6:00 am Saturday rolled around Nick was snoring peacefully on his couch when he was awoken suddenly by the cheerful knocking of a little grey bunny at his door. Nick groaned and glanced at the clock before pulling his blanket back over his head. Then the knocking came again. Nick wrapped the blanket around himself and answered the door. He glared down at the cheery bunny then up into the sky.
"It's still dark. Why are you here?" Nick growled.
"I know it is still dark but according to my weather app dawn should be at 6:09 and I don't want to miss a single minute! Besides, I thought I would get here early because you would need some time to get around and I wanted to discuss our plan of attack for this place!" Judy smiled up at her fox, "So, can I come in?"
Nick growled as he stepped aside and Judy bounded in with arms full of bags. Nick closed the door and threw himself back on the couch.
"So, as I was saying, I have a whole plan of what to do and who's going to do what. But first, coffee. Hazelnut with a shot of espresso for me and 20oz black with two sugars for you.". Judy pulled out the two cups and handed one to Nick. The fact that she remembered how he liked his coffee did not go unnoticed. He sipped on the warm drink gratefully before she continued, "I've got everything I need to repair the pipes and clean away all the mold and Finnick should be over sometime around noon with the paint, door and a few other supplies."
"Wait, wait. You got Finnick to help?" Nick cut her off astounded.
"Yep!" Judy beamed with pride, "I texted him from your phone when you weren't looking. I told him the stuff was for a new scheme. He seemed happy to do another job but then he said some very unkind things about me. I don't think he likes me very much."
Nick was both proud and mortified to learn about this conversation. He knew that Finnick felt like Judy had stolen his business partner and friend from him and he would not be happy to learn that he had been tricked into helping her.
"Anyways," Judy continued, "You have three minutes to drink your coffee and get dressed and then I am putting you to work. I noticed you have a sink full of dishes, a utility sink full of dishes, so you are starting there."
"Dishes really? Don't you want to start with the pipes?" Nick asked confused.
"You leave the pipes to me, I can handle those just fine on my own," Judy chirped, "You get dressed and I'll start some tunes. I don't know what you like but I have a pretty big song library so I'll just put the whole thing on shuffle if that's OK with you."
Nick nodded as he got up and put on some pants. He watched Judy set up her portable speakers and connect her tiny iPawd. He looked forward to listening to Judy's favorite music, he saw it as a way to learn more about the small bunny. You could learn a lot about a person by knowing their favorite music, movies, books, etc. He just hoped it wasn't all sugary pop stars and crap like Justin Beaver. He wasn't surprised when the first song came on. Naturally she would start with Gazelle.
"Oh, oh, oh. Try everything!"
Judy was already nestled up in a tangle of pipes pulling apart a roll of thin white ribbon that Nick didn't recognize when he was ready to get started on the dishes. He turned on the water and reached for the sponge when the next song came on, this time a much older song by Destiny's Cub.
That's two upbeat pop songs, Nick thought, no surprise so far.
The next song did catch his attention, it was one of his favorites from his annoying, angsty teen years by Nine Inch Claws. He wondered if maybe it being on her playlist was just a bit of a fluke. He looked over his shoulder and saw her mouthing out the words as she worked.
Next was a song was by Fallout Foals, then a Guns 'n Rodents song, both were decent in Nick's opinion.
Then another one came on that surprised him. A dark melody came from the speakers that Nick immediately recognized as Whorn's Beast on a Leash. That was two songs in maybe a half hour with some darker tones. Did his happy little bunny have a darker side? Nick listened to that kind of music in his youth when he struggled with everyday issues that come from growing up as a fox in the city. Things like teachers and other adults assuming you were lazy and constantly up to no good. Nick was never a bad kid, he did all his homework and he was a respectful boy, but expectations have a way of turning into self fulfilling prophecies and by his teens he was figuring out ways to swindle the other kids and blackmail his teachers. Did judy have those same struggles? She seemed like the kind of person who would have gotten all A's and volunteered at nursing homes as a teen. Not someone who struggled with authority like Nick had.
Nicked finished up the dishes only to realize that half the dishes on the floor were ready to be cleaned. He was impressed, though not surprised, by Judy's efficiency and speed. She cheerfully gave him his next directions and he began gathering up all his clothes into one central location. As he did this Judy's iPawd blasted out Crazy Train by Black Sable and Nick chuckled to himself as he imagined an angsty teen Judy, decked out in black and denim and wearing excessive amounts of makeup and jewelry. While Judy would probably be awfully cute with an edgier look, it just didn't match her personality.
