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Judy sat at the bar with a fruity cocktail in one paw and a menu in the other. She scanned the menu once, then twice, then three times before she realized she wasn’t retaining anything. Sighing, she picked up her straw and began stabbing the little ice cubes floating on the surface. Nerves tangled themselves into a ball in her stomach as she waited for her date to arrive.
The bunny she waited for was a nice enough male. His name was Henry, and she met him at the farmers' market when she was perusing the produce. He had a table with his parents, and his circumstances reminded Judy so much of her life back in Bunnyburrow that she struck up a conversation.
Even though Judy was a rising star at the ZPD with a will made from steel and the strength of a rhino, in the end, she was still a woman. A woman who couldn’t resist a handsome bunny when the surrounding aroma of fresh vegetables and talk of plants made everything feel so romantic. So when he asked her for a date, her immediate reflex was to say yes.
On paper, he checked a lot of boxes, and the idea of a date should’ve made Judy jump for joy. In reality, when she arrived home after the initial meeting, she spent a solid twenty minutes screaming into a pillow. The reason was that Judy hadn’t been on a date. Ever. Dates had never been her top priority, especially when there was always going to be a city to save.
Still, in true Judy fashion, she showed up to the date location half an hour early. She scoped out the area before sitting down and getting a drink to dull her nerves. The urge to hop off her chair and run away sang to her like a siren. The location of the date didn’t help either. It wasn’t a bad place per se, it just wasn’t necessarily romantic. Certainly not as romantic as a farmer’s market. She thought of all the paperwork she could’ve been doing, or the ice cream she could have been eating by herself while she watched other people’s love lives instead of her own. The idea tempted her like no other, but there was one thing that kept her seated. Nick.
Judy sucked in an extra-large mouthful of her drink and craned her neck to look behind her. In a secluded booth behind a comically large menu, a familiar orange face peeked out. Nick, her partner at the ZPD and best friend, winked in her direction. She gave him an inconspicuous thumbs up and turned back around, sighing once he couldn’t see her face. She made him go with her to the bar on the off chance that she got stood up or did something stupid while she was on the date. Knowing that she could look his way at any moment and laugh off her mistakes made her relax. She couldn’t just leave. Not when she made him go out of his way to be there for her. She owed it to Nick (... and herself) to see the date through. If it went badly, he would be there to put a smile on her face; she was sure of it.
“Judy?” A low voice grabbed her attention away from her thoughts. She whipped her head to the source, eyes wide as she took in the handsome bunny in front of her. She wasn’t sure what typical protocol on first dates was, so she chose full speed ahead; once again, in true Judy fashion.
“Henry! Hi!” She chirped, jumping off the chair to wrap him in a hug. He seemed stiff at first, but his paws eventually found her back, reciprocating the embrace. As he took a seat at the bar, Judy turned to look at Nick. She nodded her head toward her date and shrugged, trying to gauge what Nick thought of the bunny. The fox narrowed his eyes and smirked, doing a so-so motion with his paw. Judy stuck her tongue out at him, and she watched as he chuckled, shooing her attention away from him and to her actual date. She shot Nick finger guns to let him know she got the memo before hopping in her seat and directing her focus to Henry.
When her gaze landed on him, though, it was like every thought got sucked from her brain. The comfort she felt from glancing at Nick flew out the window, and all she could do was smile awkwardly.
“So, how have you been?” she finally asked, fiddling with the straw in her glass.
“I’ve been good, really good. Thanks for asking, Judy,” Henry said, offering her a smooth grin. His teeth were so perfectly straight and shiny, she swore she saw a little bit of her reflection. At the sight of his teeth, she couldn’t help thinking about how different they were from Nick’s. His were all sharp edges with the strength of a predator, and Henry’s were just… there. Just like Judy’s. They didn’t make her heart beat any faster or give her any kind of thrill. The thought made her feel weird, so instead of addressing it, she ignored it and lied.
