Chapter Text
BREAKING NEWS:
Zootopia officials in City Hall and the ZPD are facing mass scrutiny following leaked internal financial records revealing years of unauthorized reallocations of departmental resources. Originally designated for the Zootopia Police Department, they were instead redirected to underground criminal organizations over a period of several years.
More controversially, investigators allege that said criminal organizations were permitted to operate within designated districts under informal agreements intended to “maintain stability” and prevent higher crime rates.
City Hall has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of such arrangements.
However, in a brief statement earlier today, the Mayor’s office simply acknowledged “serious lapses in oversight” and announced a full audit of ZPD operations.
Public response has been swift. Community leaders across multiple districts have called for accountability, while others warn that the sudden withdrawal of these alleged arrangements has already led to increased instability and distrust among citizens.
ZPD representatives declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Tension on the train is palpable tonight. The ride home hasn’t been the same for a while. All eye contact is averted. Mammals clinging to the corners, sitting as far away from others as they can. Passengers cautiously scan every mammal that comes in just to be safe. As if they are anticipating something to happen.
An ache began to seat itself in Judy’s chest when she started noticing this change, but has eventually numbed itself into a permanent fixture of her body. Nick and Judy have been making sure to commute together in the wake of a stark rise in violent crime around the city. It was Nick’s idea, or pushy insistence, rather. Just to protect his rabbit partner from any potential danger.
“Nick,” she mutters lowly as to not bring too much attention to themselves. “Do you think we’ll ever go back to normal..?”
“At this rate, Carrots, we’ll be in a full on dystopia by the end of the year.” He laughs under his breath, but Judy could only frown at the joke. In reality, it wasn’t that far from the truth.
It’s been six months since the scandal broke. Years of funneling money into Mr. Big’s crime syndicate had finally caught up to the city, effectively breaking the trust it had with its citizens clean in half. Despite the arrest of the old shrew and many of his goons, such deep corruption built into the city's financial infrastructure suddenly crumbling has created waves of repercussions: leadership purges, media frenzy, a skyrocketing crime rate, and a malfunctioning government.
Now that the mafia is fractured and mostly out of the picture, many other new crime groups have taken advantage of the situation. Expanding aggressively. Fighting over territory. Crimes in the city have gotten more violent and even more senseless. Tensions in the streets are high, and as much as trust has fallen in the institutions, trust in fellow citizens has fallen just the same.
In just a few months, Judy has watched the Zootopia she fell in love with collapse in front of her. The city she once took an oath to protect has crumbled into a cold and harsh shell of itself.
After the ZPD’s budget and resources were slashed, the department's bandwidth has dwindled. Response time is in the gutter and public trust is practically nonexistent.
Officers are feeling the effects. Many are completely burnt out. Interdepartmental paranoia floods the precinct, begging questions like “Who knew? Who was involved?”
Workers within the ZPD are taking out their frustrations on each other, leaving the enforcement in a state of dysfunction.
Some argue that it was justified. They say things like, “We can’t eliminate crime, only manage it!” While others, such as Judy, stand firm that it was unbridled corruption that had no place in Zootopia, plain and simple.
Her orange-colored fox partner thought a bit differently. His nuanced cynicism was oddly vindicated through all the mess. He at least understood why the city did what they did, regardless of its moral ambiguity.
A sadness ached in his heart for Judy, though, as he could feel the frustration and heartbreak radiate off her all these months. He tried not to give her a hard time about it all, although sometimes all he ever wanted to say was “I told you so.” But of course, he never did.
Despite their ideological differences and the bleak city around them, their friendship never wavered. In fact, they seemed to be only growing more fond of one another. The fox and bunny pair found themselves only being able to take solace in each other's presence.
The duo hops off the train and follow the small crowd to the station exit. A couple of teenage badgers stand a few steps up the escalator before them.
“Don’t go up Oasis Ave on your way home tonight, bro. Didya hear that Josh got mugged last night?” One kid warns to his friend. Judy’s ears perk up as she eavesdrops.
“No fucking way. Is he alright?” The other badger seemed more frustrated than surprised.
“He’s fine but the guy pulled a gun on him. Scared the shit out of him. Took his phone and everything.”