Nick stuffed his clothes either in a garbage bag to be taken to the laundromat or folded them neatly to go into his giant dresser. Judy then had him fill a bucket with bleach and water and began scrubbing the walls with a sponge. Nick was surprised at how grimey his walls really were and how much mold grew on the pipes.
It was around two and the apartment had been completely scrubbed top to bottom when there was a bang on the door.
"Oh that must be Finnick, he's here earlier than I expected." Judy said happily.
Nick got up to open the door, "I thought you said he was going to be here around noon."
"Yeah but I didn't know what kinda guy he was so I assumed the worst and didn't actually expect him here for another hour." Judy said wiping her brow.
"Sly bunny," Nick mumbled before he opened his door. "Hey, buddy."
"Yo, why your place smell like bleach? You kill someone in here?" Finnick greeted the fox grumpily and then he saw Judy. "Oh man, did the bunny kill someone? Yo bunny, you a bad cop now? Don't you be gettin' my boy here in no trouble!"
Judy smiled and waved, "Hey little toot toot."
"Tch, bitch don't you be calling me 'little toot toot' you know my name." Finnick snarled.
"Children, children, can we behave ourselves please?" Nick asked with a pleasant smile before whispering into the smaller Fox's large ears, "and don't call my lady a bitch. Please?"
"Aw nah man! Seriously? You and the cop? It's bad enough she turned you into one of them. She's like a vampire." Finnick complained.
"She is right here," Judy reminded him. Finnick just responded by making a face at her by holding two fingers up to his mouth to mimic a vampire. Judy found the action rather redundant considering he already had fangs.
"So if you're all on the up and up, what do you need all these supplies for?" Finnick asked Nick.
"We are fixing up his apartment," Judy answered for Nick, "and I'll tell you boys what. We've been working hard so why don't I go get us some lunch and you guys can catch up and unload the van." Judy grabbed a bag and gave Nick a kiss on the cheek before heading out the door.
"I don't like her man, she's no good for you," Finnick said as he turned towards Nick's fridge.
"Oh really, and here I thought you two were getting along so swimmingly," Nick said with mock disappointment, "grab me one too."
Finnick fished out two beers and passed one to nick. "She changed you man. Look at you, following her around like some kinda puppy, cleaning, even changing careers for her."
"I'm not changing careers for her. She presented me with an opportunity and I'm taking it. Isn't that what we do? Plus with this gig I don't have to worry about pissing off any gang bangers and how sweet will it be when I see said gang bangers while I'm wearing that blue uniform and pulling up in one of those big cruisers." Nick grinned viciously as he imagined all the thugs who ever messed with him scatter in the wake of his future authority.
"Or you could be a meter maid."
Nick shook his head gently, " I doubt it, the chief knows me already and helping judy with that whole night howler thing has got to give me some bonus points. This is a good thing for me, I promise."
"OK," Finnick conceded, "but consider this; what if you two break up? You really wanna be stuck working with your ex? Or worse, for her?"
"Eh, that's too many what ifs, plus the ZPD is big, there are plenty of places for me to fit in. And that's only assuming we do break up and you know what they say about assuming." Nick waved him off, "Now, enough about my girlfriend and job, tell me about what's going on with you."
Finnick gave an evil smile, "Been doin' the pawpsicle hustle without you bro. Found this cute arctic fox, she gets the supplies easier than you ever did and sells out every time with that sweet little voice and tail of her's. She's smart too but she can play the dumb broad card so easy she can get outta any scrap."
Nick laughed, "And here you were cautioning me about working with the ladies. Sounds like you should go after her."
"Aw hell no! Bitch is crazy. I've seen her with her other boys. Hm-mm," Finnick gave his beer a terrified look remembering something Nick didn't want to ask about.
The two foxes chatted over another set of beers before Judy returned with a bag stuffed with Chinese food. Judy kept the tofu and broccoli for herself, Finnick grabbed the shrimp lo mein and Nick took the General Tso's.
After lunch the three of them unloaded the van and Finnick took off. To Nick's surprise Judy had Nick move the furniture, save the couch, into the small lot behind the apartment building. She insisted that it was all still infested in mold. She planned on cleaning the furniture while nick started painting the walls. She would do the couch tomorrow so it could dry in the sun. By the time he finished the first coat Judy was done cleaning the furniture and the sun had completely set. They moved the furniture back into the apartment and both animals were completely exhausted. Judy decided she was too tired to go home so, with Nick's blessing she showered right there and the two snacked on the leftover Chinese before snuggling up on the couch, both too tired for fooling around.