Chapter Four: Confession

Since they didn't have consecutive days off, Nick and Judy were back on the beat the very next morning. With the tension of yesterday still lingering between them, their usual flow was hindered. This was obvious in the way Nick had gone straight to the bullpen with just a nod towards his partner, who had been chatting with Clawhauser while she waited for the fox. Both feline and lapine stared after Nick as he disappeared into the bullpen.

"Is everything alright, Judy?" Clawhauser asked in a low voice, his expression one of concern.

Turning to the normally bubbly cheetah, Judy forced a smile onto her face. "Everything great, Ben! Nick is just having an off day, I'm sure. Better go for roll call, anyways. See you later!"

"Later." Ben waved uncertainly, worried about his favorite couple—even if they weren't a couple. 'I hope everything's okay...'

As Judy turned towards the bullpen, the smile faded from her face and was replaced with a worried frown. 'Did I…wait too long?' Hurt and confused by Nick's sudden change in demeanor the day before, the doe had decided against reaching out to him, giving the fox what he had asked of her; alone time. Now she was regretting the decision, fearing that it had caused a rift between them.

'Again.' She thought despondently as she entered the bullpen. Nick didn't even look up, his gaze focused on his phone. Steeling herself, Judy went and took her seat next to her partner, an awkwardness that had never been there before taking a hold of her.

"Hi." Came the nervous greeting from Judy as she fidgeted in her seat. She had angled herself so she was facing Nick a bit, but the fox didn't move. He merely glanced at her from his peripheral and nodded, before turning back to his phone.

"Hey."

The bland reply gave Judy mixed feelings; it was better than the wordless nod he had given her earlier, but it still fell far short of what she had hoped for. Before more could be said, Bogo walked in and their day began.

~o.8.o~

As the two got into their cruiser to begin their patrol around the east side of Savannah Central, Nick couldn't bring himself to look at Judy.

He had been a complete ass the day before, and he knew it.

'It's not like I meant to snap at her…' He thought miserably as he gazed out the window on the passenger side. The vulnerability he had felt after such a confession, combined with the frustration that it was done under an act and the painful reality that it wasn't reciprocated, had been too much for Nick to handle, and he had latched onto the one emotion he was most familiar with; anger. He had let it fill him until he couldn't even tolerate to be near Judy, her closeness almost painful. So, he'd snapped, lashed out, and pushed her away.

It had been the press conference all over again.

It wasn't until he had gotten home, his fur still puffed out in agitation, that Nick finally was able to calm. Only then did he realize the mistake he had made. He had known going in that this would be one of the consequences of their little act. Yet, he had willingly agreed to it.

'Because I'd be with her.'

Gritting his teeth as he dodged another attempt from Judy to start a conversation, the guilt and self-loathing swallowed him again.

The rest of their shift continued in the same fashion; Judy would try to end the stifling silence between them with small talk, only to have Nick turn down every attempt with one-word answers or indifferent hums. Lunch was spent apart, the fox choosing to spend his thirty minutes walking around, while Judy ate her food alone in the cruiser.

By the end of the shift, Judy had had enough. She was hurt, confused, and guilt-ridden, but it was all overshadowed by her anger over Nick's unwillingness to help her bridge the gap between them.

As she parked the cruiser in the garage, Judy was up and out of the door just as the car turned off. Nick barely had any time to get out of the car before his way was blocked by a furious doe.

"We need to talk." Came the stern demand. Arms crossed, ears erect, and foot thumping a mile a minute; Judy Hopps was the image of an angry bunny.

Swallowing thickly, Nick averted his gaze. "Can't this wait, Carrots?"

Unbeknownst to him, her countenance softened at the familiar nickname, but her tone held its firmness when she spoke. "No, it can't, Nick." There was a pause, and then in a softer tone, "I want things to go back to how they were before."

Her softly spoken words caused Nick's heart to clench painfully. 'How things were before…' The tod let out a long sigh. "Yeah." He nodded, as he briefly met Judy's gaze. "We can talk. Just...not here." His eyes wandered to a few of the coworkers that walked by them.

Following his gaze, Judy noticed that they weren't alone, and that a few were sending them curious looks. "Okay," she turned back to Nick, "how about the smaller section at the ZPD Gym? We're the only ones that use it, and it's pretty secluded." She didn't want this to drag on any longer, and she feared that if they went to either of their apartments, the chance to talk would escape them.

Nick frowned at the still rather public place, but, judging by Judy's set expression, he knew that he wouldn't be able to wiggle out of this. He gave in with a sigh. "Alright. In an hour."

Taking in Nick's reluctant disposition, Judy decided to allow this small delay and nodded in agreement. "In an hour."

~o.8.o~

Judy tried not to fidget too much as she waited for Nick to arrive. The hour spent apart had allowed her anger to fade, leaving behind only uneasy concern. Currently dressed in a black tank top and purple leggings, she was situated on one of the benches inside the gym. She was the only one in this section, as it was built for smaller animals, and she and Nick were the only ones that ever really used it.

It was secluded enough for the conversation she planned on having with her partner.

Judy had it all planned out. They would spar, hopefully bringing the focus away from their current issues and towards the now. Then, when he was a bit winded and a bit calmer, she would then confront him about the 'act' with her parents, and his reaction to her questions about it. The doe was certain there was more to it than just acting; that what Nick had said at the restaurant had had to have some merit of truth.

'And that kiss…' The blush that swept through her at the memory of lips brushing against her own was something that she had never experienced before. It had made her realize something about herself; something about them.