“Damn. I’ve been takin’ Oasis home since I was just a kit. It’s so fucked out here man.”
Judy feels her heart break as the kids talk.
The badgers continued to commiserate with their hands in their pockets as they went up. Zootopia hasn’t been the same for awhile. Nobody has felt as safe as they used to, and stories like this were only getting more and more common as the days went by.
With a small fist bump and a point, the kids wave goodbye to each other as they exit the escalator into the city sidewalks. An unspoken but mutually understood “get home safe” communicated between them.
Nick and Judy step off the escalator shortly after. The streets feel far emptier and colder than they used to be. Animals don’t linger. You’ll see a few around, but they’re usually just trying to get home as quickly as they can.
The air feels somewhat stale around them as they step side by side.
“I can’t take this anymore, Nick. This isn’t the Zootopia I moved to. There’s gotta be something we can do, right?” Judy gripes, holding her bag close to her side.
“I dunno, seems like the ZPD really screwed themselves here.” He shrugs with his paws in his pockets. “How do you regain the trust of the city overnight after something like that?”
“There’s gotta be something. I just…” Judy lets out a big sigh. “I don’t know. This feels impossible.” There is an unmistakable frustration in her voice.
“I know, Carrots, I know. There isn’t some bad guy we can chase down or some mystery to solve. The system broke. Can’t really arrest ‘the system.’”
Nick raises air quotes with his paws, then reaches down to pat her on the top of her head. He feels the need to offer some empty sympathies for Judy. “The city will sort itself out eventually. It always does.”
He isn’t necessarily sure of the city's ability to come back together, but he at least hopes it will. For her sake.
“But what if it doesn’t? What if it’s like this forever?” Judy looks up at him with eyes full of hurt.
“Then we’ll run away together or something,” he laughs, hoping she would agree. She just stares back at him instead. “I wish I had the answers, fluff. We can only take this one day at a time right now.”
Silence falls between them as they continue the walk. Judy knows something could be done… right? There has to be something. Anything. She racks her brain constantly, but hasn’t been able to come up with the magic idea that’ll save the city just yet. Nick was right; it wasn’t as easy as following a trail of evidence to the Nighthowlers or taking down the Lynxley’s. This was systemic. Nothing she could solve in a day or two.
A lamp post just in front of Judy’s apartment building has stopped shining as of a couple weeks ago. The graffiti-tagged glass shattered so she can see the dead bulb on the inside. It was the small things that made her notice the city was in a state of urban decay.
“Gosh, I sure wish they’d fix that. I don’t like how dark it gets around here now.” She sighs once more, eyeing the lamp she only noticed after it stopped working.
“Not sure if it’s on the city's priority list right now.” Nick retorts.
As the pair approach the front door of her building, Judy turns around and looks up at Nick, both paws on the strap of her bag.
“Thanks for walking me home again.”
“Anytime, Carrots. I’ll see you tomorrow then, huh?” He smiles down at the bunny.
“Yeah. Tomorrow.” She smiles back at him.
The wind blows audibly as the sun sets, casting a myriad of golden glows and shadows around them. Their eyes meet in the inbetween.
Stares of admiration continue for a beat, neither one of them moving.
Another beat.
And another.
Still standing there.
Judy tilts her head sideways and eyes him up and down.
“Are you gonna…”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m leavin’.” He rocks his heels up and down with a hefty inhale, looking out to the streets beside them. But he still doesn’t actually make an attempt to leave.
The truth is, he doesn’t want to go home yet.
A knowing smirk grows on Judy’s face. Looking down at his feet, she finally asks, “...You wanna walk me up, too?”
Nick lets out a sigh of relief. With a smile and twinkle in his eye, his tone firms to something more similar to his officer voice. “Just to, uh, make sure you’re safe, little lady.”
Judy scoffs and turns to the door. “Come on, silly fox.”
Step by step, they slowly make their way up the mountain that is Judy’s apartment building.
“You never know what can happen in these halls, Carrots. You need your foxy bodyguard with ya.” Nick taps his chest with both paws, pointing at himself with pride.
“Yes, yes, I’m sure you would do great at protecting me from my annoying neighbors or elderly sheep.” She giggles back at his joke. She always likes to combat his ego, but she secretly loves his protectiveness.
