Nick Wilde trudged wearily into the dimly lit hotel room, the worn-out carpet sinking slightly under the weight of his tired paws. The flickering overhead light cast a muted glow across the space, revealing faded wallpaper peeling at the corners. The air in the room carried a faint scent of stale air and leftover takeout, evidence of a long day that had extended well into the night.

With a sigh, he allowed his tired body to collapse onto the slightly lumpy bed, the worn mattress giving a groan of protest as he placed his weight on it. The soft glow of the city outside filtered through the thin curtains, casting a subtle urban pattern across the room. The distant hum of Zootopia's nightlife served as a distant lullaby, a stark contrast to the chaotic hustle of the conference he had just endured.

He stared up at the ceiling, uninterested in the dull hotel room decor. Thoughts of his family crept into his fatigued mind, and a bittersweet smile tugged at the corners of his muzzle. The mental image of Judy and his son Noah warmed his heart, a beacon of solace in the weariness that clung to him.

For a moment, Nick simply lay there, absorbing the quiet solitude, but the longing for his loved ones lingered. His paw reached for his phone on the nightstand, fingers deftly unlocking the screen. The soft glow illuminated his features as he held down the button to turn on his phone's voice assistant. A soft chime came from his phone that let him know that it was listening and wondering how it could help. "Call Judy..." he mumbled quietly.

There was a momentary pause before a different-sounding chime came, an implication that it had heard something. "I'm sorry. I didn't quite get that," the robotic voice apologized, having heard words being spoken but clearly enough to just go ahead and respond to his request as it normally did. "Did you say... 'beauty?'"

He navigated out from that as he sighed, instead heading to his contacts to go ahead and give his bunny a call, anticipation building with each passing second. Just as he was about to tap the screen and initiate the call himself, the screen flickered away and was replaced with the notification of an incoming video call from her. The screen was now replaced with the image he had taken of the rabbit, standing near the pretty fountain in the center of a city park with the warmest smile on her face.

Nick accepted it and there was only a few seconds before the screen came to life. There she was—Judy, his ray of sunshine. Her face filled the screen, a mixture of genuine happiness mirroring his own. The warmth in her eyes instantly washed away the fatigue that clung to Nick. She became temporarily blurry from the subpar signal he had before it came right back to being crystal clear.

"Hey, Carrots," Nick greeted, a genuine smile breaking across his face. The miles that separated them melted away in that moment, and the connection was a lifeline to the home he missed so dearly.

"Hey," replied Judy happily, adjusting how she had the phone sitting so he could see her better. "Can you see me okay?"

"All good," answered the fox as he sat upright.

"That's good. So, how'd everything go today?"

Chief Bogo, in his infinite wisdom, had extended an invitation to Nick Wilde for the law enforcement conference taking place. The aforementioned event was an annual gathering of professionals that he had ended up being a part of during one of the panels that was taking place. Alongside this particular conference, though, taking place in the same building, was the "Zootopian Urban Management Symposium." That annually-occurring symposium, which Nick, Bogo, and the others invited also had to go to, consisted of city planners and other guests that were experts in different fields that covered a wide range of topics, from reducing carbon pawprint in certain places to ones on how they could work to make different areas in the city more enjoyable for all.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe the crazy stuff they had at that other thing that was going on at the same time, Fluff. I swear that I've seen more charts and graphs today than in my entire life."

Judy chuckled, the tired lines on her face softening with amusement. "How did your presentation at the law enforcement conference go?"

Nick rolled his eyes playfully. "Oh, you know me, a natural charmer. Once I got over some of the jitters, I had 'em eating out of the palm of my paw. Although, at that other symposium where some guy was doing a lecture on urban development, I might've dozed off. Just a little bit."

The doe on the other side of the screen feigned shock. "Nick Wilde, falling asleep during a seminar? I'm shocked, truly."

He grinned back at her, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Hey, I'm not a morning fox to begin with, Carrots. And that particular lecture was putting me into a deep, contemplative slumber."

Judy laughed, the sound echoing in their living room. "So how's the hotel room treating you?"

Nick glanced around the room before returning his eyes back to her.. "Let's just say this place has seen better days. I think I saw a family of dust bunnies checking in at the front desk."

Judy shook her head, a smile playing on her lips. "Remind me to put that in a review of the place for you."

"Anyway, how's Noah today?"

"Oh, you know him. Found a lost bunny plushie when he met up with his friends and insisted we help it find its way to its owner. That kit's got a heart of gold, Slick."

Nick's face lit up with pride. "That's our Noah. Always looking out for others. So what else is going on?"

Judy responded, "Well, we're both getting ready to watch a movie tonight. You know which one."

The fox nodded, a fond smile spreading across his face. "That new Wreck-it Rhino one, right?"

The response he got to that was a chuckle. "You bet."

As Nick and Judy continued their conversation, the pitter-patter of paws scurrying in the background came from Judy's end. Surely enough, a small, russet-furred figure behind the lagomorph as he continued to look at screen.

Noah, with a grin that matched his father's, running up into frame and popping into view, waved a small paw to him. "Hi, Dad!" he said in a cheerful voice that put a wide smile on his face.

"Hey, Noah," replied the vulpine with a chuckle. "How's it goin', buddy?"