“You are looking quite handsome,” she said, batting her eyelashes in a way she saw other girls do in the movies. The movement drew Henry’s attention, and his grin widened, showing more of his boring teeth. He leaned closer to Judy and looked her up and down.
“Some may say I’m criminally good-looking,” he said. Judy leaned back a bit and let out a high-pitched giggle, hoping it sounded natural to his ears because it sure as heck didn’t to hers.
“I should arrest you!” Judy joked. Henry seemed to find that funny, and he tilted his head back, belting out a laugh. His reaction was like fuel to the female bunny. She grinned and rifled through her purse, trying to find the item that would make the moment even funnier. Aha!
She pulled out her spare handcuffs, dangling them in front of his face.
“I could actually arrest you,” she said and tilted her head, unblinking. Henry’s laughter died down until it was just an awkward chuckle. He stared at her.
“Uh… are those real?” he asked. Judy grinned, taking that as a sign to show him. She grabbed his wrists and snapped the cuffs over them with a satisfying click!
“Voila! I think they’re more fashionable than regular bracelets,” Judy said, admiring the smooth metal. When her gaze flicked back up to Henry, the smile dropped off her muzzle. His eyes were wide and his ears pressed against his head. She blinked, then quickly whipped her head toward Nick. He was already reacting, crossing his arms in an X formation over and over again as he shook his head. Judy winced, scrambling to undo the damage.
“Don’t worry! They come off easy peasy! I have the key in here somewhere,” she dug in her purse until her paws wrapped around a small piece of metal.
“Aha! Here it isssss… whoops!” She yanked the key out of her purse, trying to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. But in her haste, it only caused Judy to lose her grip on the tiny object and send it flying into a grate under the bar. The two bunnies stared in the direction of the key in a beat of silence.
“Well! There goes that. Lucky for you, I have a spare somewhere,” she said with a toothy grin, continuing to dig in her purse.
“So… you’re a cop?” Henry asked as he held his inhibited paws stiffly in front of him. She stopped digging for a moment to reminisce on her dreams as a kid, proud of herself for making it where she was then.
“Yeah. It’s always been my dream,” Judy said with a contented sigh. Silence greeted her as Henry glanced between the stationary bunny cop and his cuffed wrists.
“Oh, right!” she said, starting to rummage through her purse once more.
“You know what, I don’t think the spare is in here. I think my partner Nick has it. Which is perfect because he’s here! Be right back,” Judy rambled, jumping off her chair. Before she left, she paused and joked, “Don’t go anywhere!”
She then patted the bewildered bunny on the paws and made a beeline for her best friend. She punched the staring fox’s shoulder and slid into the booth next to him, breathing heavily.
“I think I blacked out. How am I doing?” she asked, nose twitching wildly. Nick chuckled.
“You know, Carrots, other couples typically introduce handcuffs later in the night, not while they’re still in public,” he said with a smirk. Judy smoothed her ears down a few times and smacked her lips, ignoring his innuendo.
“I just need to calm down a bit, put the handcuffs away, and appear more domestic. That’s what guys want, right?” she asked, words tumbling out of her mouth as she attempted to relax. Nick didn’t respond, so she turned her frantic gaze to meet his. The playful smirk was replaced by a frown, claws tapping against the table in irritation.
“Judy Hopps? Domestic? I’ll believe that when pigs fly,” Nick joked, but his voice sounded strange. Judy’s ears dropped, and she looked him up and down.
“What? You know I can always tell when you’re holding something back, Wilde,” she said. Nick sighed.
“You shouldn’t have to change anything for a guy, Carrots. If he’s looking for someone who’s the complete opposite of you, then it’s just not meant to be,” He said with an exasperated look on his face before adding softly, “and you’re… great. So, keep doing what you’re doing. The right guy will come along and appreciate that.”
Nick’s words warmed Judy’s pounding heart, and she beamed at him.
