Chapter Text
Judy tapped her foot, staring at her phone. Her parents were late for their weekly MuzzleTime call. Probably busy putting out yet another fire that arose in the Hopps family burrow. She glanced out the window, staring at the last rays of light the sun cast out as it dipped below the horizon. She knew it wasn’t her parents’ fault, yet she was still peeved. Of all the nights for them to be late, it had to be one where she had plans afterwards. She was either going to have to cut the call short (which she hated doing, ever since she almost died), or run late to her meetup (which she hated because she was never late).
Her phone buzzed and lit up with a picture of her parents. She quickly picked up the phone and accepted the call. Her parents came into frame, each holding one of her siblings. They were in the kitchen, and Judy thought she could see some smoke lingering in the air.
“Hi Mom! Hi Dad!” Judy said.
“Hi Bun Bun,” Bonnie said, “Sorry we’re late. Clover and Cotton decided to try their paw at cooking. It went as well as you would expect.”
“It’s alright, Mom, really.” Judy said. “So, what’s new with you guys?”
The call followed its usual path for a while. Her parents talked about the latest gossip in the town and filled Judy in on what her siblings were up to. Johnathan was going to college. Emma had learned to fix a tractor. Matilda was getting married. Judy reassured her parents that she was doing ok and not working too hard. No, she didn’t have any big cases. Gary had just gotten a job at the city planner’s office.
Throughout the call, Judy noticed more nervous glances between her mom and dad than usual. After Judy had finished telling a story about how Nick tried (and failed) to replace a flat tire on their cruiser, her dad finally broke and told her mom “You ask her!” Judy raised an eyebrow, wondering what was coming.
“Oh, Stu, fine.” Bonnie sighed. “Judy, honey. Remember the Brewers?”
“They run the farm a couple miles south of us, right? Judy said.
“Yes!” Bonnie said. “We had dinner with them the other day. Turns out, one of their sons works for an accounting firm in the city.”
“That’s cool.” Judy said, wondering where the conversation was going to lead.
“Not according to them. You know the Brewers. A little old fashioned.” Bonnie said. “On a completely unrelated note, you’re not dating anyone, are you?”
Judy sighed. “For the millionth time, mom. No, Nick and I are not dating.” Ever since her parents had met Nick at the Reptile Ravine reopening, they had become incessant about a) asking if Nick was her boyfriend, and when Judy would deny it, b) worrying about her dying alone.
It had started to get on Judy’s nerves. Couldn’t a bunny just be friends with a fox? Hang out with him all the time, replay his message saying, “love you, partner,” over and over, secretly long for his validation… ok Judy saw where her parents were coming from.
“Well, in that case. The Brewers wanted us to set you up with him.” Bonnie said. “Nothing too formal, just a regular date.”
“Just a regular date?” Judy said. “Look, mom, dad, I’m perfectly fine by myself.”
“Judy, we just worry about you.” Stu said. “We don’t want you ending up alone.”
“It’s ok, Dad.” Judy said. “Work keeps me busy. Plus, I hang out with Nick all the time.”
Her parents exchanged a look Judy couldn’t quite decipher.
“Yes, but Nick isn’t going to be around forever.” Bonnie said. “The way you talk about him, I’m sure it won’t be long until he finds himself a nice vixen to settle down with.”
Judy scoffed at the idea of Nick “settling down.” The way he handled himself, Judy couldn’t imagine him becoming domestic. She had never seen him cook, his apartment was as messy as ever, and it still hurt him to talk honestly about his feelings. He was attractive, sure, but Judy had never seen him give any of his “admirers” any attention.
“We just want you to think about the future.” Stu said.
“We’re not saying that this Brewer kit is going to end up being your mate.” Bonnie added. “But I think you should at least get some experience with dating. You never really went out when you were younger. Maybe you aren’t ready now, but when you are, you’ll know what to look for.”
Judy glanced at the time. 650pm. She had to go. Even worse, her mother was making sense. “Ok, fine. Send me the details later, I have to go. Love you, talk to you later.”
Judy burst into the diner at 7 on the dot. She spun her head around until she noticed a booth tucked near the back, with a bright blue snake tail poking out. She jogged towards the booth, occupied Gary, Nibbles, and Nick. Nick spotted her first.
“There you are, Carrots!” Nick said. “We were about to call and report a missing mammal.”
“I’m not late!” Judy said.
“On time is late for you, Carrots.” Nick said.
“Yes, you are usually early.” Gary said.
“But the important thing is you are here!” Nibbles said.
Judy slid into the booth next to Nick and picked up the menu. “Thank you for your support, Nibbles.”
Compared to the curveball that was her call with her parents, the dinner proceeded normally. Judy enjoyed the familiarity. It had been a while since the four of them had met up. Gary was busy with his new job. Nibbles was enjoying her newfound popularity following the Lynxley case. What was a weekly occurrence quickly became monthly, and soon there was no “-ly.”
