The sun was low in the sky by the time Nick made it to the ZPD. It was hard to believe that his day had flown by so quickly, but here he was, standing in the building's shadow as the sun illuminated only the top few feet of the structure.

By now, it was the end of Judy's shift. There wasn't much of a reason for Nick to swing by; after all, he had the day off, and he wouldn't be much help to Judy at the moment. Undoubtedly she had spent her day swamped in work, and right about now she probably just wanted to go home and go to bed.

But if he was honest with himself, he missed her, and he wanted to see her, if even for just a few minutes. Not just see her—be with her. Spend time with her. Embrace her and never let go…

Okay, where did that thought come from?

The sun reflected off a window and hit Nick's eye. He took that as a sign that he should stop his train of thought right there before it went any further. He sighed in defeat, and walked into the building.

Clawhauser was walking toward the front door as Nick stepped inside, on his way home. "Hey, Ben," Nick greeted with a wave. "Is Carrots still here?"

To Nick's delight, Clawhauser nodded and motioned his head backwards. "She's at her desk," he replied. The two passed each other and Clawhauser had to call over his shoulder to continue speaking. "She's been busy all day working on that big savage predator case."

"Making progress, I'm sure," Nick called back. He made his way to the back hallway where Judy's office was located. Even though they were partners on the force, they each had their own separate offices, but luckily they were located right next to each other.

He reached Judy's office and gently rapped his knuckles on the door as he strolled in. "Pizza delivery for Officer Hopps!" He strolled up to Judy's desk, expecting her to twirl around in her chair and be surprised to see him. To his disappointment, he walked all the way to the desk and Judy didn't budge.

He sighed in disappointment as he stood behind her chair. "I guess you're caught up in your work. Sorry to bother you." He gave her a few seconds to respond, and when she didn't, he offered, "I can just leave you alone if you want."

Still no response. Still no movement from the chair.

Nick was getting annoyed now. "Look, you've got to give me something, Carrots, one way or the other." He changed his voice to be higher-pitched and batted his eyelashes. "Oh Nick, I'm simply drowning in paperwork right now! I could really use some alone time to make sure all the T's are crossed and the I's are dotted." He dropped the persona and immediately responded to himself, "Okay, I get it! You're swamped. We've all been there—though none moreso than that one otter I sold perfume once. Let me tell you, no amount of that stuff could help get rid of…"

The whole time he had been talking, the chair had not moved. Nick found himself wondering if Judy was even sitting in it. He peaked over the back of it and saw the bunny, indeed, sitting down in the chair. However, she was also lying down on the desk, head resting against her arms, fast asleep.

Nick suddenly felt embarrassed at how loud and dramatic he had been speaking. For a second, he considered leaving her alone so she could continue sleeping; after all, she did look rather adorable and peaceful at the moment. Besides, the ZPD was set up with a few cots across the hall for officers who needed quick naps away from home, so he knew she could wander over that way when she woke up.

But it was obvious to him that Judy was far too tired to simply take a quick nap. She was completely passed out, and since it was the end of her shift anyway, Nick decided she'd be better off going home and sleeping in her own bed. He gently nudged her shoulder. "Carrots?"

Judy stirred for a moment, but only to reposition her head, before quickly falling back asleep afterward.

Nick nudged her shoulder again, a bit more roughly this time. "Hey, Carrots. Wake up."

This time, Judy sat straight up and deliriously looked around. "Wha…? Where am…" She focused on Nick, though it took a few seconds to recognize him through her grogginess. "Nick?"

Nick smirked. "Last I checked," he confirmed.

Judy rubbed her eyes and yawned. "What are you doing here? I thought you had an appointment with Dr. Wood today."

"I did." Nick patted her on the head playfully. "That ended a few hours ago. I missed you, so I decided to come over and see you while you were still in the building."

"Um…" Judy struggled to comprehend Nick's words. "Why would I not be?"

Nick glanced over at the computer screen on her desk, and pointed to the clock on the bottom right corner. "Because your shift is about to end. See?"

