Chapter Text
Nick was looking forward to a quiet night alone in his apartment watching tv. After the day they’d had, he needed peace. But he knew that it wouldn’t last long as soon as she found that piece of snakeskin. She never knew when to quit. He hoped that maybe Judy would see things his way-and for once in her life lay low and relax. She drove off a bridge today for crying out loud.
Judy was so energetic, it’s what drew him to her and why he decided to stick around. She always kept him on his toes. But man, even after a week he thought she’d make him into a fully trained ballerina. She was always wanting to be the hero, which is why he knew that the one sniff of a clue she had earlier in the day was going to keep her awake.
He figured that he knew her well enough to not read “Partnerships for Dummies” so he used it to level out his coffee table.
Judy’s ringtone rang out not too long after.
…
Now roped into Judy’s plan, Nick was hoping it would at least be quick. Nothing to worry about-no reptiles or anything. Besides, even if there was, who’s to say it really had to be their problem right now? So while Judy had her eyes peeled, he took in the spectacle that was the gala, fireworks lighting up the sky. Fireworks in Tundratown were always quite special, the snow made all the light diffuse and the colors sparkled more. What a lovely moment it was, if not for the extreme sense of urgency his partner had.
Still for a moment as the fireworks made the snow glisten all different colors and the low thump of a familiar Gazelle song, she looked to him with a look of amazement and wonder. It was a similar look to the one that she gave him as they left the station that day, with a bit more awe and excitement. But in both instances, Nick had to just smile and look away to hide how endeared he was becoming. For the first time in his life, someone not only wanted to be around him, but seemed genuinely excited about it.
Judy almost threw Nick out of the cart as she took yet another sharp turn. She had her eyes fixed on one of the catering vans. Nick grabbed on tighter and brushed snow off of his arm.
“No snow,” she observed, slowing the car as Nick flicked off more snow. In a flash she was out of the cart and taking a closer look at the completely clean van, “This one’s warmer,” she hypothesized, “a reptile in tundratown might need that to survive the cold.”
Nick wordlessly roamed to the front of the van, noting the clean wipers. The joke wrote itself instantly in his head. He put on his best shocked expression.
“OH MY GOD A VIPER!” he exclaimed, sending Judy’s ears straight up with a gasp. He let his shocked face fall into amusement, “a Vindow Viper! Yah?” The joke was met with an immediate flashlight to his unadjusted eyes. He groaned in protest, turning away from it. Then Judy looked past him and gasped again.
“Back door ajar!”
“Anyone could’ve left it like that,” Nick tried to stop her from doing what he knew she would, “And you said snoop a little. Not break and en-“ his words cut off by a tuxedo to the face. “Oh, we were always going inside, got it. Same page means your page.”
“It’s called a hustle, sweetheart!” Judy cooed back. “You change out here. I get the van.”
Nick rolled his eyes and went to the other side of the van to slip into the tux. Where did she even find this? He thought as he zipped out of his pants and into the slacks as fast as possible. The cloth was soft, nicer than anything he’d ever bought himself. It fit him perfectly. He buttoned up the undershirt and smirked when he got to the vest. Floral. That’s how he knew it wasn’t just a rental. The other hint was, of course, the pawpsicle cufflinks.
No one would put as much care into something like this than Judy. No one else knew him that well. No one besides her had noticed that he loved his Pawaiian prints and saved the little paper she took with his measurements to get a suit that fit him perfectly. No one knew him like that. Only her.
And God, being truly known by someone felt amazing.
As he looked at his reflection in the mirror he smiled at who he saw. For the first time since he was a child, he was someone that was known by someone. And that was something worth smiling about.
The other reason to smile was stepping out from inside the van, awkwardly adjusting herself to the dress she was wearing. Looking beautiful.
Nick was so glad that he spent so long learning how to act. Right then, he forced his face convey amusement. But in his head, he was awestruck. The way the bright yellow made her violet eyes glow brighter than usual, which he didn’t even think was possible. The crown of flowers sat on top of her ears that were wrapped in a bun, which he had never seen her wear before and had to be a bit uncomfortable, but admittedly did elevate the somewhat whimsical dress into something formal. The way the dress was delicate, impractical, and so unlike her, but also bright and stunning just like her.
There were so many words he stopped himself from saying, but in replacement all he could say was a surprised “Huh.”
“It’s the Zootennial Gala, a bunny comes prepared,” she said, turning towards the gala and looking on with excitement. “You know, I used to dream of infiltrating a place like this.”
But Nick had no clever joke to make at that ridiculous dream. He was too busy just staring at her. He couldn’t fight the urge. He couldn’t fight it anymore. Judy Hopps was poking holes in his thin disguise and throwing out all his perfectly delivered lines. He decided right then that he needed her. He not only needed her, but he wanted her. He didn’t know in what capacity, but he knew that he was always going to be drawn to her. And he would follow her anywhere and just try and talk her down from doing anything that would risk them being torn apart.
Judy then took her eyes off the building to find him staring at her. She was so focused she decided that the hint of butterflies that gave her and the fact that look made her feel pretty was something she needed to revisit some other time. What she was going to veer off track for right then was her work. The suit she so carefully picked out looked amazing on him. She looked him up and down and realized there was something missing. She had created this masterpiece, but hadn’t signed it to show it was hers. That he was hers.
She took a flower from her dress and started pinning it to his lapel. It was strangely intimate. She had been closer to him before, but for this it was gentler. She could feel his breath on her, the warmth a stark contrast to the cold around them. She could smell the remains of the day’s cologne on him. It was too faded now to smell any notes besides the sweet, generic cologne scent now, but in the mornings it smelled like cedar and oranges. She felt his eyes on her heavily and she smiled knowing that there once was a time where he would have leaned away from this.
“You know, this is not your worst idea,” he said as she smoothed out his jacket and stepped back.
“Wow, that was almost a compliment,” she said back with a flirtatious look.
“Your worst idea is what you did with your ears.” Nick said. That thin disguise of his wasn’t quite torn all the way through yet. The resulting punch in the stomach did rip a few seams though.
Oh, how he wished they were there just to enjoy themselves. It felt like the prom he never got. Of course, his high school had a prom but there was never a convincing reason he would’ve gone. But ahead walking ahead of him was a reason he would’ve gone.
But of course, you know, plenty of folks just asked their friends to be their prom date. Nick wasn’t really thinking of it like that though, he thought of prom out of the simple desire to be seen next to a beautiful girl he cares about. Prom is the tamest of occasions one might think about where one might be thinking of being seen in their best formal attire next to a woman they care about looking absolutely gorgeous. Definitely no such other event had crossed Nick’s mind, ever.
As they walked in, his desire to find nothing important became less because he just wanted to go home, but now was because he was hoping for a dance. She could never know that, but it was the truth.
Nick’s walls were still very high, though. He still wore his thin disguise. But the rabbit dressed like a walking sunflower was standing right outside them, with a lit match. Ready to burn them down.