Judy pretended to put up a fight when he insisted on walking her home a couple months ago, but she would be lying if she said she didn’t feel a bit safer with the fox by her side. Her own personal fox bodyguard… her chest felt warm at the thought. It didn’t hurt to get a little more time with him everyday. It was a newer ritual that brought her a little bit of sanity in this backwards version of her city.
“I would. I’d karate chop ‘em in half.” He mimes a couple of chopping motions to really drive it home.
“Oh? Is thee Nick Wilde a karate master?” An eyeroll sprawls across her face; her tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Of course I am. They taught it in the academy, don’t you remember?”
A small giggle escapes her throat. “Guess not. I must’ve missed that part.”
“Wow…” He scoffs. “Judy Hopps, valedictorian, missing an entire unit? Tsk tsk. I thought you were better than that.” A soft paw to his chest as he pretends to be shocked at her lack of karate knowledge.
The two finally pull up to her front door. “Sorry to disappoint, but I might’ve been busy, y’know, actually studying.” She jokes, putting her key into the lock.
“Ouch.” He makes a soft sizzle sound at the end of the word. “You say that like I didn’t. I mean I didn’t, but…”
Judy lets out a louder laugh this time as she enters her minuscule studio apartment, setting her bag down at the foot of her bed.
Nick takes a step forward and rests his shoulder on the doorframe, arms crossed.
“Thanks for the protection, fox. You are relieved of bodyguard duties now.” She stands across from him, subconsciously admiring his handsome face and nonchalant stance.
“Glad to see you made it home safe, bunny. Get your beauty sleep. We gotta big day of nothin’ coming up.” His arms still crossed. He peers down at his partner, studying her face.
Nick lingers in her doorway. Yet again, there is no attempt made at leaving. Not a lifted paw, not even a shift in weight. He still doesn’t want to go home. In fact, he’s right where he wants to be.
Luckily for him, Judy doesn’t want him to go home, either.
“You look pretty comfy against the doorframe.” Her eyes half close with a flutter as she crosses her arms and shifts her body to one side, mirroring his stance.
His eyes turn to the wooden frame and he purses his lips.
“Just admiring the wood. It’s real nice.” He stalls. On purpose. Because, let’s face it, what is he gonna do at home that would be better than hanging out with her? He knows that he would just find himself stewing in misery or distracting himself from said misery by watching whatever trash he could pull up on his TV. It’s all he knows. He’s a sad fox at heart.
They knowingly stare at each other for a while. Neither of them are oblivious to what the other is doing.
“You know…” She starts to ask, fully knowing what the answer will be. “I think I saw that The Neighsayer 3 is airing on TV tonight. Do you…”
“Yes.” He immediately blurts out before she can finish while closing the door behind him. “I’ll make the popcorn.”
Nick has watched the entire The Neighsayer trilogy on Huluzoo twice-over already. He could stream it at any time, they both knew that. That wasn’t the point. He just needed an excuse to come inside instead of loitering under her doorframe like a creep.
Judy keeps it to herself, but she couldn’t be more excited to have her favorite fox over for an impromptu movie night, even with all the theatrics. They might have even made it all the more fun for her.
The duo begin to settle into their movie night formation: enough blankets for a small family, just as many stuffed animals, a bag of popcorn in the microwave, and a few jumbo-sized carrot sodas.
“The third one’s the best one, y’know.” He remarks as he pulls the popcorn out and transfers it into a bowl, topping it off with some cheesy seasoning powder.
“‘Best’ feels like an oxymoron. They’re all pretty bad.” She flatly says back to him, sitting criss cross on her bed leaning against the wall. They had repositioned the TV to sit at the end of her desk so they could comfortably use her twin mattress as a daybed/couch hybrid.
“Duh. That’s the fun of it, fluff.” Flipping the inaugural kernel into his mouth, hopping into bed and sitting criss cross next to her. The bowl was placed in between them so they were at an appropriate distance.
Judy shoves a pawful of popcorn into her mouth without even looking down. “I don’t think I would have watched anything like this if it weren’t for you.”
“Yeesh. Are you saying I’m a bad influence on you?” He questions with a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. A flirtier tone begins to lace itself throughout their exchange.
“Definitely.” She confirms with little hesitation.