Judy was still confused. "My shift…" She yawned again, this time stretching her arms. "Oh yeah, I guess it is almost time, isn't it?" Her eyes closed shut, and it was obvious she was struggling to stay awake.

Nick examined the rest of the computer screen. Opened in the background was an audio program, and it seemed Judy had been listening to something before she had fallen asleep. In the top left corner of the screen was a notepad program, full of notes Judy had taken while listening to the audio, as well as a few Z's that had bunched up together at the end, presumably when Judy had fallen asleep.

Doesn't look like she's gonna be working on this anymore today. He made sure all of Judy's files were saved and quietly shut off the monitor. "Busy day?"

Judy nodded, then rested her head against the back of her gigantic chair. "Not a busy day, just a long day." She yawned again, before continuing, "I didn't sleep at all last night, and I've been here since five."

Nick blinked in surprise. "In the morning?"

Judy nodded in disappointment. "I interrogated Roark, and the last thing I remember is…" Her voice drifted off, and her gaze stared off in the distance. After several long, silent seconds, she managed to focus on Nick again. "Oh, hi, Nick, what are you doing here?"

Nick smiled playfully. "Aw, you're so cute when you're sleepy." He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes, his smile growing even bigger. "Oh yes you are! You're just the cutest thing in the whole wide world!"

Judy glared at him—or at least, he was pretty sure it was a glare. It was hard to tell, since her amethyst eyes were barely visible under her eyelids. "You probably didn't know about this, but…" She held up one paw, as if she was holding something invisible. "A bunny can call another bunny 'cute', but when other animals do it…" She held up her other paw, in the same gesture. "It's a little…" But before she could finish the sentence, her eyes closed and she fell face-first onto her desk.

Finally, Nick had enough. "That's it." He grabbed Judy's shoulders and pulled her off the desk. "It's time for you to go home, and go to bed."

Judy tried pushing him away dismissively. "I'm fine, Nick, honest. I just need some more coffee—"

"You? Coffee?" Nick rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Bunnies on coffee, yeah, that's just what this world needs."

Judy started to retort but a yawn cut her off, and even after she was done yawning, her eyelids were too heavy to allow her to focus on him. She raised a finger, ready to say something, but started to fall asleep yet again.

"Okay, we're done here." Nick caught Judy as she slumped forward. Her head rested on his shoulder, and her body limply fell against his chest, which made it easy for him to reach his arms around her and pick her up. "I'm taking you home."

"I can get home myself—" she started to insist.

"No, you can't, Carrots." Nick took no time at all getting a better grip on the bunny, and within seconds, she was curled up in his arms, being carried over-the-threshold style. "I'm not gonna let you try, so you may as well just accept it. I'm taking you home."

He expected her to protest, but she was already asleep once again. Her head rested against his arm, and her free arm clung to his neck for support.

It was actually a precious sight to Nick. He had sometimes imagined a scenario exactly like this one—Judy in his arms, peacefully sleeping against his shoulder—but never imagined it might actually happen. She was so close to him now that he could see the individual hairs on her cheeks, and he could hear the soft breaths that she drew.

In fact, she was close enough, that if he wanted to, he could lean down and kiss her…

Nick shook his head. Don't be silly, Wilde. You're doing this just to get her home safely. He quietly left the office, shutting off the light on his way out. The few officers he passed on his way out briefly acknowledged him but otherwise didn't seem to question the sight of him carrying his bunny partner in his arms; he was sure they assumed, correctly, that he was taking her home to sleep.

As he left the building, however, he realized there was only one problem with his plan: he didn't actually know where Judy lived. It had never occurred to him to ask before, and now that she was so peacefully asleep in his arms, he was afraid to ask now.

Come on, Wilde, you're smart enough to figure this out. He sat down on a bench outside the door, quickly brainstorming ideas. Okay, I could wake her up and ask her for her address, then use Zoogle Maps to lead me there… No, that stupid phone will keep her awake. I could use her phone to text her parents and ask for her address…

His eyebrows raised at the thought.

That's a terrible idea. One of the worst ideas I've ever had—and that's saying something. And it might just work. As tenderly as he could, Nick felt around Judy's utility belt for her phone. He found it within a few seconds and unlocked it.

