Nick woke to the sound of his phone ringing. His stomach told him that he'd slept way later than usual, and he glanced at the clock. 4:30PM. Ugh, it feels like someone kicked me in the… oh right, it was a bony rabbit elbow.
With a groan, he reached over to pick up the phone and answer it. "Hello?"
Nick's heart lurched when he heard Judy's voice. "Don't freak out, ok?"
He bolted upright. "What happened? Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I just got a few lion scratches during a traffic stop. I'm sorry, I might not be able to come by later."
"Carrots, are you serious? How bad-"
"I told you not to freak out. I'm fine, the doc is stitching-"
Her voice was interrupted by a beep from his phone. He looked at the front, to see the low battery indicator flashing.
Dammit.
Nick jammed the phone back to his ear so he could hear Judy again. "-so don't worry, ok?"
"Sorry, I missed most of what you said, Fluff. The battery on my phone is almost dead."
"Don't worry Nick. I'm fine, and I'll be headed home in about an hour. I'll call you when I get there, ok?"
Nick nodded, before he remembered he was talking on the phone. "Right. Talk to you soon." He hung up and leapt out of bed to begin frantically searching for his phone charger.
Thirty minutes later, he swore after he bashed his head while he rummaged around under the couch. This is what I get for cleaning this place up. Where the hell is that charger?
Nick's stomach growled. He crawled up onto the couch and spoke aloud to himself. "Ok… time for a shower, and then I'll head over to her place, to check on her. That's what she did for me, seems only fair that I return the favor. Just one friend checking on another friend. Yep. That's what friends do."
Nick got cleaned up and hurried to get dressed, pausing only to smile when he saw the black boxers covered with large orange carrots that Judy had given him as a gag gift for his last birthday. Eh, it's not like she'll see them.
But Nick put them on anyway, along with khaki pants and a dark blue Hawaiian shirt. He scooped up his aviators and the bottle of pain meds before he hurried out the door.
Nick gingerly walked up the steps to the second floor apartment he'd helped Judy move into a few months ago. He hadn't been back since then, but he didn't have any trouble finding it. He knocked, and chuckled as he looked down at the purple mat in front of her door, the word WELCOME spelled out with orange carrots. Nick waited, nervously clutching a bag and a carrier with two drinks.
Judy answered the door, wearing only a long black ZPD t-shirt that went down to her knees.
Nick squinted at her. "Are you… is that my shirt?"
"What, you said it was too big, and you never wear it."
"Probably because somebunny pilfered it out of my locker at work!"
"I did not… I took it off your desk." Judy folded her arms. "And aren't you supposed to be resting at home?"
"I would be, if you were more careful." I have to admit, that shirt looks way better on her than it does on me.
"Well don't just stand there, come in."
Nick put the food on the dining room table and took off his sunglasses while Judy closed the door. She smiled and picked up the drinks before she walked towards her bedroom. "I can't comfortably sit, so just bring the food back here." Nick suddenly wasn't very hungry for some reason, so he put one of the carryout containers in the fridge. He scrounged a fork out of the bag and brought the remaining container along with a dining room chair into Judy's bedroom.
Nick put the chair next to her bed and sat down as Judy sprawled out on her stomach. She gave him a puzzled look and put their drinks on the nightstand. "Aren't you eating?"
He nervously played with the takeout container in his paws. "I put mine in the fridge, I'll eat it later." Nick noticed a bandage on her left leg peeking out from the bottom of the shirt. "Well, at least I'm not the only thing that's a pain in your backside for once." Judy laughed and blushed. "You ok? tell me what happened, Carrots."
"Maybe later. I'm a little loopy because I took some meds earlier, but I'm fine."
Nick opened the container. "You gonna at least show me your war wounds?"
"Never."
"Awww, come on. Also, I'm kind of jealous. Just imagine how impressed your family will be when you show off your lion scars."
Judy laughed nervously. "Ah ha haaa… yeah, they definitely aren't going to be seeing my scars."
Nick held the container and fork out to her. "Well, then tell me what happened."
"It's too hard for me to eat this way. Since you're not eating, why don't you feed me?"
"Seriously, Carrots? Nice deflection, by the way."
"I learned from the best. And you have to feed me, because I have a picture of you asleep on your couch, uhh, holding the bag of peas-"
"You do not!"
Judy smirked. "Yep."
Nick was holding the food container in his left paw, so she grabbed his left arm and pulled it close before she tucked it under her chin and looked at him imploringly. Good grief, she's so adorable right now. He rolled his eyes and speared a piece of broccoli with the fork. "Fine. But you're deleting that picture."