“You love it.”
“Hm. Maybe. Am I a good influence on you?” She leans in just a bit, smiling wide, hoping to get just a bit of glazing from her partner.
“The worst, actually. Only a monster would pick me up off the street and get me to join the fuzz.”
Judy fake gasps with a dramatic paw to her collarbone.
“Just kidding, Carrots. You know what I said on that weather wall.” Earnestness peaks through his voice, but he still has that signature smug look on his face.
Judy clasps her paws together and bats her eyes in a cartoonish manner. “Repeat it for me?”
“Shh! It’s starting!”
The popcorn is finished all but 15 minutes into the movie. Nick likes to make his little quips and Judy always laughs at them. It’s a fun banter. A volley back and forth. It’s easy for them to get lost in their conversations – hours can fall away at their sides while they just talk and talk and talk. There’s almost no effort. It’s just natural.
In the midst of these comments and musings, Judy scoots closer to Nick. A few minutes later, Nick scoots closer to her. It’s subconscious; a magnetic force slowly pulling.
Judy finally notices just how close they’ve gotten halfway through the movie. Nick continues with his commentary with eyes glued to the screen, but she's barely listening now. She focuses on the way the light from the TV bounces off his beautiful russet-orange fur… his green eyes glowing in the dark of her room… his musk permeating itself into her blankets… she was beginning to lose track of where she was. A fox so beautiful, sitting centimeters away from her.
Without thinking anymore, Judy places her head lightly on Nick’s shoulder.
He doesn’t flinch. He barely reacts at all, other than subtly sinking his posture down just a little bit so she fits more comfortably.
“You know, Carrots, it took them like 15 takes to do this scene, can you believe that?” He scoffs into his soda, seemingly unfazed by the rabbit attached to him.
“15 takes, and that was the one they went with…?” She volleys back, her tone full of distaste for the filmmaking choices that she’s forced to witness.
“Right!? There had to have been a better one. This director is such a hack.” Nick is elated to find someone with the same cynical taste in cinema as him. He leans into her just a little bit more.
“They’re certainly no auteur. Prolly makes a lot of money though.” Judy is secretly a little judgmental in a way that makes it clear Clawhauser’s gossip was rubbing off on her. Plus, she grew up around a few hundred kids in a small town, what else is there to do than talk about others? Nick finds it quite fun to see that side of her come out, and the easiest method was to put on bad television. She always had an opinion and he loved to hear it.
“I’ll make sure to tell them you said that.” Nick turns his chin away from her.
“Please, like you know the director of The Neighsayer trilogy.” She taunts.
“How many times have I told you that I know everybody, fluff?” He turns back to her and winks. “Plus, didn’t we put away the Lynxley’s with the star himself?”
“Hmmph. Touché, fox.” Judy lifts her head off his shoulder and crosses her arms with a slight pout.
“Oh, don’t be like that, fluff.” The fox places his paw on the top of her head and gives it a pat, lightly brushing back into the base of her ears. Judy revels in the light touch. Her ears fall back and she lets out a short hum of pleasure.
Something shifts in Nick as soon as he hears it. It’s a beautiful sound; his heart falters for just a second before resuming normal blood flow.
His paw immediately pulls itself away as a spark is ignited and a velvety feeling lingers on the hair around his pads. Suddenly, touch felt too intimate. They may not be strangers to some light physical contact, but this time felt… different. Her fur was like silk and her hum sounded like a soft symphony. He liked it a lot. Maybe too much.
On the other hand, Judy is confused at his sudden change in demeanor. Her thoughts begin to race in the span of seconds. Was that weird? Did I freak him out? Why did I do that?
The air around them becomes suffocating. Somehow convincing himself he crossed a line, Nick takes this opportunity to get up and take the popcorn bowl to the sink. In an effort to change the subject, he is the one that finally says something.
“So, uh, what's on next?” The movie still has just under an hour left, but he needs something to help break the tension.
Judy quickly picks up the remote to check the TV guide. She tries to study his body language from behind and only picks up on his apparent discomfort.
“Seems like it loops back to the first Neighsayer.” She says flatly while trying to replay the sensation of Nick’s large paw on her ears over again.