“You'd better stop with the flattery, or I’ll kick Henry to the curb and have this dinner with you instead!” she said, slugging him in the arm again with a grin. The fox stared at her with a pained expression because there was no way she could know that’s exactly what he wanted. The oblivious bunny snagged his wallet off the table and plucked the spare key from it.
“Now, I’m going to free Henry and hope he doesn’t run away after that little incident. Wish me luck!”
Judy bounded from the table back to the bar with the key in her paw. On her way back, she watched as some of the other patrons eyed Henry warily. She winced in embarrassment for her and the restrained bunny, popping the cuffs off as soon as she returned.
“Sorry about the wait,” she mumbled, scratching her neck awkwardly. Henry didn’t answer, choosing to go with a tight-lipped smile instead. It made Judy too aware of the nerves swirling within her, but if anything, it motivated her to try more. She hated to fail. Hated not being able to figure out the secret dating code that everyone else seemed to know. So, she pasted a wide smile on her muzzle and pushed forward.
“How about we order some drinks and food? My treat!” she said, trying to appear cheerful. That time, it seemed she made the right move. Henry’s strained smile perked up slightly, and he nodded.
“Thanks, Judy.”
The two bunnies put their orders in and waited, making small talk that made Judy want to pull the ears out of her head. She asked him a variety of questions, hoping the conversation would propel forward on its own and become more natural. However, it was difficult because he never asked Judy questions about herself. If she volunteered any information about her life, he seemed to drift off in thought as if he wasn’t actually paying attention. She was running out of questions to ask by the time their food came. Her paws were clenched, and her smile was forced as she heard him talk about the car his parents bought him for the hundredth time.
She thanked the bartender, pulling her fries and drink toward her with fervor. She chewed grouchily on a fry as if it had personally wronged her.
“Hey Judy, I see some of my friends here. Mind if I go over there and say hi?” Henry asked, not even looking at her, and not even offering to introduce her. His eyes were already on his escape. She forced another smile to her muzzle.
“Go ahead!” she said.
Henry finally looked her way.
“Thanks!” he said, taking his drink and food with him. A few minutes went by, and she noticed her former date glance over at her, whisper something to his friends, then laugh. To Judy, that was enough of a sign that their date was doomed. There was no saving it. She picked up her own order and slid out of the seat, stomping over to Nick with a gloomy look on her face. The fox watched her, leaning forward in the booth with his paws folded under his chin.
“I messed it all up, Nick!” Judy groaned as she slid into the booth on the opposite side of her police partner. As soon as she was seated, she pulled her drink closer to her muzzle and started sucking it down.
“Hey now, we don’t drink our feelings away,” Nick said, clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth as he shook his head in amusement. Judy scoffed, slurping her drink noisily just to spite him.
“Who’s we?”
Nick raised an eyebrow and reached forward, swiping the glass from her paws. She pouted, eyeing the drink longingly as he slid it out of her reach.
“Me and future hungover Judy. May I remind you, we still have work tomorrow morning, Carrots,” Nick chided in a gentle, low voice. Judy took to munching on fries as a distraction instead, as she thought through every little detail of the date. She squeezed her eyes shut and smacked her head against the back of the booth. How did movies make dating look so easy?
“Tell me about him. What did you like about him?” Nick asked. Judy opened her eyes and sat forward again, staring blankly at the fox. What did she like about him?
“Well, his family grew good vegetables. Um… he was handsome. And… he knew a lot about Bunnyburrow,” Judy started. She looked up at the ceiling, searching for answers. She sighed and looked back down.
“And… he never asked me about myself, made me feel like I was too much, and left so he could make fun of me to his friends,” she conceded honestly, voice trailing off until it was barely a whisper. Nick’s calculating green eyes moved over her face.
“So. Is that really the kind of guy you want in your life?” he asked earnestly. Judy stared at him, unable to produce an answer. When he put it like that, she knew he wasn’t any good for her. Still, it always felt nice to be liked and desired by someone else. That led her to wonder, what kind of mammal did she want to date?
