AN: Sorry for the delay on this one. Writing this chapter proved much more difficult than expected.
Judy's parents always said that the only certainties in life were death and taxes. Since coming to work for the ZPD she'd added a third item to the list: paperwork. Any time there was an incident a report needed to be filed to document what happened. Every case required the involved officers fill out numerous forms, both to ensure that no evidence was lost and give the prosecution the information needed to charge a criminal. Completing all the paperwork was never difficult—it usually just involved answering the standard questions and giving an account of events as they transpired—but it was mind meltingly dull.
Which was why Judy usually took several days to work on them, spreading the monotony into manageable chunks, but with how little the case file contained right now and their success in identifying the victim getting this report out quickly was important so the information could be shared with the other officers working the case. That meant a couple of hours staring at a screen typing, rereading what she'd just written, and then revising it to make sure nothing got left out.
Usually Nick made these ordeals more bearable with his easy quips and relaxed outlook, but today he'd been noticeably withdrawn. Not quiet, he still happily engaged in conversation with her when prodded, but during the lulls she could tell he was worried about Brisa. Considering what he'd said at the hospital Judy couldn't help wondering if maybe he thought that he was in part responsible for the fruit bat being attacked. He had helped Brisa get work with Mr. Big in the past, after all.
Whatever problems Nick was having strayed far too close to personal matters for her to pry while they remained at work however, so she'd waited even during the train ride back to their apartment. Or more correctly their home, as she'd started thinking of it despite how modest it was. Considering the closet she'd moved out of it was still a significant step up, and privately she was simply pleased to have found anyplace willing to take them after how many complexes had turned them down to avoid some poorly defined problems that their "highly visible" relationship might attract. Frustrating as the ordeal had been at the time Judy couldn't complain about the results.
After they let themselves into the building Judy slipped a little closer to Nick and took his hand, silently squeezing it during the walk to their room. He squeezed back, then curled his tail around her side.
"Looks like you're just bursting to ask if I'm okay, Fluff."
Judy felt her ears warm. "That obvious?"
"Not really, but I can tell you're worried about me." Nick gave her hand another squeeze then released it so he could fish his keys from his pocket. "I'll be fine, I promise. Just…a lot to think about."
"Brisa?" Judy asked, hopping through the door while Nick held it open for her. Once inside she stretched and began to undo the fasteners that held her duty vest on. "Something you want to talk about?"
Nick hesitated in the doorway for just a second before he followed her in. "Not sure what I would say."
"Maybe in a little bit then," she suggested, giving her body a light shake once she had the vest properly hung up, then looked back at Nick over her shoulder. "Was thinking I would spend my 'mandatory alone time' soaking in the bath. That okay with you?"
"You've really taken to doing that, haven't you?"
The playfully teasing tone Nick took was enough to make her blush. "I happen to find baths relaxing, and you know my last place wasn't big enough for a tub."
"Hey, I wasn't criticizing. Just taking the time to notice what my girlfriend likes," he said, both hands held up as he moved closer. Next thing she knew he was hugging her close, smiling as his nose lightly bumped against hers. "Enjoy the bath, sweetheart. Think I'll spend my time reading or something."
Judy returned the hug and placed a quick kiss on his lips before she pulled back and promptly headed to the bathroom. Once the door was closed she set her phone's timer for half an hour, put on her relaxation play list, and filled the tub.
Being able to get out of uniform after a long day always put her at ease, not that she found the clothing uncomfortable. Wearing the uniform meant she was at work, however, and with that came the knowledge that mammals were constantly watching her. Judging. Considering her background she supposed that was to be expected. She was the first (and still only) bunny on the force, so there were a number of other smaller mammals that looked up to her while others seemed eager to find some aspect of her service they could hold up as proof that she had no business working in law enforcement. Then there was her relationship with Nick, also the first of his species to join the ZPD, and their arrangement with the Chief that had them pressed firmly against the limits of what regulation allowed—to say nothing of how scandalized some mammals acted by the mere notion that a bunny could fall for a fox. That last bit was enough to put them both under a mountain of scrutiny by itself.
Out of uniform she could at least stop worrying about what image she presented to the world and simply be herself, or rather doing so was easier. There were enough bunnies in the city that it was possible to pass unnoticed unless she was on a date with Nick. Occasionally she saw recognition on another mammal's face, but they rarely worked up the nerve to confirm her identity by asking.
The moment the water level rose high enough Judy carefully dipped her feet into the water while sitting on the edge of the tub. She curled her toes a few times, feeling the heat melting away some of her tension, then finally slipped in with a sigh and settled back with her eyes closed. The soothing warmth coupled with the mellow music carried away the day's stress.
Even with her body completely submerged it took a decent while for the water to completely soak through the shorter down hairs of her fur coat. By the time it happened the bath had already begun to cool. A good shake after draining the tub was enough to lose most of the excess water, and although she was still dripping when she stepped out a simple towel was could handle the rest.
