Chapter Text
“We’re finally on vacation, Nick!” Judy pumped her fist as she drove the police cruiser. “I can’t believe the Chief was in a good enough mood to give us a long weekend.”
“I’m not surprised,” Nick remarked as he reclined in his seat. “Even Chief couldn’t withstand my devilish charm.” He glanced at Judy with his famous half lidded smile.
Judy’s ears flopped down and she rolled her eyes. “You probably just annoyed him to the point where he would do anything to get you out of his face.”
“No comment on the tactics used, but you can’t deny the results, though.” To Judy, it didn’t actually matter. She simply enjoyed the banter they had back and forth. In the months the two had spent together as partners, they had established an amazing chemistry, both in and out of work.
“Anyways, what’s your exciting plans for the weekend, Slick?” Nick contemplated for a minute. He actually hadn’t thought that far ahead before bartering with Bogo and didn’t have any formal plans made, not that he particularly minded. Being a fox, and a former conman, Nick had lived a relatively solitary life. One special rabbit broke that wall, however, quickly becoming the most important mammal in Nick’s life. She coaxed Nick into an upstanding lifestyle, and forced him to be more social, things that Nick would never be able to repay to Judy. However, despite the worked she had accomplished, Nick still had some residual solitary tendencies.
“I for one have a wonderful date planned with my bed, and I hear season five of “Treehouse of Cards” just came out…”
Judy looked straight at Nick, shocked. “That’s it? How could you possibly survive doing nothing but laying in bed?”
Nick attempted to defend himself, “First, Nutflix is not nothing. Second of all, not all mammals have the same amount of energy as you, Honeybun. I am perfectly fine-”
“Nope,” Judy interrupted. “I refuse to let you sit around in your little apartment all weekend. I’m going to find something for us to do.” Nick nearly commented on the fact that his apartment was twice as big as her little shack, but decided it wasn’t worth it. Judy was highly driven; she had a mission to get Nick to do something, and nothing was going to stop her. As Judy pondered ideas, she pulled in front of Nick’s apartment, cut the engine, and unbuckled her seatbelt.
“Oh, Fluff, don’t worry about walking me to my apartment. I’m a big fox, I can make it myself,” Getting up from the seat, he made his way towards the large apartment building.
Judy was not so easily deterred from her goal. “Don’t think you’re getting off that easy. I’m coming up with you, like it or not.” Nick responded with a mumble, but allowed her to follow him up the elevator to his floor. Suddenly, as the two entered the room, Judy exploded. “I have an idea!” Nick flinched at the sudden energy, and she continued, “Back in Bunnyburrow, there’s an amazing camping spot that I used to go to all the time when I was a kit. Plus, you can finally meet my parents and all my brothers and sisters. It’ll be great!”
Nick looked down and shifted around hesitantly. He loved his partnership with Judy, perhaps more than he should in a platonic relationship, but was he ready to visit her hometown and possibly meet her parents? That was a huge step in any relationship. If he messed up, which could be relatively easy in an already somewhat bigoted family, that could spell disaster for any potential future he had with her. “I don’t know, Carrots. I’m a tired old fox, plus I’ve never even been camping before, I’ve spent my whole life in Zootopia.” Memories of the Junior Ranger Scouts flooded his mind, and Nick suddenly became somber. After the way the other kids had treated him, he had quickly lost his interest in camping.
Almost reading his mind, Judy’s ears dropped to her shoulders. “Nick, I know you didn’t have a great experience with camping, and I want to try to make some of that up to you. I know it’s not the same, but it could be like our own little Ranger Scouts Pack.” Judy’s sparkling orbs looked up at Nick, nose twitching in sadness.
Deep down, Nick’s heart melted. He refrained from calling her “cute”, lest Judy’s empathy vanish, but it truly was the best word to describe what he saw. She really does care about me, he thought. Slowly, Nick got on his knees and earnestly embraced the bunny. Judy hugged her partner back just as enthusiastically. The two lingered for a while, neither wanting to end the moment, until the fox softly whispered into her ear, “Pack Wildehopps has a nice ring to it.”
“So does that mean we are going camping?”
“Yes, yes it does.”
Yes, yes, yes!, Judy thought as she arrived back at her own apartment. After months of constant prodding to get Nick to open up more, the effort was finally paying off. For once, she had an opportunity to spend an extended amount of time solely with her partner. Judy hadn’t always liked Nick, as evidenced by her blackmail of him. Over time, though, and despite the massive mistakes she had made in alienating him during the Nighthowler case, Nick had repeatedly shown her compassion, forgiveness, and commitment; all things she found remarkably attractive. And it’s not only the inside that’s attractive.
Hastily, Judy threw clothes into a suitcase, excited for the coming days, when a wave of nervousness came over her. What if Nick ends up hating camping? What if my parents embarrass me, or worse, him? Judy shook her head and snapped out of it. I didn’t become a police officer by worrying, I did it by trying! Now was not the time for doubt. She was going to make this camping trip great for both of them, no matter what. Determined and confident, the bunny stripped off her clothing, and jumped into bed. As she dozed off into sleep, she subconsciously embraced one of her favorite stuffed animals: a red fox.