Diamond in the Rough
Chapter 4: The Morning After
Judy woke up to a blur of orange fur. Confused, she slowly sat up. She felt stiff. Nick was lying next to her, his arm under her, his mouth hanging open and his tongue lolling about. Wait, what happened last night? Judy thought to herself. She jostled Nick awake. He opened his eyes, confused, he sat up.
"First of all, why are you in my bed? Second of all, why is my entire body aching? And third of all, WHY THE HELL ARE MY LEGS SO SORE?!" Judy fumed at Nick. Nick was still half asleep when Judy started pushing him out of her bed.
"Woah, Carrots calm down! Nothing happ-OW," Judy slapped Nick. "Ouch, Judy-hey- knock it off!" Judy was shoving Nick out of her bedroom. "NOTHING HAPPENED!" Nick winced as Judy accidentally stepped on his tail. "Judy, you had a nightmare, you asked me to stay with you, CHILL!" Judy stopped. She looked around, no signs of anything happening, and they were both fully clothed. She sighed and dragged her paw down her face.
"Sorry Nick, I'm not very functional before my coffee."
"You're telling me; now could you please stop standing on my tail?" Judy quickly stepped back.
"Sorry…" She let out a big yawn. Nick chuckled.
"Let's get the sleepy bunny her coffee now, shall we?" he snickered. Judy glared at him. "Or should I say, grumpy bunny?"
"Don't push it Wilde." Judy said angrily.
"You get dressed, I'll put the coffee on." Nick said, closing her bedroom door before she had a chance to respond. Judy peeled off her pajamas and put on a pair of jeans and a fitted black t-shirt. Entering the bathroom, she was greeted with her reflection. She had dark circles under her eyes, and looked like hell. She splashed some water on her face before exiting both rooms. When she stepped out of her bedroom, the warm smell of coffee tickled her nose. Nick handed her a mug. She accepted it graciously and took a long sip. "Better?" Nick asked with a grin and a raised eyebrow. How dare he be so cute right now.
"Getting there," Judy responded. "You look like you got hit by a bus!" she commented.
"Not a bus, you! Do you realize you are a violent snuggler?"
Judy nearly spit out her coffee. "I'm a what?"
"A violent snuggler. You spent half the night with my arm in a choke hold!" Nick complained, rubbing his arm for emphasis.
"Sorry, it's not like I've shared a bed with someone before!" Judy blurted, then regretted saying it. Nick raised both eyebrows at her over the brim of his mug. Dumb bunny, now you seem like a child! Nick's probably spent the night with many females. You really just made a fool of yourself. She swallowed loudly. "So, we have to be at the precinct in a few hours to prepare for the assignment, you should go back to your place to change."
"Yeah, I guess I should." Nick said stiffly as he finished his coffee. Judy picked up the mug and brought it over to the sink. She began washing the mug, her face turning red. She felt intense heat on her back. She felt a gentle touch against her hips. Nick grabbed the mug from Judy's hand. "Allow me Carrots, you finish your coffee."
Once again, Judy ducked out from under his arm. She went back to her coffee and watched fondly as Nick washed his mug. Eventually, Nick was walking out the door, and Judy was left partially wishing something actually had happened last night. She sighed, and started looking for the case file. She couldn't find it anywhere.
….
Nick strolled down the street, case file in hand. He had a spring in his step for some reason. Could it be because he had just heard Judy admit she had never slept with someone before? Honestly it's no big deal because Judy wasn't the only one. Sure Nick seemed like a lady's man, but his cons encouraged him to refrain from bringing guests home, or getting romantically involved. And since becoming a cop, Nick only had eyes for one female. Even if he still hadn't realized it yet. So that's the real reason for the cheeriness. Nick thought it was because he escaped with the case file. Dumb Fox.
Nick arrived at his apartment building.
"Hey there Paulie," Nick greeted the doorman, an amable pig, "Wonderful day we're having, don't ya think?"
"Good morning Mr. Wilde! You didn't come back last night, where'd you find that mood?" Paulie chuckled.
"Oh, I was working on a case with Judy, it went a little late." Nick explained. He rolled his eyes at Paulie's raised eyebrow.
"When am I gonna meet this little lady, she's all you ever talk about!"
"Nothing personal Paulie, but I'm not sure I'm ready to let Judy see this place yet." Nick patted Paulie's shoulder.
"Playing a pauper I see!" Paulie teased as Nick stepped into the elevator. He pushed the button for the top floor, and inserted his key into the hole. The doors closed, and the elevator traveled up. Ding.
"Ah, home sweet penthouse!" Nick sighed as the doors opened. Being an ex con with a full pardon really paid off. Nick had been able to keep most of the money he made, in exchange for information on ZPD cases. He helped put away quite a few other conmen in the past two years. So Nick was able to swing rent for a penthouse. The ceiling, floors, and most of the walls were entirely glass, but the apartment was also totally private because although Nick could see out, no one else could see in. Nick's penthouse had two floors. The second floor was not as large as the first floor though. Nick started up the spiraled stairs to the second floor. He walked into his bedroom and pulled off his clothes. He entered his closet and pulled on some jeans and long-sleeved shirt. He grabbed the file from where he tossed it on his bed, and padded back out into the hallway and into his office. He sat in his chair and put his feet up on the desk. He opened the file to the last page, and ran to the bathroom to throw up.