“That one's the worst somehow. Keep it on.” Nick comes back to the bed, but instead now sitting on the edge and facing away from Judy.
She stays quiet and tosses the remote beside her. Picking up her knees and bringing them to her chest, she rests her chin on top of them. Her mind has turned into a cacophony of thought.
Good job, Judy. You messed it up and now he’s sitting all the way over there. Freaked him out because you couldn’t contain yourself. Moaning all because he patted your head? How would he know my ears are sensitive like that? What is wrong with you? Dumb, dumb, dumb bunny.
Nick is about to make some stupid joke about something on screen before he turns his head around. Guilt comes crashing over him as he sees the state he left her in. He tries to play it cool.
“Everything okay, fluff? You want another soda?”
Judy lifts her head and snaps back into reality.
“I’m fine…!” The inflection of her voice wavers in her higher register, clearly lying. She clears her throat. “No soda though, thanks.”
He can’t stand the idea that he potentially made her uncomfortable with his touch, even if it is merely his insecurities playing tricks on him. However, he would be kicking himself if he didn’t try to save the night from ruin. So, Nick quickly thinks of something else.
“I think I saw you had a single ice cream sandwich left in your freezer. Wanna split it?” A wide childlike smile dawns his face. He’s hoping for a yes because, selfishly, he really wants the ice cream.
Judy can't help but giggle at his dorky grin. “Sure, Nick.” Relief comes over Judy as she realizes the night wasn't ruined by one weird moment of hers. However, a new feeling began to crawl around her insides. She couldn’t help but think back to the way she was hypnotized by the fox glimmering in her bed.
Nick eagerly grabs the treat from her mini fridge/freezer combo and jumps back into the bed where he originally sat: against the wall, cross cross, and directly next to Judy. The awkward tension thankfully starts to dissipate.
“If you drip anything on my sheets, I'll kill you.” Her voice drops in an attempt to sound menacing. It doesn't work.
Nick begins to delicately unwrap the plain ice cream and gives Judy a side eye. “You would never kill me. I'm your favorite fox.” A smirk forms before he goes in for the first bite. Their flirty banter has finally resumed after the awkward intermission.
She smugly reaches behind her and pulls out a stuffed animal in the shape of a fox. Nick gave it to her as a gag gift for her birthday last year. It was supposed to be funny, but she absolutely adored it. Of course it reminded her of Nick every time she slept with it in her arms, but he doesn't need to know that.
“Actually, this guy is my favorite fox. Isn't he just the cutest?” The toy is crushed by the force of her hug.
A subtle twinge of jealousy sparks in Nick’s eye.
He takes another bite of the sandwich. “I can't believe you still have that thing.” He shakes his head and pairs it with a small breathy laugh.
“Of course I do, silly. He’s my sleeping buddy. Keeps the monsters away.” Judy nuzzles the plush while reaching her hand out for a turn at a bite.
Nick flips his wrist over to offer her the ice cream.
“A bodyguard and a monster-watch-fox, huh?” He can’t help but watch her every move. Since when does she act this adorable?
Judy takes a big chomp out of the mini block of vanilla. “Yup. Can never be too safe.” She manages to speak with her mouth full while cartoonishly puppeting the stuffed fox as if it were walking on her legs.
“I would ask where's my bunny doll, but you are already eerily similar to a plushie.” Nick jokes, admiring how cute she looks holding a mini fox. He only finds it cute, however, if he imagines it as himself.
“I mean, hey, I have a hundred of them. Take your pick.” She gestures out to the sea of stuffies. She has collected most of these as gifts from family, but she loves them all the same.
Nick scans the crowd of stuffed animals staring back at him until he spots a tiny little gray one with black tips on its ears.
“I like this one. It reminds me of somebody… but I can't place who.” He rubs his chin while pretending to think.
Judy raises an eyebrow at him. Of course he picked the one plush out of the entire collection that has the same fur pattern as her. In lieu of a response, she makes a show of taking the final bite of the ice cream sandwich.
“Wh- Carrots! We were supposed to split that!” He clutches his hypothetical pearls and pretends to be hurt. Actually, it was maybe 90% pretend. The other 10% of him really did want another bite.
Judy smirks and performs an exaggerated eyeroll. She picks up an old-timey southern belle accent and begins to plead.