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that."
Nick fed Judy for several minutes, sometimes teasing her with a bite before he ate it. Just a friend feeding another friend in a friendly friend kind of way.
Judy finished her drink and yawned. She shook her head when Nick offered her another bite. "No thanks, I'm full."
"Of course, your majesty. Shall I fluff your pillow and fetch your slippers?"
"Nope, just sit here and talk to me for a bit." She yawned again as Nick started to pull his arm away. "Nuh-uh."
Judy tightened her grip on his arm and Nick let out an exaggerated sigh before he awkwardly scarfed down the rest of the takeout. When he was finished, he dropped the fork inside the container and placed it on the floor. He leaned back in the chair and sighed again. "Judy, I wanted to ask-"
He looked over at the sleeping rabbit, still snuggled on his arm, and smiled. Already out like a light. Nick tried to pull his arm away, but she was latched on tight. Damn, she's strong. He shrugged to himself, before he started to awkwardly take off his pants with his free arm. Guess it's a sleepover then. At least I get to show off my boxers in the morning.
Nick watched Judy while he drowsed next to her until he finally fell asleep.
The next morning, Nick woke up to someone knocking on the front door. He yawned and noticed Judy was still clutching his left arm, her face inches from his. During the night she'd pulled him over to slouch on the bed and he'd draped his other arm over her.
Well, this is nice. Except now my back is killing me.
Nick wiggled his left arm free and stumbled into the living room. He yawned again and stretched before he walked over to look through the peephole. Nick saw the water buffalo waiting outside and shuddered.
Oh great. This is where I get fired for missing work today and not calling in.
Chief Bogo crouched in front of the small door and knocked again before it slowly opened. Bogo stood up, surprised to see Nick answering the door, though the buffalo's face remained impassive. Finding Wilde here just made the ZPD betting pool much more interesting.
Bogo grinned humorlessly as he towered over Nick, causing the fox to visibly cringe. Let the little bastard sweat a few seconds first, before I deliver the good news. Nick flinched when the Chief spoke. "I'm glad you're here, Wilde. I've been trying to reach you. You seem to have recovered from your… injury."
Nick gulped and nodded. "Yeah. I meant to call in, but… well, uhhh, my phone battery is dead-"
"Don't care, Wilde."
Nick swallowed and nodded again. "Right."
"How is Officer Hopps?"
Nick smiled weakly. "She's resting comfortably and is in good spirits, sir."
Bogo nodded and his eyes narrowed slightly. I bet she is.
The Chief continued. "You're still on leave. Mammal resources told me you've got plenty of hours left to burn. Your new assignment is to make sure Officer Hopps follows the doctor's orders, which clearly state she needs at least seven days of rest to heal. Since she's caught up on all her paperwork, unlike some officers," he paused until Nick looked guiltily at the ground, "she's excused from desk duty until further notice. I don't want to see her until she has a note from the doctor stating she's fit for duty. Do I make myself clear?"
Nick's demeanor perked up. He stood at attention and saluted. "Yesssir."
Smarmy little prick. At least this will keep him occupied. He's insufferable when Hopps isn't around.
The Chief nodded again. "Very good. Give Officer Hopps my regards." He turned to go, but paused and looked at Nick again. "Oh and Wilde... nice boxers." Bogo snorted and walked away as Nick gaped after him.
After answering the call of nature, Nick left the bathroom and almost ran into Judy.
"Good morning, Carrots. How's your butt?"
"It's fine. How's your… uh, self?" Her ears blushed red as she squeezed past him and closed the bathroom door without waiting for his reply.
Nick smacked his forehead with his paw. Real smooth, Wilde.
Nick went to the kitchen to get some water and take his meds, before he wandered back to the bedroom to look out the window. He stood and watched a goat trimming bushes in the apartment courtyard below. Nick tried to stifle yet another yawn. Ugh, I wish Carrots would get a coffee machine.
A few minutes later, Judy came in and closed the door behind her before she flopped down on the bed. Nick moved to sit in the chair next to her. "I know you heard Bogo with those big bunny ears of yours. It's just you and me today, Fluff."
She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I heard. Nice boxers by the way."
He grinned back at her. "Some crazy bunny gave them to me."
She looked at Nick's face, then averted her eyes shyly and bit her bottom lip. Her voice quavered slightly when she spoke. "So… can you do me a favor?"
"You bet. Whatever you need, Carrots."
Her nose twitched and she looked up at him. "It's hard for me to reach… can you change my dressing?"
