Chapter Text
"Love ya, partner."
Judy stared at the repaired carrot pen Nick had gifted to her. Every crack was visible, only held together by the fox's sloppy handiwork. It looked awful. It looked perfect.
The clock in her apartment read far past midnight, but sleep refused to come. The bunny lay on her back, blanket tangled around her legs, holding the pen above her in the dim glow of her bedside lamp. One of her fingers hovered over the button.
Click.
"Love ya, partner."
Her nose twitched, and she tried to ignore the fluttering feeling inside of her.
...One more time wouldn't hurt.
Click.
"Love ya, partner."
She could already picture Nick's smug look when he had gifted her the pen back. That stupid, sly, a little too charming smile of his. The one that undeniably made her heart skip a beat no matter how many times she convinced herself she was immune to it.
Okay. Fine. One more time.
Click.
"Love ya, partner."
Her ears folded back against her pillow. She swallowed.
This was becoming a problem.
It had been a couple weeks following the Lynxley family scandal taking over the reptile's home in Zootopia. Both the bunny and fox had basked in the glory of their success, but it was undeniable how much closer they had gotten since.
Judy was convinced they were too different to be partners. Their ideals clashed. Nick insisted heroics weren't worth the trouble, even as she was tearing open the truth behind the scandal. But after he embraced her, trembling, almost in tears, believing she'd been killed by Pawbert...her certainty shattered.
Nick's words stuck to her like glue.
"Because...I care about you...Judy."
Her nose twitched again.
Click.
"Love ya, partner."
The bunny groaned and rolled onto her side, finally setting the pen down.
But the fox stayed stubbornly on her mind, every word, every smile, every stupidly gentle moment replaying in her head. Yet, she couldn't help but want to hear those words again. This time from his own snout, not a recording.
"I wish," Judy whispered to herself in her lightly dimmed room, ears drooping. "I wish he'd say it again. With my name."
She reached over, grabbing her phone, and winced at the bright screen. After a few blinks, her eyes adjusted. It was almost 1 in the morning, and the selfie they had taken at the Gazelle concert sat as her home screen.
Nick leaned in close, Judy mid-laugh, her paw holding up the rebuilt pen to symbolize their partnership.
Her chest tightened.
"I wonder if he's awake..." she muttered.
Her thumb hovered over his contact.
Her mind raced. She really shouldn't...
What if he was already asleep? She'd hate to wake him...
"Ah carrots..." She muttered under her breath.
With a click of a button, the phone shut off. Getting some sleep was top priority right now.
~
"Yikes, looks like someone didn't get enough sleep last night."
Judy lifted her head from the stack of files in front of her, forgetting what exactly she was in the middle of doing temporarily. A glance to the side revealed a nice cup of coffee, handed to her by the one and only.
The fox gave his sly grin, "Can't stay up too long thinking about me, Carrots."
The comment caught the bunny off-guard. With her ears shooting straight-up, she gave a soft thank you and took the cup out of his paw.
If only he knew.
Her foot thumped as did her heart, rapidly.
Nick's smile, unfaltering at first, slowly began to settle. A mix of wonder and concern faded into his expression.
"Hey, are you okay...? Carrots?"
"I'm fine Nick," Judy shook her head, remaining focused. "I just...have a lot files to get through."
His green eyes continued to study her. Everything about her behavior seemed off to the fox, from her usual high-energy attitude to her nervous habits. Of course, everyone has their off-days, he did too, but even the fox could note the shift in atmosphere.
"You can talk to me, y'know." The fox stated. "About anything."
Her amethyst eyes shifted from the computer screen over to him.
Ever since their most recent big case, he had been more careful with her, more considerate. Nick continued to tease and push the bunny's buttons, but never pressed too hard. He'd continue to stick by her side whether it was at work or through the times they had hung out, giving his snarky remarks on his viewpoints as the fox did. His demeanor remained as the same Nick Wilde she had admired since they met, but the current Nick post-vent was now someone the bunny couldn't help but truly love.
Then again, she had never felt this type of way with someone else. Much less with this sly, snarky, arguably handsome, fox.
With a gentle sigh, her ears relaxed.
"It's okay, Nick," she said, voice steady. "I swear."
Her tone wasn't harsh or deflective, rather certain. Reassuring. It had that usual confident Judy tone to it that made his heart thump. And that small smile she was giving? Oof, butterflies.
With a smack of lips, his sly smile returned.
"Y'know, since I don't want ZPD's first bunny cop to drown in paperwork," The fox leaned forward, taking half the stack of files she had before her. "I'll be taking some of these. Just to lighten the load a bit."
"I'm not drowning."
"Oh how tragic it'd be if you were!" Nick exclaimed dramatically, pretending to faint against the cubicle's wall.
This got a giggle out of the bunny cop.
"Get back to work, Officer Wilde," Judy smirked at him. "Before Chief Bogo notices you slacking."
"The Chief loves me!" The fox quipped, giving a salute goodbye before stepping away from her desk.
However, just barely poking out from the wall of her cubicle, Nick's tail remained. Catching Judy's attention, she turned her chair.
"...Nick?"
"Say, Carrots," He turned back around, leaning up against the wall again. His paws clutched the files still. "How about uh..."
Now this was a surprise for her. It was rare to see the fox have a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. His usual grin faltered, his tail stiff and pointy ears drooped a bit. She tilted her head, waiting for Nick to finish.
They met eyes again before he quickly adverted his gaze.
Silence followed up.
The fox closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and faced her again, his sly smile returning.
"Say, I might've pirated a movie or two for some movies that came out recently. Wanna come over tonight?" Nick winced a bit at the pirating word, knowing that Judy would most likely scold him over such a thing. "Popcorn and drinks are included. Bunnies pay extra."
Judy's eyes widened, her ears perking up at attention.
His apartment?
Now this was news. She had only ever seen his apartment from just the doorway. And despite their long friendship (of only a couple months), she had never stepped foot in his place. Granted, based on the mess she saw last time, Judy probably wouldn't want to otherwise.
"A cop pirating a movie, huh?" She snickered.
"I know, I know," Nick chuckled. "Arrest me, Officer Hopps."
"Sounds fun," she absentmindedly took a sip from the gifted coffee, chest tightening. "Though, you've never invited me over before...what gives?"
"Well, foxes are solitary animals," Nick shrugged, his cocky smile persistent. "But, I might've, perhaps, possibly tidied up my place since."
Wow. He really has been putting in a lot of effort. Whether it was directed towards her or not, she couldn't stop her heart from aching.
"Love ya, partner."
His voice echoed in her mind again.
Though, Judy being Judy quickly maintained her composure, fighting back the blush wanting to creep up to her cheeks.
She crossed her arms, "Well then, guess I'll have to see for myself how well you really did."
"After you pay the bunny fee of course."
"In your dreams, Slick."