“Oh, dear fox! I do apologize. Would you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?” She holds her hands together into her chest, stuffed fox held as if it were a bouquet. Puppy-dog eyes promptly follow suit.
He hesitates for a moment before eventually deciding to end the banter here. But not before picking up his own vintage southern accent.
“I suppose, darlin’. I can’t ever stay mad at my favorite rabbit.”
His words are smooth in Judy’s ears. She smiles wide and accepts his answer with a hum. My favorite rabbit.
Nick is more than happy to hear that hum again.
A natural silence falls between them as they turn their attention back to the rest of the movie.
Slowly as the film progresses, the pair begin to slouch against the brick wall and sleepiness begins to creep in. Every minute that passes is a losing battle against it. Nick’s comments fall by the wayside and Judy starts to feel heavy.
A loud and involuntary yawn comes from the bunny. As it settles, Judy lets her eyes close and she softly curls into a nearby pillow, for her body is no longer able to support her under the crushing weight of drowsiness.
Nick can’t help but watch her doze off. The way she nests herself in with the pillow and the soft squeal she makes when she yawns. The way her pink pajama set hugs her body with her tail sticking out through the waistband. The way her nose twitches as the lights in her head begin to go out. There are waves of infatuation beginning to crash through him. She looks so pretty like this. He could’ve sat there and watched her all night.
But no. Suddenly, Nick was feeling a little creepy. He immediately gets off the bed to start cleaning up. Staring at your best friend while she sleeps? Lingering eyes focused on her body? He is reaching new levels of weird.
“Stop it,” he whispers to himself. It’s under his breath and barely audible, but a sleeping beauty nearby hears it anyway.
“....Hm?” She sweetly questioned.
Nick, caught off guard by her somehow hearing him, continued to get his stuff together.
“You’re dozin’ off, fluff. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” He turns off the TV and heads for the door.
“Nick…” her voice is weak and raspy. It feels like honey in his ears.
“Come back…” She drowsily insists.
He laughs it off. A sleepy girl saying sleepy things. She couldn’t possibly mean it.
”Judy, it’s late. I gotta go home.” He doesn’t really wanna go, but he figures he's obligated to, right?
Judy’s eyes remain closed as she nudges her forehead into her pillow and pulls it closer. She’s not even half awake. But yet, she manages to wade through a flickering consciousness to ask once more.
“...stay heerreeeeee…” she breathes out with a languid whine. “...please..”
His ears point up to the sky and he starts feeling butterflies make circles in his gut. Her sleepy voice is doing something to him. The sound waves feel like they’re wrapping around him and trying to lure him into her bed. It’s music; harmonious and sexy as all hell.
In his stillness by the door, he tries to think this through.
She’s pretty much completely asleep. She doesn’t know what she's asking. That’d be weird, right? If I stayed? She’d wake up and kick me out. She has a twin bed for god sake.
Judy began to writhe around slightly with her pillow, stretching out like a yawning kitten. Tensing her muscles as to cherish the release, allowing herself to sink further into her bed.
Nick was hypnotized by her movement. Unfortunately, no amount of “thinking this through” was gonna aid him in this moment.
“Alright, Carrots. I’ll stay.”
The bunny only acknowledges this by scooting backwards closer to the wall to make room for him. Her eyes have not opened once this entire interaction.
He swallows as he takes a step forward. And then another. And then another after that.
He takes his Pawaiian shirt and tie off and sets it gently on the back of her chair. Now adorned with a white tank top. He decided to keep the pants on, despite how weird it might feel to sleep in slacks.
He lays himself down onto his side but only on top of the blanket and on the very edge of the bed. Facing away from her. Stiff as a board. He’s much too nervous about taking up space. Despite being a smaller mammal, he’s never been more aware of his size than right now.
Another hushed whine comes through from the rabbit behind him like a siren song. He peeks over his shoulder and sees her curled up in a ball with the pillow in hand. This plush barrier between them seems to ease his mind a little as he turns down onto his back to allow himself the slightest chance at relaxing.
Deep breath. All good. It’s all good. Just go to sleep now. At least you don’t have to make the journey home in the dark. Everything’s fine.
With all his limbs to himself and laid out like a mummy, he makes an attempt to fall asleep.
