." She smirked in victory, popping the movie in and turning back towards him, her smirk turning to confusion. "What?"

He had been staring. He coughed, and looked away. "You're a good friend, Carrots."

She pulled a face, and gently pushed him onto the couch. "The very best. And don't you forget it."
She tucked him in with his own blanket, and handed him the remote. He probably had the stupidest grin on his face right about now, but he found it very hard to care. "I would Never."

She patted his head with a stern look. "Good. You skip through the previews. I'll get us something to drink."

The movie had been good, light fun. The company warm and welcome. He hadn't noticed how lonely it had been, these locked away days. And with him safely tucked away in his blanket, it hadn't been too hard to endure it when she cuddled close halfway through the movie, as she was wont to do. Apart from a few hazy moments where his attention had been on the nape of her neck rather than on the screen, it had all gone very well.
Afterwards he removed himself from the room to give her privacy, and willed himself to stay in bed as the sound of running water tested his resolve. In the morning he stayed in bed, wishing her a good day through the door.
And just to be extra safe, he waited a full five minutes after she left before getting up. He was going to need a shower.

But first... he was going to finish that soup.