She tilted her head and slowed her consumption of fries, looking at Nick with curiosity. If she were thinking superficially, she wanted a mammal that was nice to look at. As she observed Nick, she noticed how his bright red fur and sharp green eyes contrasted nicely. Not to mention, the way he held himself in a self-assured manner made him feel stable, yet intriguing.
It was like she put glasses on for the first time, and suddenly she could see him clearly. Nerves gripped her stomach again, but that time, it was for a completely different reason. Nick furrowed his brows at the sudden undivided attention, but he didn’t say anything.
Judy continued to evaluate what she wanted in a mammal. Definitely someone who seemed interested in her and didn’t just talk about themself the entire time, which led to Judy’s next discovery. As soon as she sat down in the booth with Nick, his first interaction with her involved him taking care of her and asking about her feelings. In fact, throughout their whole friendship, Judy remembered all the times she’d get over-enthusiastic about things, and Nick never shut her down. Instead, he would patiently ask her more questions that only riled her up further. She was never too much for him, and he made that clear.
She didn’t know what expression reflected on her face under the warm lighting of the restaurant booth, but as Nick looked at her with wide eyes and muzzle slightly open, the last puzzle piece slid into place. The mammal she wanted was right in front of her.
The mammal she spent countless movie nights with. The mammal who could always make her laugh, no matter what mood she was previously in. He knew her like the back of his paw, and he still showed up for her every day. Through every action, like buying her morning coffee or throwing paper-airplane notes her way when they were supposed to be working, he showed that he appreciated her and wanted her there. She didn’t want a passive bunny that stared at her like she’d grown a second head. She didn’t want a bunny with zero sense of humor and a car that his parents bought. She wanted Nick.
So, after staring at the flustered fox for what felt like hours, she finally spoke.
“You. You’re the kind of guy I want in my life,” she whispered. Nick barely moved an inch, eyes still wide, and muzzle still open. A few seconds passed before he cleared his throat.
“Heh, I’m already in your life, Carrots. Best friends, remember?” he said, which was something he usually said with unbridled confidence. But at that moment, he seemed unsure. Judy squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, planting her paws on the table to push herself up until she was leaning halfway across the table. She opened her eyes again and stared at Nick.
“You’re the kind of guy I want to date, Nick,” she said breathlessly. The fox sucked in his own breath, eyes darting between Judy’s. Time felt slowed when he finally let out a chuckle in disbelief.
“It’s about time you catch up,” he said, shocked expression morphing into a grin. Judy faltered.
“...What?”
Nick’s chuckle faded, and he watched her with a level of fondness she’d never noticed before.
“I’m kinda sorta in love with you, Carrots,” he said. It was Judy’s turn to look at him in disbelief.
“Since when?” she asked. Nick leaned forward and poked her twitching nose.
“Since I realized I’d rather risk my own life than see you hurt,” he said, and Judy’s mind immediately flashed back to their most recent case, where he almost fell off a cliff trying to get her a dose of anti-venom. She knew he cared about her, but she didn’t know it was to that extent. In fact, she knew she cared about him, but she was too dense to realize it was also to that extent. She groaned and flopped back in her seat, hitting her head against the booth repeatedly.
“God, I am such a dumb bunny,” she muttered. Nick laughed and grabbed her paws, pulling her away from the seat, so the back of her head couldn’t reach the hard surface.
“Lucky you, that’s exactly my type,” the sly fox said with a cocky smirk. Judy grinned bashfully, ears dropping to the back of her head to hide the blush that bloomed across her skin.
“I heard dumb bunnies tend to have a thing for clever foxes,” she said. Nick trailed his gaze over her face slowly.
“Is that right? Well, maybe I’m the lucky one,” he said. It was then that Judy realized Nick was still holding her paws, and her heart soared. He loved her. And he wasn’t afraid to be with her. He could say it a million times, but she knew no one would ever be as lucky as her.