The sound of the doors for the small mammal section opening caused Judy to turn to the source, and her mouth went dry at the entrance of Nick Wilde. The fox was dressed in a light gray, almost white tank top, and forest green gym shorts that had a dark gray vertical line going down the sides of his legs. Hefting his duffle bag over his left shoulder, Nick paused as their eyes met across the room.

The urge to say something was so strong, the words nearly forced themselves out of Judy's mouth, but the doe managed to clamp down on the impulse. Taking a deep breath to steady herself as Nick made his way over, she managed to scrounge up the will to smile.

"Hey, Nick." She greeted with a small wave.

"Hey, Carrots." Nick returned with a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. In the next second, the smile was replaced with a frown. "Listen—" He cut himself off when Judy raised a paw to stop him.

She gave him a tentative smile. "Let's spar first, and then talk?"

Ears pinned back in dismay as Nick saw the damage his lost of control had done. Judy would have never been so hesitant prior to the incident. Feeling terrible, the fox acquiesced as he set his duffle bag down beside her own.

Once they were in their usual sparring gear, which comprised of just protective headgear, the fox and bunny duo made their way to the mats. Stances ready and facing off against her, Nick tried again to talk.

"Judy." He began, letting her know he was serious. It killed any protest the doe may have made, and he took advantage of that. "I'm sorry." He relaxed his stance and made sure to keep is gaze locked on her. "For yesterday. It wasn't you I was mad at. I was just...bitter."

Relaxing her own stance, Judy gazed at Nick with concern. "Bitter?" When all Nick offered was a wordless nod, she gently pressed, "About what?"

"Ah, hah." Nick gave a nervous chuckle as he glanced away from Judy, a paw coming up to scratch lightly at his cheek. "That's a funny question."

"Is it about what you said at the restaurant?" She prodded gently, and continued when the fox looked away. "Because I know you, Nick. I can tell when you're acting and when you're being genuine." Taking a deep breath, Judy took off her headgear, as it became apparent that they wouldn't be sparring. Looking back at Nick, her words came out in a whisper. "You weren't acting back at the restaurant."

A strained bark of laughter left his maw, and Nick took off his headgear so he could run a paw through the fur atop his head. "Nothing gets past you, huh, Carrots?" His ears and cheeks heated up at the small confession, and he couldn't bring himself to look at the mammal that meant the world to him.

"Why did you agree to help me?" Judy asked. Not liking the distance between them, she started to approach Nick. "Why agree to play pretend?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Nick asked as he finally turned to her. The warmth and love in his eyes made her pause in her approach and her heart skip; the sorrow and longing within them breaking it. "I would do anything for you, Judy. The fact that I got to live my dream for a day was a bonus." His gaze lowered a bit as his eyes dimmed slightly. "I guess I just wasn't ready for the dream to end."

"Nick…" Judy whispered softly, and closed the distance between them.

Before her paw could reach him, Nick came to a decision. Yesterday, he had been given a glimpse into what it could be like with Judy. It didn't change the dynamics of their relationship much, but what did change; that bit of intimacy that a platonic relationship could never have, was a taste he wanted more of. He hadn't been lying when he said he wasn't ready for the dream to end. He never wanted it to end.

He wasn't going to give up.

Mind made up, Nick dropped his gear to the matts below and quickly framed Judy's face with both of his paws. Startled, Judy's paws came up to lightly grip his wrists, surprised amethyst flicking up to stare into intense emeralds.

"Judy." Nick began, the words flowing from him in a rush before he lost his nerve. "I don't have much to offer, being a fox, but if you'll have me, I'll spend the rest of my life proving to you that this isn't a mistake. That we're made for each other, and that I love you with every part of my being." He paused when she let out a watery chuckle, surprised to see her eyes becoming glassy.

"Dumb fox." Judy said fondly. "Can't you see I don't want it to end, either?" She wiped at her eyes with one paw, before taking hold of his wrists once more. "I'm embarrassed and sorry that it took me hurting you in order for me to realize your feelings...to realize my own feelings, but…" She smiled up at Nick as a blush settled upon her cheeks. "I love you, too, Nick. Have for a while, I think. I was just too much of a dumb bunny to see it until now."

Delight, embarrassment, happiness, love, and a whole slew of other emotions welled up within Nick at her words, a blush settling upon his own cheeks and ears as he leaned down to gently bump his nose against hers. It caused her ears to pop up in surprise, before they fell limply against her back. Eyes meeting just before they fell shut, Nick gently guided her head upward as he angled his muzzle down, their noses still pressed together as their lips touched.

It was more than just a brush of lips like the day before, and so much better because of it. It started off chaste, curious even, as they shared their first real kiss. The moment seemed to last forever, but it ended too soon as Nick pulled back, leaving Judy wanting as her grip on his arms tightened in protest. Their intent changed to bringing him in closer as the fox pressed his lips against hers once more, firmer this time, and with a passion that left them both breathless.

When this second kiss came to an end, Nick and Judy were panting gently, their eyes still closed as they savored the experience. Nick was the first to open his eyes, and he couldn't stop the purr that rumbled in his throat at the look of contentment on Judy's face. The sound caused her to open her eyes, and the look in them as they gazed up at him caused his heart to clench with a giddy feeling.

Pressing his forehead against Judy's, Nick didn't hold back the content smile from stretching across his face.

His dream had become something more.

Author's Note: Chapter written by Starfang's Secrets.