Good, no passcode. Nick quickly went to Judy's Messages app and tapped on her parents' profile picture. He had never met them before, but he had seen pictures of them on Judy's desk and knew what they looked like.

Be smart about this, Wilde. You don't want to make things weird. He quickly typed a message to them. "Hi. This is Nick Wilde, Judy's partner at the ZPD. Judy left her phone at the office and I need to return it to her. Can you tell me her address?"

He sent the message and waited only a few seconds before receiving a reply. "Hi, Nick! This is Judy's mother. Judy lives at Grand Pangolin Apartments, number 16."

Nick smiled in satisfaction. He knew the Grand Pangolin Apartments well; the owner, an armadillo, was a lady who had paid him for dry cleaning once upon a time. He was ready to stand up and start the walk, but Judy's phone buzzed with a new message.

"Who is this? How do we know you're really Nick? Prove it, you psycho kleptomaniac!"

Nick stared at the message, unsure of how to respond to the sudden outburst. Luckily, he didn't have to, as another message quickly followed. "Sorry, Nick, that's my husband Stu. He's a bit untrusting of people these days." No sooner had Nick finished reading that message than another one popped up: "That's not true. I trust people just fine. Just not strangers handling my daughter's phone."

Nick rolled his eyes, unwilling to continue the ridiculous conversation. He placed Judy's phone back in its pocket on her belt and stood back up. He knew the easiest way to Grand Pangolin Apartments was to take a quick subway, so he made his way to the subway station.

Judy weighed hardly anything, and he was sure he could carry her all the way to her home with ease, even if he didn't have to take the subway. As they passed other mammals on his way down the steps and into the station, most of them paid no heed to the two, though Nick was aware of the occasional double take at the sight of a fox carrying a bunny.

He didn't pay attention to them. Within minutes, Nick boarded the subway and placed Judy on one of the many empty seats. He sat down next to her and, hoping to help keep her at ease, wrapped an arm around her. They had to wait a little while for more mammals to board the car, but soon enough, the doors closed and the train began to move.

Nick couldn't help but look at his current situation with a sense of awe. It wasn't all that long ago that he was nothing more than a popsicle hustler, with no interest in a brighter future, and believing wholeheartedly that the world looked down on him just because he was a fox.

And yet here he sat—Zootopia's very first fox police officer, sitting beside Zootopia's first bunny cop. And he was taking her home after a long day of work. And nobody else seemed to care. The other mammals in the car with them, including predators—all of whom were wearing shock collars, he couldn't help but notice—barely gave them a second glance.

In this moment, he truly felt like nobody cared about what he looked like—and in this moment, he also didn't care even if they did. His bunny was resting on his shoulder, sound asleep, not a care in the world.

My bunny…

Feeling brave, he wrapped his other arm around Judy, pulling her close with as big of a hug as he could manage. He reasoned that the train ride was getting a bit bumpy, and to help her stay asleep he'd help absorb some of the rough patches ahead.

He knew that was an excuse. Truthfully, he just wanted to hug her. He wanted to hold her tight and shield her from the terrors of the world. He wanted to preserve the peacefulness that she was experiencing right now. He wanted to protect her—even though he knew, from personal experience, that she was fully capable of protecting herself.

The train soon came to a stop. A glance out the window told Nick that they were still a few stops away from Judy's apartment, so he politely scooted his feet out of the way so departing mammals had a clear path. He felt a few of the larger animals unintentionally brush past, but it didn't take long for the car to clear out. Those who remained now enjoyed extra legroom, which Nick took advantage of as the doors closed and the train began moving again.

All the while, Judy remained fast asleep. She barely stirred, only moving occasionally to yawn and lick her lips. Whether it was because she was used to the noises of the subway or because she was just that exhausted, she was sleeping soundly through the trip home. Nick found himself rather jealous of her; as a fox, Nick had a hard time sleeping at night, even in familiar places.

