"I made breakfast! Judy, Sweetie, have a seat! Good morning, Nicky!"
That morning, Nick and Judy had awoken to the sound of something sizzling and the smell of cooking food. Judy had turned over in bed and looked Nick right in the eye.
"I swear to God, if she's cooking…" she had whispered.
"She wouldn't. Valerie isn't like that," Nick had reassured her.
The two had then gotten up and made their way down the hall to discover a very cheerful Valerie, already dressed and ready for the day, working away in the kitchen. At Valerie's greeting, Judy had promptly shot Nick a deadly glare, while he looked embarrassed, as if Valerie were a family member of his visiting. Judy then decided to force a smile made up of poison.
"Thank you, Valerie, that is just so nice."
Her voice was so sickly sweet, it sent shivers down Nick's spine. Nick knew that Judy had several different ways of approaching a situation she wasn't fond of, and it was clear that she had just chosen the "I'll play the fakest nice you've ever seen" way. Nick, however, didn't say a word; if anyone could make things worse right now, it was him.
"No problem at all, Sweetie. It's the least I could do for you after letting me stay the night!"
Nick noted that Valerie's tone held the same fake tone that Judy's had. With horror, he realized that this situation could only get worse from here on out. Judy smiled again, knowing that the game had started.
"Nick, I'm going to shower and get ready for the day. Care to join me?"
"In the shower?"
"You're telling me you don't enjoy morning shower sex anymore?"
Nick's whole body tensed. Had she really just said that? Yes, yes, she had just said that. Valerie raised an eyebrow but remained silent as she stirred the contents of the pans on the stovetop.
"Uh, no, I'm coming," Nick muttered, still dazed.
With an evil grin, Judy turned and walked down the hallway, purposely swinging her hips as she did so. Nick followed as if he were on a leash and she held it. Once he had made it to the entrance of the bathroom, Judy grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him in.
"Hey, Sexy," she called loud enough for Valerie to hear before she shut the door.
As soon as the door clicked shut, she turned to Nick, who was in absolute shock.
"Did you really just do that?" the fox murmured.
"Do what?"
"Tell her we were going to have sex in the shower!"
"Did you really think we were going to have sex in the shower?" Judy shot back.
Nick fixed her with a lazy stare.
"How dare you play with my emotions, Rabbit."
"We aren't having sex until she leaves, Nick!"
Judy began to remove her clothes, starting the shower as she did so. Nick's gaze swept up and down her body before she threw her shirt over his face with a noise of disgust.
"I'm only doing this to show her that you're mine," the bunny explained.
"Are you openly admitting that you're jealous?"
"Of course, I'm jealous!" Judy exclaimed before stepping into the shower and closing the curtain. "You can't say you wouldn't be too, Nick."
Nick removed her shirt from his face and went to the sink to brush his canines.
"I'm not going to leave you, Carrots," he called with a toothbrush in his mouth.
"Oh, I know you won't leave me!" Judy laughed. "If you left me, the whole ZPD, along with your mother, would know that you cheated on your pregnant girlfriend. I, however, can leave you if I really feel like it without too many consequences."
Nick's jaw dropped open.
"Are you serious?" he asked.
"I'm dead serious."
"That's evil! I'm not even cheating on you!"
"There's no proof of that. Besides, you know I'm right."
"You're blackmailing me!"
"I'm forcing you to make the right decision. Besides, I'm not going to leave you."
"Oh, yeah, that makes me feel loads better," Nick muttered bitterly.
"I also know that you wouldn't leave me, because I mean, come on! Have you seen me?"
"Someone gained some confidence overnight," Nick grumbled.
Judy laughed, now working her body wash into a lather.
"I know you don't trust her, Nick."
"I take it my mother told you that."
"You can't have a partner you don't trust."
"Funny, we were partners."
"Oooh, what a punch!" Judy chuckled. "The point is, you have the power to tell the Chief that you want a new partner. If I told him that, he would dismiss me and tell me I'm being crazy."
"You are being crazy!"
"Drop her as your partner, Nick."
"Why would I do that?"
Judy peered around the shower curtain.
"You can't be serious. You are not about to remain partners with her to spite me!"
"I think I already am," Nick smirked as he threw a towel to Judy, who caught it and wrapped it around her body. "You aren't leaving me, that's what you said, right? So why should I be worried?"
Judy gave an angry sigh before she stormed out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Nick smirked again as he heard the door slam.
In the end, both he and Judy were aware that neither one would do anything drastic, but they would bite, kick, scratch, and punch until they had gotten their points across. It was true that Nick didn't trust Valerie as a partner. When they had dated, he was constantly worried that she was with another guy or that she was trying to steal his money behind his back. Now that she was back, he was afraid that she would hurt Judy in some way or steal from him. The fact that she had asked to stay the night only increased these feelings of worry. So no, she had never been trustworthy, but he didn't care. If staying partners with her angered Judy more, he would do it, just to establish that he was capable of making his own decisions.
In the end, Nick and Judy did trust each other; Judy knew that Nick wouldn't do anything too stupid, and Nick knew that Judy wouldn't go too far, but who's to say that they couldn't have a little fun messing with one another? Yes, Judy had been upset the night before, and Nick had felt genuinely bad, but it was clear that the argument had taken a very sharp turn overnight.
