Chapter Text
The crowds were already pouring out of the stadium by the time Judy bounced her way out the door. Nick, Clawhauser and Chief Bogo were just a pace behind. The four of them had gotten the best seats in the house to see Gazelle live in concert. Clawhauser was in seventh heaven; they had gotten lost while trying to get out of the stadium and ended up in the same hallway as Gazelle. At the leopard’s request, she had signed his autograph book, and his poster… and his CD, and his Gazelle pillow. Thankfully he didn’t pull out anything else; otherwise she might have just retreated back to her dressing room.
Surprisingly, Chief Bogo was the second most excited about seeing Gazelle in concert. He and Clawhauser talked animatedly for a good while about their experience, to the point where the other two almost felt left out.
As the two larger officers started to lag, Nick caught up to Judy. “So, Carrots,” he grinned at her with that sly smile that she found strangely endearing, “what did you think of the entertainment?”
Judy’s violet eyes brightened immediately and her ears perked up, and Nick couldn’t help but admire the way her face changed completely. “It was amazing! Gazelle was so awesome to see in concert! Her voice was phenomenal, and her dance moves were amazing! And did you see the way her dancers moved on stage?” She looked back up at Nick and realized that his grin had changed. “What’s so funny?”
Nick gave a soft chuckle and leaned in. “I wasn’t talking about Gazelle… I was talking about afterwards, with Clawhauser!”
Judy groaned softly. “Nick!”
“What? I thought he would never stop pulling things out… where does he even fit a pillow? You’d think something like that would be noticeable in his uniform!”
“Don’t test him; Clawhauser could be a master thief if he wanted to!”
They both shared a private chuckle at that. Judy knew it was mean, but she just couldn’t help it. Besides, Clawhauser and Chief Bogo had fallen behind a good twenty paces, and with the noise of the crowd still ringing around them, it was almost impossible for the others to hear them.
All too soon they arrived at the parking lot, and it was time to go home. Judy almost wished that she and Nick could have a little more time together…
Don't start thinking like that, she told herself silently. While she and Nick had been patrol partners for more than a month already since his graduation, they had started out as an officer and her unwilling civilian accomplice. In the beginning, she didn’t even consider the possibility of falling in love with the fox that had hustled her out of $20. But after saving each other’s lives multiple times, and going through the trials that they went through together, Judy realized that she did love him.
Of course, she only realized it after he had joined the police force and they had been partnered together.
She looked up just as they got to Clawhauser’s car – a classic Mustang Motors’ off-roader. She’d forgotten that he was the one driving tonight.
“Earth to Officer Hopps,” Chief Bogo said in his deep rumbling voice. “Are you coming or not?”
“Uh… yeah, I, uh…”
“Actually Chief,” Nick cut in, “we’ve already got a way home. Thanks for the offer though!”
“We do?” Judy muttered up at him. He just winked in response.
“Have a good night you guys! And Clawhauser, try not to hit the pillow too hard tonight after the excitement of the concert, eh?”
“I’ll try, Nick.” He chuckled nervously as he put the car into reverse. “You two enjoy yourselves!”
“So what’s your big scheme for getting us home now, Sly Fox?” Judy asked sarcastically. “Got a private chariot waiting for us somewhere out of sight?”
“Yep,” he replied, grinning at her and walking back towards the stadium. Thoroughly confused, she followed him towards a group of antelopes with wooden rickshaws.
“Hey there fellas,” Nick called out to them. “How much for a ride?”
“$25 and we’ll take you anywhere in the downtown area.”
“Deal.” Nick pulled $25 out of his wallet and handed it to the antelope. He climbed in and offered a paw to Judy. She took it uncertainly.
Looks like you got your wish, a voice inside her said. She pushed it out of her mind, but secretly she was pleased. Out loud, she said, “So I owe you… $15.50 for the ride?”
“Well, technically if we were splitting it evenly, it would come out to $12.50 each. Aren’t you supposed to be good at counting?” He said it with a grin, but she still felt herself blush. “Anyway, you don’t owe me anything; you paid for the beers earlier. No,” he said a little more forcefully, putting one of his brown paws over her own smaller silver one and pushing the wallet back into her purse. “The rest of it is my treat.”
“Where to, buddy?” the antelope asked from in front of them.
“1955 Cypress Grove Lane. Half a block away from the tracks on the West Side.” The rickshaw lurched into motion, and Judy found herself almost thrown against Nick’s broad shoulder. He curled one of his paws around her and pulled her in tighter. She could feel a blush creeping up her face.
She pulled away, and he let her go easily.
“Nick…” she started. “I… I don’t think we should really be doing this… I mean, we’re partners on the force, and partners on the force aren’t really supposed to—”
“Relax, Carrots. We’re not on duty right now; have a little fun! Live a little! It’s not doing you any harm, is it?”
Yes it is, the voice in her head said sullenly. The rest of her disagreed.
She let his arm creep back around her shoulders and draw her closer again. Her head came to rest on his chest, and she slowly nuzzled into him, her nose burying itself under his blue-and-gold striped tie.
And there they sat, him enjoying the sights of the city and the warmth of the bunny pressed into his side, and her the soft comfort that she only felt around him, the sweet smell of his eau-de-sable cologne, and the sound of his breathing close in her ear.
For Nick, the ride ended all too soon. The rickshaw bumped its way over the low stone bridge, and the antelope pulled to a stop in front of the small house at the edge of the downtown district. “There you are, buddy. 1955 Cypress Grove Lane, half a block away from the tracks on the West side. And where’s your friend going?”
“She’ll be coming inside with me,” Nick replied. “She’s almost conked out and I’m not sure she’d be able to get inside her place, even with someone’s help.”
The antelope turned around and gave him a glare. Nick knew the feeling all too well, and could already start to feel his hackles rise. “Just you watch out, there, buddy; I saw her curl up into you comfortably, but anyone else who sees you bringing a drunk bunny like her into your place this late at night, they’ll probably call the cops on you.”
“Thanks for the warning,” he replied tersely. He scooped up Judy in his arms and carried her over to his house.
It was a one story building – or more of a shack, really – set on the edge of a small woods right at the border of the Downtown district. He had hoped that he would be able to upgrade the place a little bit so it didn’t seem so rundown before he brought her there, but now that he was bringing her with him tonight, it didn’t matter anymore. Still, it was easier than trying to get her back to her own apartment this late at night; if he had tried it, he would have gotten arrested faster than he could flash his badge.
Judy mumbled in her sleep as he set her down on the couch and threw his spare blanket over her. He knew she would be more comfortable on the bed, but he had a shift down at the police station tomorrow filing paperwork while she had the day off, and he needed to get as much sleep as he could. And it probably wasn’t a good idea for her to wake up next to him in bed, judging by her reaction to his arm tonight.
He sighed. If she had been sober, then he could have just asked her what she wanted to do and be done with it. Of course, if she had been sober she might have decided to grab that ride with Clawhauser after all and left him to spend the night alone. He shook his head and climbed into bed.