The outing ended far too early for Judy’s liking, due to Gary having an early morning meeting with the mayor and Nibbles needing to finish editing her most recent episode. So, when Nick suggested watching a movie at his place, even though it wasn’t Friday, Judy agreed. Her parents were right, she thought. Her empty shoebox of an apartment was becoming less appealing with every passing day. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing to come home to someone, instead of a microwaveable carrot.
To make matters worse, Nick had chosen a rom com. Judy was initially surprised when she learned Nick was secretly a big fan of them, but she eventually thought it made sense. He really was a big softie at heart. As the movie played, Judy found herself paying more attention than usual. She tried to actually place herself into the protagonist’s fur.
What was it like, she wondered, to actually be in love? If this movie was to be believed, love meant giving up her nice job in the big city to be with some mammal she met only a couple days ago but instantly “knew” somehow that he was the one. Maybe C list Howlmark movies weren’t the best source.
The movie ended, and Judy found it wholly uninformative. Nick got up to refill his popcorn bowl and her mother’s words came back to her. Nick isn’t going to be around forever. She tried to imagine it. Nick, running to someone in the rain. Someone that wasn’t her. Something twisted in her gut. She couldn’t imagine it. Nick had over half a decade on her but was in many ways more insular than she was. He had even said that he had always been alone. That was the reason why the thought unsettled her. No other reason.
Nick walked back to the couch and saw Judy staring at him. Nick raised an eyebrow. “Whatcha thinkin’ about, Carrots?”
Well, now or never, Judy supposed. “Have you ever… been in love?”
The question seemed to take Nick by surprise, as he stopped for a second and his face took on an oddly thoughtful expression. It was only for a moment though, as he soon continued back to the couch with his normal, smug look. “Have the movies finally gotten to you?” he teased.
“I, uh, maybe.” Judy said, recognizing the deflection. For all the strides Nick had made, she still should have known better than instantly dropping such a deep and personal question. Judy attempted a different approach.
“Have you ever been on a date?"
Nick snorted as he plopped back down onto the couch. “Believe it or not, Carrots, some mammals don’t have a one-track mind for their career. Yes, I’ve been on dates.”
“How come you don’t go on any now? You’ve certainly had plenty of offers.” It was true. Between his looks, charm, and being a hero cop, he certainly wasn’t lacking for interested vixens.
“I’m just not interested in them, Carrots.”
“Oh.” Judy considered this for a minute. “Do you not like women?”
Nick laughed. “No, I do. Just… not them.” He paused. “Besides, I haven’t got the time. Keeping you from getting yourself killed comes with plenty of overtime.”
Judy didn’t laugh. She knew it was a joke, but she didn’t like feeling like a burden. Especially not for Nick, who had already given so much for her. Lost in her mind, Judy let the silence stretch too long.
Nick cocked his head. “What’s got you thinking about this stuff?”
Judy took a deep breath. Then let her anxiety burst out. “My parents want to set me up on a date. With one of our neighbor’s sons. They’ve been ragging on me lately about not having a boyfriend, and I guess they finally decided to do something. I told them I’d consider it. They made a good point that I should at least get some experience. Dating, I mean. I’ve never been on a date before.”
She looked at Nick, who was still wearing a quizzical look. “And it’s not something I’ve ever thought about. But now, I can’t stop thinking about it. They’re right. I don’t know anything about romance. I don’t know what it’s like to be in love. And if I don’t know, how can I prepare?”
“Whoa, easy fluff.” Nick said, placing a paw on her shoulder. “Slow down, take a deep breath.”
Judy did. She felt a little better, getting her worries out into the world. Nick would help; she knew that. She might have to endure some mirthful teasing, but he always came through in the end. Hmm. Maybe he could help in a more involved way.
“Nick, you know things about dating.”
“From what you told me, I’ve been on infinitely times as many dates as you have.”
“Perfect!” Judy said, ignoring the dig on her inexperience. “You can help me! You can run me through a scenario, like in the academy.”
“You want me to go on a… fake date with you?”
“Exactly, give me pointers and stuff!” Judy gave Nick a solid sock on the arm. “So that if I ever decide to go on a date, I’ll know what to do.”
“A date isn’t a test, Carrots. There are plenty of wrong things to do, but there isn’t one right thing to do.”
“That’s close enough. ‘cmon Nick, you know how much I hate not being the best at something.”
Nick sighed. “This can’t be healthy. But sure, why not?”
After Judy left for the night, Nick collapsed onto his couch. What have you gotten yourself into this time, Wilde? Logically, he knew this was all his fault. How many times had the opportunity presented itself for him to make a move? And how many times had he put it off? There will always be more moments, he told himself, knowing it was really cowardice.
But now, there Judy was, begging him to take her on a fake date. A practice one. For when she would be ready to try it on her own. Without him. His heart sank, and he began to go down an all too familiar mental path. Suddenly, an idea came to him. He was going to do what he did best. Ignore the problem and deal with it later. If he was truly going to take Judy on a (fake) date, he might as well indulge in the fantasy for a bit. He grabbed his laptop and opened a planning document. If this was another opportunity, then he was going to give it everything he had. Before he didn’t have any chances left.