For the remainder of the time she brushed herself, removing all the dead hair the soak had freed. Then another pass with the brush, this time with some fur oil so she wouldn't get frizzy. She was nearly finished when the alarm finally went off and she changed into a loose fitting t-shirt and matching shorts.
She reemerged to find Nick in his favorite spot, sprawled across their couch. He had one of those pulp novels he enjoyed during his free time, but the room's ceiling seemed to be doing a better job of holding his attention. The book wasn't even open.
"You look pensive," she said, coming over to stand near the armrest. "Doing okay?"
Nick blinked a couple times, then looked up at her. "Huh? Oh, I just couldn't seem to focus on the story."
He put his book aside as he spoke, then sat up to make room on the couch. Once Judy claimed the offered space he promptly settled down again, resting his head in her lap.
"Hey, I thought you were making room for me!"
Nick grinned. "But your fur is so soft when you get out of the tub."
"And still damp," she reminded him, giggling lightly.
Rather than move, Nick made a show of settling in and blew a kiss in her direction. "Maybe getting a little wet is worth it."
"Must be feeling better then, if you're being this insufferable," Judy commented, blowing a kiss back. "Come on, sit up."
"A little," he admitted, his tail flitting. "At least I feel like I have a better handle on it."
"Sure you didn't think of her as a friend?"
"Yeah." Nick gave a shrug. "We only ran into each other a couple of times a year. Never planned. Always just business. I liked her because she was easy to work with, and didn't care that I was a fox, probably because bats get it just as badly as foxes do."
Judy let her fingers run through the fur on Nick's head, seeking out one of the spots just behind his ears. "Friendly acquaintance then?"
Nick nodded, his head tilted just enough to help her find the right spot. "Pretty much, and I think that is why I care so much. Usually when we're responding to some crime it is just some random mammal on the street, right? Not someone I know." He paused long enough to look up into her eyes. "Am I too involved? Should ask the chief to take me off this one?"
"That doesn't seem necessary. I don't think being upset when someone is hurt-" Judy began, then tilted her head to one side. "Unless there is something else bothering you about it?"
"I don't…" Nick sighed and closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Not really sure how to explain without making it really creepy."
Judy blinked, then smiled as she stroked over Nick's head and leaned in to give him a soft kiss. "Forgive me if I have trouble imagining you being creepy. Maybe a pain in my tail sometimes, but you don't have a mean bone in your body."
A laugh slipped out of Nick and he sat up, his ears dipped back briefly. "Thanks sweetheart, but that's taking it a bit far. We both know that isn't quite true." He took a breath then let it out, his mirth draining away. "I could smell her blood, Judy. Even with all those scent neutralizers they pump into the hospital I could smell how badly she was hurt."
With that Judy felt things begin clicking into place in her mind. Nick was always uneasy around blood. Not to the point of a phobia, but even small amounts of it could make him uncomfortable.
She scooted closer, one hand resting on Nick's arm. "Does it bother you that much?"
"No." Nick looked away for a moment, then closed his eyes. "Yes. I mean it isn't really the blood exactly."
"It's that this time it belonged to someone you know," Judy guessed.
Nick nodded. "Partly, anyway."
"Partly?"
He glanced at her, a string of emotions playing across his face before he looked down at his lap. His hand found hers and he squeezed a little tighter than normal. "It smells good, Carrots."
"It does?" she asked, then mentally kicked herself for how surprised she sounded. "I mean…I wouldn't know. I thought you didn't like the scent of blood."
"I don't like that it smells good," Nick said. He squeezed her hand again. "I don't like that the worse someone is hurt the better it smells. And Briza's blood? It smelled amazing. I hate that. I hate that if someone I care about gets hurt my first thought will be about how wonderful their blood smells."
Judy's ears came up for a moment as she processed that, then dipped back down. Her mouth opened to say something, only what could she say? Something reassuring surely, but no words came to her just then so she simply scooted into Nick's lap instead and rested a hand on his cheek to prevent him from looking away.
"I'm guessing this is something a lot of preds deal with?" she asked, speaking gently.
"Don't know," Nick said, barely even whispering. "Maybe? It isn't exactly a safe topic for conversation. There are enough prey mammals that distrust predators without something like this getting out."
There it was; the flicker of guilt on Nick's face made that clear. Given the state of the city it wasn't even an unreasonable concern, but even so she realized there was something else to it. Prey might not understand and judge predators, judge him, if they found out. And if that was true, what would his bunny girlfriend think?
Again Judy found that she couldn't think of anything to say, so she did the next best thing and hugged him tightly. His body was tense, his arms hesitating before he wrapped them around her. Something akin to a shiver ran through him. A full minute passed before Judy pulled back just enough to look back up into Nick's eyes.
"I love you. Thank you for trusting me," she said, then leaned in for a proper kiss.