The rest of their train ride was restful. The subway stopped two more times, each time letting a few more mammals off, before finally coming to the stop Nick was waiting for. After a mere fifteen-minute ride, it was time to get off. Nick waited for the train to come to a complete stop before he once again picked Judy up in his arms. A second later, the doors opened, and he stepped off onto the platform. He only needed a moment to gather his bearings before he started walking down the street toward Judy's apartment.

They hadn't walked far when suddenly, Nick heard the phone in Judy's pocket vibrate wildly, as if a hundred messages were flooding it all at once. He quickly fished it out and unlocked it before it could have a chance to wake her up.

Most of the messages he was unable to see as they sped past, but the most recent one read, "Look, all I'm asking for is some proof that you are who you say you are, and that you are actually returning Judy's phone to her. That's all. Surely you can do that much."

Nick had half a mind to shut the phone off and not have to worry about it anymore, but he quickly discarded the idea. Judy might read these messages when she woke up the next morning, and so he decided it was better to leave a good impression on her parents. Lucky for him, the apartments were only about a block away, and between there and the subway station was a vendor selling flowers.

"Give me a second," he responded. He placed her phone in his own pocket this time, to make sure it wouldn't disturb Judy, and walked to the vendor. The skunk selling the flowers saw him with his bunny payload and blinked in confusion.

Nick leaned forward and placed a finger over his mouth, then pointed to Judy, then finally to a bundle of roses beside the register. Thankfully, the skunk seemed to understand what he was requesting, and grabbed the roses as Nick paid for them—a task that was surprisingly easy, since he only had to fish a dollar bill out of his pocket.

Nick accepted the flowers and continued walking the rest of the trip to the apartment. There was a bench outside, which he sat on, letting Judy lie down in his lap while he used her phone to prepare a picture. He raised the flowers up beside the lighted sign outside the apartment, making sure both were visible in the shot. He took the picture and sent it as a message to her parents.

"Just arrived. I'm bringing Judy her phone and a little something extra."

He sent the message and leaned against the back of the bench. By now it was late, and he could see the cityscape of Savannah Central far in the distance. The lights from the various skyscrapers lit up the night sky. No stars were visible, but that was to be expected in the city.

Where Nick sat now was a stark contrast to his usual nights. Where he lived, close to the city's center, the night was always bustling with energy. It was a nice change of pace to escape from that, and experience a few moments of peace and quiet.

His peace and quiet was interrupted by Judy's phone vibrating in his paw. He quickly glanced at it. "Okay, Stu is satisfied. Sorry about that, Nick. Have a good night!"

Nick smiled, relieved that the conversation was finally over. "Thank you, you too, Mrs. Hopps." As soon as he sent the message, he sat the phone down beside him and stared off into the distance. Here, far from the city's center, the world was a lot quieter, and even though the sounds of traffic and car horns and the subway were still there, they were muted.

Here he sat, far away from the hustle and bustle, with his very special friend fast asleep in his lap. He took a deep breath, allowed himself to relax, and closed his eyes.

He gently moved his fingers through Judy's fur—something he had always wanted to do but never had the chance before now. Her fur was soft, as he expected, and the shortness of it tickled his paw pads. He alternated between brushing the top of her head, to slowly tracing the outline of her cheeks, to scratching the base of her neck. She slept through it all, though occasionally he heard a moan of pleasure if he found a particularly satisfying spot.

He allowed himself to relax and soak in the moment. He tried his hardest to let his mind know that he wanted to remember this moment forever. If he had the chance, he would happily freeze this moment in time—this moment of pure contentedness.

Someone cleared their throat. Startled, he snapped open his eyes. Across the street, two deer and a sheep stared at him judgmentally. He was confused as to why for a second, before he realized that they were staring at Judy. By now the bunny had rested her head on his knee, and had curled up into a ball so small she almost entirely fit on his lap. His tail was draped over her like a blanket, but to the prey across the street, it probably looked as if he was trying to hide her from their sight.

He glanced down at her, then back at the mammals. He sighed in annoyance, then pulled out his badge and flashed it in their direction. When they still seemed skeptical, he jerked a finger at his shock collar, trying to let them know that he was not a threat to the bunny fast asleep in his lap. The three still hesitated, but finally after a few seconds they continued walking down the street.