Nick emerged from the bathroom and opened the bedroom door. Judy was dressed in navy blue leggings and a white long-sleeve shirt today. The shirt fit snugly around her growing abdomen. She was sitting on the bed and smoothing the fur on her ears when Nick had opened the door.
"That was nice, but could have been better," Nick stated loudly with a smug expression.
Judy stood and walked past him to the living room.
"Sorry, Nick, sex is a little bit difficult nowadays since I'm twelve weeks pregnant with your four kids," Judy laughed dryly. "Nick, always so picky!"
Judy shrugged after she caught the uncomfortable look on Valerie's face. Nick entered the living room a few minutes later, dressed in his uniform. The three then left the apartment and headed for the SUV. Judy hopped in the driver's seat, Nick in the passenger's seat, and Valerie in the back.
"It smells wonderful in here," Judy smiled as she shot Nick a look.
Pulling out of the apartment complex's parking lot, Judy decided to engage Valerie in a conversation.
"So, tell me Valerie, how long have you worked for the ZPD?"
"Just a few months. This is my first major case."
"Well, then I wish you luck!"
"She doesn't need luck if I'm her partner," Nick chuckled.
"How very arrogant of you, Nick," Judy laughed. "I'm sure Valerie is a capable officer."
The rest of the car ride was silent, with Valerie shifting awkwardly in the backseat every now and then. When they arrived at work, the three parted ways, Judy to the offices, and Nick and Valerie down to records to dig up some information on their case.
For Judy, the day went by unbelievably slow. She typed up reports, took calls, filed papers, and engaged in other mindless tasks that unnerved her. A few of her fellow officers stopped by the cubicle throughout the day and welcomed her back or commented on her pregnancy, but nothing really seemed to make the day unique for her. In between tasks, Judy was usually listening to music, doodling on a piece of paper, or spinning around in her swivel chair. At 6:00 that evening, Judy clocked out and exited the offices to the lobby, where she found Clawhauser in his usual place at the reception desk.
"Hi, Judy!" the cheetah greeted her pleasantly.
"Hey, Clawhauser. How was your day?"
"Pretty average. Yours?"
"Just the same. I'm ready to go home."
"Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?"
"Not really a whole lot to discuss if I'm honest," Judy shrugged politely.
"Are you and Nick doing okay?"
"We're fine. We're just going through a rough patch."
"This is a pretty big rough patch."
"Nah, it'll be over before you know it."
Just then, the quiet lobby filled with commotion as an infuriated Valerie stomped past. Behind her, followed an anxious Nick, who was jogging to keep up.
"Val, wait!"
Judy looked up at Clawhauser with her eyebrows raised.
"Rough patch over," the bunny grinned.
"No, Nick! I'm done! I quit! I'm going to talk to the Chief right now! Have fun finding a new partner!" Valerie yelled.
Nick slowed his steps and came to a halt just a few feet from Judy. Judy looked at Clawhauser and winked before turning to Nick.
"Everything okay?"
"She thinks I'm using her to make you mad."
Judy nodded as if she were empathetic.
"I totally get that. I was doing the exact same thing," Judy chuckled."
At that, Nick grinned.
"She quit."
"Does that make you happy?" Judy asked innocently.
"It does, one-hundred-percent. I just don't have a partner."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that too much," Judy reassured the fox.
"Why?"
The silence of the lobby was once again broken as the Chief's booming voice shook the building.
"Wilde! Hopps!"
"That's why," Judy smirked. "We'll see you tomorrow, Clawhauser."
Clawhauser looked completely confused, but he waved goodbye as the couple walked up to the second floor.
"A perfectly good officer gone! All because of you two!" the Chief was shrieking a few minutes later, after they had entered his office. "You've only been back for two days and everything is absolute chaos!"
"It's a real shame," Nick said, trying not to laugh.
"I don't find this funny, Wilde! Now you're out of partners!"
"I'm available," Judy offered with a raise of her paw.
"We have already discussed this, Hopps!"
"I'm cool with her being my partner."
"We have already discussed this!"
"Hey, Carrots, wanna be my partner?" Nick asked the bunny.
"I'd love to."
"There we go. Problem solved," Nick stated smugly.
The Chief was practically shaking with anger, his nostrils flaring as he looked from the bunny to the fox.
"Fine," he sighed. "Just get out."
"Thank you, Chief!" Nick shouted as he and Judy exited.
The Chief just shook his head, wondering how he would ever be able to handle those two. In their SUV, Judy and Nick broke down in laughter.
"I can't believe you got her to quit!" Judy exclaimed. "And in a single day? What did you do to her?"
"Oh, just the usual charm," Nick smirked. "I can't believe you threatened to blackmail me."
"We are horrible."
"We really are."
"I'm sorry for yelling so much."
"I'm sorry for being so inconsiderate. Are you okay?"
"I am, but I do have a question," Judy stated.
"What?"
"You trust me, right?"
"Of course. Do you trust me?"
"You make me nervous, but yes," Judy laughed.
"You know I wouldn't cheat on you, right?"
"Yes, I do. You know I wouldn't leave you, right?"
"Yep."
"Okay… I love you."
"I love you too, Carrots."