Why was he so nervous about this? He’s never acted like this around her before. But that sound she made when he lightly pet her earlier… the electricity that shot through him at the touch… that was a new feeling.
Nick has always thought she was beautiful. He always deeply admired her tenacity. Her soul and spirit. She was his whole world. She was the only light in this dark city they found themselves in.
They told each other that a long time ago on the weather wall. Expressing just how much they meant to each another. Life had kept going since then with little time to explore those feelings deeper, and let’s face it, it’s not like Nick is great at expressing or even understanding his own emotions. So they kept it at that, continuing to throw themselves into their work as an incredible partnership.
Nick and Judy were very comfortable in this stage of their friendship. Best friends. What more could he ask for?
But tonight, it seemed like his body was asking for more. Those running thoughts of admiration were now physically manifesting themselves in his body. He laid on that bed perfectly still, but there was a particular nervousness and electricity swirling around his system.
It’s not nausea, no, but instead a big ball of sparks forming itself in the bottom of his stomach. All the strays racing up his spine, through his veins, and buzzing on his skin. What was happening to him?
Just breathe, Nick. Just breathe.
The fox’s mind drifted from thought to thought, focusing on inhaling and then exhaling. He was slowly coming down into what may have been an actual slumber.
But before that could happen, Nick was suddenly jolted out of his half-conscious state by a paw on his arm.
Without him knowing it, as he was too preoccupied by his own breathwork, Judy’s pillow had escaped her grip and traveled down by her feet. Now, to fill the void, she was reaching for something else to grab.
Her tiny paw had wrapped itself halfway around his arm and was pulling with a sleepy insistence. Nick, laying there with his eyes wide, observes the tiny bunny latching onto him.
Oh, god. She thinks I’m a pillow. I can fix this.
Nick attempts to reach down for the fugitive pillow but is met with a more aggressive pull and a whine. This time, the bunny brings her entire body forward to meet him on the far side of the bed. Her arms find themselves fully curling around his as she pushes her forehead into the meat of his bicep, holding him tight like a jumbo stuffed fox.
Nick’s entire nervous system was skittering. Brain malfunctioning. She was clinging onto him, so relaxed and beautiful as she slept. He loved it. Her sheets were soft and so was her touch. Her scent lived in the bedding and danced around his snout.
He didn’t really want to separate. In reality, he could do this every night for the rest of his life. To hold her and protect her throughout the night would be his greatest honor.
But his stupid fox brain was keen on convincing him that this was wrong. That she wouldn’t be happy about this. That she would wake up in the morning with regret for merely sleeping next to him. What a ridiculous thought.
While she might’ve been half asleep, her wavering state of consciousness was fully aware of the heavy breathing fox beside her.
She didn’t ask him to stay for no reason.
She wasn’t oblivious to what she was really doing.
She wanted the warmth. The warmth of her fox.
Zootopia had grown cold and more isolated in the past six months. She had been sleeping alone in an old apartment. Bone chills creeping through the cracks in the wood, and the amount of blankets and stuffed animals was still not enough. No, she craved something more — a warmth beyond temperature, one to soothe an aching soul in a city of despair.
It wasn’t typical of the duo to have late nights like this, let alone sitting on the same bed inches from each other. But Nick’s radiant body heat and suffocatingly sweet fox scent was enough to lull her to a sleep so divine that she couldn’t bear to have him walk out that door, leaving her to the cold once again.
And so she clung. Curled up with her foxes arm; glowing in the pale moonlight. She had found the warmth she had so deeply craved.
As for Nick, he eventually allowed himself to succumb to Judy’s iron grip. He dared not to move, but instead allowing her beautiful light in, focusing on her touch on his arm. The surface where their skin made contact felt like waves. Their fur twirling around each other in a delicate dance, mingling in the space between them. Getting to know each other.
The pleasant sensation rocked him into a true slumber, dreaming of stuffed bunnies and foxes.
He would face the consequences in the morning. For now, the fox and bunny sleep the best they have in months. Shared comfort beginning to heal something subtly broken inside them as they lay side by side, dimly lit by the moon shining through the window.
…
When Nick’s eyes reluctantly separate hours later, he finds a snoring bunny sprawled out on top of him.