"Today was awesome!" Being the ball of energy a kit his age was, Noah was practically bouncing on his toes as he talked to him.

"Now you haven't been throwing any parties, have you?" joked Nick, smirking slyly.

This got a laugh from the fox kit talking to him. "No, Dad. I've done all the chores around the house and I finished my homework."

"Yep, you've been a big helper around the house." Judy ruffled Noah's fur affectionately, making him chuckle as he pushed his mother's paw away from messing it up.

Nick watched with an everlasting smile across his muzzle just as Noah took hold of his mother's phone and it was only him on the screen.

"Are you having fun at the conference, Dad?" his son asked him.

Nick leaned towards the screen. "It's been interesting," he answered, "but, you know, I miss you and your mom a lot. Can't wait to come home tomorrow. Anyway, your mom said you guys are gonna watch a movie tonight. That exciting, isn't it?"

Noah's eyes sparkled. "Oh, we're all set! Mom even made a special treat for us. It's gonna be the best movie night ever!"

"Sounds like a great time. Save me one of those treats your mom made for when I get back, okay?"

"Sure thing, Dad! We'll save you the best one!" Noah's eyes widened with excitement as he suddenly remembered something that had popped back into his mind. "Oh, wait! I almost forgot!" He handed the phone back over to his mother before he disappeared briefly from the screen, coming back as he quick as he had left. "I wanna show you the coolest trick I learned today!"

"I'm all ears, Noah!" Nick knew how Noah recently developed a fascination with magic after seeing a magician performing some card tricks at a show in the city a short while ago. He always enjoyed watching and applauding Noah whenever he tried to learn a new trick or two for fun.

Judy chuckled as she made sure that he could see Noah clearly. "Our little magician has been practicing something new lately. Let's see what he's got for us."

Nick smiled and replied, "Noah's a kit with many talents. Can't wait to be amazed."

Noah was now in view on the screen, holding a piece of silverware with great theatricality in his paw. "Prepare to be amazed, ladies and gentlemammals! Watch as I make this simple kitchen spoon float before your very eyes!"

Nick leaned in, his eyes fixated on the screen as Noah concentrated on the spoon, his small paws moving with deliberate precision.

Noah's voice, full of excitement, announced, "And now, the magical levitating spoon!" He attempted the trick, his focus unwavering, but alas, the spoon clattered to the floor. He didn't miss a beat, breaking into laughter. "Whoops! Looks like I need more practice. Guess I'm not ready for the big leagues yet."

Nick grinned, thoroughly entertained. "You'll get it next time, Noah. You know, the great Nick Wilde started with a few missteps too."

The fox kit, undeterred, picked up the fallen spoon. "Yep, I'll just keep practicing like you said to. Maybe one day, I'll go from making just a spoon float to a whole carrot float in midair!"

Judy turned the phone back to her and smiled back at Nick. "Our little magician has big dreams."

Nick nodded. "Absolutely. If he keeps dreaming big, he'll grow up and do great things." After a brief moment of silence, still impressed with the video call's quality, he remarked, "I gotta say, Carrots, I'm thoroughly shocked at how good the reception is right now. It was on strike when I first got here."

His bunny began to reply, a mischievous glint in her eyes, but suddenly, her face froze on the screen, looking as if she was about to say something back to him. Nick raised an eyebrow, a look of mild concern crossing his features. "Carrots? You there?"

Silence...

"Are you kidding me?" Nick sighed under his breath. "Well, I guess I just jinxed myself, didn't I?"

Just as Nick was about to check if the call had dropped, Judy burst into laughter, her frozen expression dropping into a smile. "Gotcha, Nick!"

Nick rolled his eyes playfully. "All right. You got me this time, Carrots. You're the queen of pranks."

The gray doe smiled, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "That's Officer Queen of Pranks to you, Wilde." She glanced presumably at the clock in their living room. "Well, as much as I'd love to keep teasing you, Nick, I better let you go. The movie's starting soon, and Noah's been waiting all day."

The tod nodded back at her. "Alrighty. Tell our little magician I said goodbye, and I'll catch you both later."

Judy waved. "Will do. Take care, Nick. Love you."

"Love you too, Carrots."

As the call ended, Nick couldn't help but smile as he settled back against the pillows, grateful for the technology that brought him a little closer to home. Gosh, I love my family, he thought as he smiled as he prepared to take a quick rest for now, placing his paws behind his head and gently closing his eyes.

It was only until tomorrow that he'd be able to come back home from this conference and be back home with the two that he loved the most and he personally couldn't wait for the hours to tick by.

Author's Note: Hey there, everyone!

I kept having this simple but sweet idea for a little slice-of-life story coming back to me for awhile and now was the time for me to share it with all of you. I know it wasn't as eventful as some of the others I've written, but I had some fun writing it and, of course, enjoyed incorporating Noah Wilde into it as well. Hopefully this was able to put a smile on your face if you needed one today. :)

As always, let me know what your thoughts are on this. Your feedback, whether good or bad, is gladly appreciated. The holidays are approaching once again, and as always I hope to come up with some festive tales in time for everyone to enjoy during the holiday season. I've always enjoyed writing those the best (the same goes fro some of the other holidays like Halloween and such too), and so I might be sharing some of those after some more of the regular slice-of-life ones I have planned at the moment.

'Til next time! :)