Nick felt like his brain was going to explode. Keep your cool, hotshot. "Of course. Right. Sure, not a, uhh, problem-"
"Nick?"
"Yeah?"
Judy pointed at the clean dressing and other items sitting on the nearby desk, before she moved to lay facing the far wall.
"Right. Gotcha." Nick tried to keep his paws steady while he read the doctor's orders. He went to wash his paws, and his breath hitched when he returned to find Judy had hiked up her shirt to just over her tail. Nick focused on the bandage covering the upper part of her left leg and tried to keep from looking at the rest of Judy. She's just a friend, keep your eyes in your head Nick. Also, try to avoid saying anything unusually stupid.
Nick's paws shook as he carefully lifted the old dressing. He saw the wound and inhaled sharply. Her fur was shaved around the angry red gashes that went diagonally from a spot beside her tail all the way down to behind her knee. "Judy, this looks way worse than you let on."
Judy shrugged, her voice calm. "Don't worry, it's fine." She continued to carefully study the far wall. He could smell how nervous she was.
Nick licked his suddenly dry lips and spent the next several minutes gently cleaning around the stitches with antiseptic wipes before he finally spoke again. "After this, the phrase 'bun bun' will never be the same for me."
Judy's voice was shrill. "Nick!"
"What? I'm just sayin… if I laugh when your mom says it, you'll know why."
"Perv. So, does it… look ok?"
"I'll say."
Judy's ears flushed bright red. "I'm talking about the wound!"
"Oh right. Yeah, sure." Nick smiled and finished cleaning before he gently rubbed some cream on the scratches.
Judy sighed and was quiet for a few moments. "Quit ogling my butt and finish bandaging it already."
He tossed the old dressing into a nearby trash can along with the wipes. "Madame, how dare you… I never ogle. I glance at, perhaps even admire, BUT-"
"Nick stopppp…"
He grinned as he put the new dressing on her leg. Even though he couldn't see her face, Nick could hear the laughter in her voice. He basked in the waves of her happy scent, and then… there it was again.
It's now or never.
Nick tried to keep his voice casual. "So, when we visited your parents this last time, what happened after the bunnyshower?"
Judy continued her examination of the far wall. "What, uhh, what do you mean?"
"Back then you had a certain… scent I don't recognize. The same one you have right now."
Judy's ears straightened, then flopped down against her head. "Yeah, I probably should take a shower."
"That's not what I'm talking about. And no, you can't because the doctor said you have to wait a few days." Nick finished applying the dressing, before he reluctantly pulled her shirt down to cover her.
He finished cleaning up and went to wash his paws again. He moved so he could face her, crouching down until his muzzle was inches from hers. "Alright, bun bun," she rolled her eyes and he continued, "talk to me."
Judy stuffed her face into her pillow, muffling her voice. "Why must you humiliate me."
"Says the blackmailing bunny with pictures of me holding a bag of peas on my crotch."
Her shoulders shook while she laughed into the pillow, before she peeked up at him.
Nick swallowed, feeling surprise at the sudden thought that pushed into his brain.
I'd do anything for those eyes.
She saw the look of shock on his face as he turned away, trying to hide that his eyes had started to tear up.
Judy spoke softly, almost a whisper. "Hey." She waited for a few moments, but he wouldn't look at her. "Talk to me."
Nick smiled wanly. "No fair, I asked you first."
Judy's stomach growled and Nick laughed. "Sounds like somebunny is hungry." Thankful for the distraction, he grinned and started to walk towards the door. "I'll tell you what, lemme go grab some coffee and muffins, and we'll talk more after we eat."
Judy spoke when he started to open the door and walk out into the living room. "Nick?" He turned and she pointed at his pants on the floor. "You might want to put those on first."
They both broke down laughing and Judy snorted, the way she always did when she couldn't contain her mirth. This made Nick laugh even harder, until they both had to wipe tears from their eyes. Nick walked over and put his pants on, still chuckling and watching Judy's shoulders shake, her laughter slowly subsiding into sporadic giggles. Her happy scent flooded his nose, and time slowed while Nick savored how beautiful Judy looked at that moment. The way the t-shirt hugged her curves as she lay sprawled on the bed, with the morning light streaming through the window behind her. When she looked up at him, her serene amethyst eyes meeting his, Nick realized this moment with Judy, like so many others that they spent together, was one of the happiest of his life.
He didn't even think as the words slipped out. "I love you, Judy Hopps."
They both froze and held their breath, the words he'd said still hanging in the air.
Oh crap.
Nick stuttered, "Uhhhh, I'll be right back." He turned to race out the bedroom door and slammed it behind him.