Maybe it's time we stop admiring the scenery and take you up to bed, Carrots. Nick one again felt around Judy's utility belt, this time looking for the key to her apartment. It took a little longer to find than her phone had, but soon he had it in clenched in one paw, flowers in the other, and picked up Judy again. He carried her inside and within another minute or two, he reached her front door, which he quickly unlocked.

Her bed was located close to the front door, so he carried her straight there. She had neglected to make it that morning, but that was okay with him since that meant he was able to lay her down on the bottom sheet. He tenderly removed her utility belt from her waist, but otherwise left her uniform alone; he hoped that it was still comfortable enough for her to sleep in.

Beside her bed was a small bunny plush toy. Nick had to stifle an adored squeal; he had never expected Judy to be the kind of bunny to still sleep with a stuffed animal, but it was something he was still happy to learn about her. He picked it up and tucked it close to her chest. Still sleeping, she wrapped her arms around it and smiled contentedly.

Finally, Nick grabbed her blanket and tucked her in. He took his time, making sure the blanket was sufficiently tucked under every inch of her form, all the way up to her neck. After he was done, he took a step back and admired the sight of Judy sleeping.

He knew how much she hated the word "cute", but that was the best word he could think of to describe her at this very moment. Her head lay squarely on her big pillow, ears pressed against the back of her neck. Her body curled up underneath the blanket, and Nick was sure she felt secure and safe in her subconscious. And even though the curtain on the window was drawn, a small stream of light poked through, causing Judy's fur to glow like an angel.

Nick felt his breath catch in his chest as he looked upon the sleeping bunny. He felt as if he could look at her all night long, and never get used to her beauty.

He forced himself out of his trance. As precious as the sight was, he still wasn't completely done. He walked over to the nearby desk and set down Judy's room key. He connected her phone to its charger, opened up its notepad app and wrote a quick message explaining the trip and apologizing for anything he might have gotten wrong, then laid the flowers down above that. Finally, he turned on her alarm clock and returned to her bedside.

He knelt down beside her, admiring her sleeping face. Her eyes moved slowly underneath her eyelids, indicating she was dreaming. The smile on her face was fading away, but he could still see the peace she was feeling. However long her day had been, and however rough her job had treated her, right now she was at perfect peace.

He smiled, satisfied at a job well done. "Rest well, Carrots," he whispered in her ear. Her ear twitched in response, tickled by his breath. He had to keep himself from chuckling, and found himself moving close to her face.

I have a lot of thoughts to sort through, and a lot of feelings for you that I'm not sure how to express, he silently told her. But I do know one thing, and I think it's time I stopped trying to deny it.

He had not taken her home with an ulterior motive in mind; truly, he just wanted to make sure she got home safely. But the whole way, he had felt more and more comfortable getting close to her, and now, with the opportunity presenting itself, he couldn't resist.

He had been resisting long enough as it was.

Before he had a chance to talk himself out of it, Nick leaned down and pressed his lips against Judy's cheek. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and he kissed her.

It was something he had wanted to do for a long time now, and finally, at long last, he was able to do it. He was able to give his bunny a kiss.

He made sure it didn't last too long. The last thing he wanted was for Judy to wake up to the sight of him kissing her cheek without her permission. He slowly pulled away and opened his eyes again, gazing down on her face.

I love you, Judy Hopps. He didn't dare say it out loud—not yet, anyway. But he could at least admit it to himself. At long last, after months of putting it off and finding excuses, he was able to admit it.

He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw the smile on her face return for a split second.

He found his own cheeks aching, and he realized it was because he was smiling. He felt his heart flutter in his chest—the most joy he had felt in ages. And it was all because he had finally admitted his love for Judy.

Afraid he would do something to break the moment, Nick quietly stood up and walked out the door, stealing one final glance at his bunny, fast asleep in her bed.

My bunny…

He closed the door as quietly as he could and began making his way home. His smile refused to leave his face, and his feet struggled to walk a straight line.

Suddenly, he was looking forward to going to work tomorrow. I can already tell tomorrow's going to be a day to remember!