It started when Judy asked Clawhauser if he had room for a roommate, and he winced.

"Ooh, sorry," he said. "Bruin is very territorial." Affectionately; "Silly old bear."

Judy blinked. One of these days, she really needed to figure out what exactly was going on there.

"Well, it's just that I'm about ready to move out of my starter place, and I'd appreciate it if you could put the word out. Oh, wait, the bulletin board."

"Or you could ask your partner," Nick said, shoving her Starbuck decaf under her nose, which twitched. "Really, Carrots, I'm crushed."

She took the coffee and smiled at him. He smirked back.

"So, do you know someone?"

"As a matter of fact I do. You do too. Medium height, cop, sleek red coat, incredibly handsome."

"Nope, doesn't ring a bell. Ben?"

"Nooo clue," the cheetah said, shaking his head.

"...You two are getting way too good at this banter thing."

They gave him creepy parodies of his own smirk.

Honestly, Judy didn't have much to pack. He offered to carry her alarm clock, which earned him a slug on the arm. Asked how she could possibly give up the complementary delousing and noisy neighbours. Another slug.

"Did you buy those for me?" she asked, when she saw her room.

"Nah, I just happened to have a sheets and a pillowcase with carrots on them. In case I ever had a bunny roommate."

That was when she hugged him. He patted her awkwardly on the head.

"Thanks," she murmured into his torso.

His phone rang. He swiped straight into the video call. "Hi, Mom."

"Nicholas! What's this I hear about you becoming a police officer!"

"Well, the Pawpsicle business was kind of stagnating, so I decided to move into a field with more growth potential."

His mother smiled at the joke, and then put a hand to her chest, clearly verklempt. "My little bubbeleh, serving and protecting. Your father and I are so proud."

She tilted her phone to show Mister Wilde in a recliner, reading a newspaper. He glanced up. "Yeah, son, real proud."

Momma Wilde took center stage again. "Now, Nicholas, be sure to be careful."

"Don't worry, Mom, I've got the second best cop on the force as my partner." He panned the camera down.

And so, Mrs. Wilde's first sight of Judy Hopps was the rabbit glaring at her son.

"Uh, hello?"

"Oh, hi! I'm Judy Hoops! Don't worry, I take good care of Nick. I hardly ever have to save his life - ow, ow, no noogies, ow-"

For her part, Mrs. Wilde's mouth was hanging open. She turned to the side. "Robin, our son's partner is a bunny. And female."

"Really?" Mr. Wilde flicked the paper shut.

"Dad, no, no, don't you even start-"

"Hey, Judy, is that Nick's guest bedroom?"

Nick had covered his face with his palm, so Judy took the phone from his hand and gave them a look around. "Well, it's really more of my room now."

Judy had thought she heard every possible variation of the Mom Voice. But this one was new. "Really. Whose idea was it for you to move in?"

"Nick's, Mrs. Wilde. Right after he got me our morning coffee."

There was a strangled sort of noise from behind her.

"Call me Marian, dear. Tell me honey, is it true that rabbits have large families?"

"Mom! You can't just-that's-"

"Well, my family does. Dozens and dozens of little brothers and sisters."

"Don't encourage her," Nick muttered.

"Okay, what is your problem?"

Nick moved his hand just enough to look at her with one eye. "You're a rabbit."

"Last time I checked...?"

"What are the three things 'everyone knows' rabbits do?"

"Hop, eat carrots, and look cute."

"Four things."

"Multiply."

Nick raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly, Judy was very warm. Especially in the facial region.

"What? No! Nonono! I'm not-we're just-partners! Work partners! And roommates!"

"Yeah," Robin chuckled. "That's usually how it starts."

"Nicky, dear, we were expecting a nice vixen, but I want you to know that we respect your life choices."

Judy frantically looked at her partner. Nick stared at the window, his mouth a thin line. The shade was down, but that didn't seem to bother him.

Afterward, she was never clear about what happened between that moment and her ending up facedown in the couch with her ears all flopsy, trying to cool her flaming cheeks in a pillow.

Eventually, there was the sensation of someone sitting on the right end of the couch, then the TV turning on, then the Steve Harevy Show.

Nick said nothing.

Judy said nothing.

"Bweh hwuh."

"Mmm?"

Judy lifted her head about an inch, just enough to speak clearly. "You said that you and your mother could barely afford a Ranger outfit."

"So?"

"Big house." Judy's finger stabbed at the photo on the end table, which showed both of the elder Wildes in front of a spacious ranch-style. "And I saw the brand new TV behind your dad."

"Stepdad, actually." His shoulders hitched a little, and he gave her that sort of sidelong look that she had learned meant This Is Personal. "Never found out what happened to the original model, but I'm pretty sure I prefer the replacement."

She stared at him for a second. "Nick, did you buy your parents a house?"

"What did you think I was doing with all that undeclared income? Buying baby strollers?"

Judy's nose twitched. "Wait, so you're telling me-" Her lips twitched. "That the big, bad Nick Wilde was sending money home to mommy?!"

"And dad."

While he waited for his lapine partner to finish laughing, Nick popped the two servings of PF Kanga's into the microwave. By the time it had cooled down, Judy was in recovery mode, and he plopped it down in front of her with a glass of carrot juice.

"Thanks. Are you sure this is the veggie one?"

"Yes."

"Because I'm a rabbit, I can't eat meat."

"They're both veggie."

"Oh. So you..."

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I just...don't." His shoulders hitched again, as he picked up the remote. "Allow me to introduce you to the wonders of Netfox, country Carrots."

In the end, they pulled down the blinds, and ended up watching The Bleat, about a maverick cop and a by-the-book cop who tried to solve a crime. Nick wasn't exactly a fan of the maverick cop's actress, but she turned in a decent enough performance. And then it was Judy's choice; Feet, about a bank robbery.

Right about the time the charismatic Scottish Terrier thief said to the Bulldog cop "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you hear feet around the corner", it occurred to Judy that "sly fox" rhymed with "my fox".

Whoa, where did that come from? Was it his parents? Would she even be thinking about it otherwise?

Was Nick thinking about it?

There was that moment at the museum, but maybe it was because of her leg. Normally, he'd never do something like that, say something like that, no matter what he was feeling.

If he knew that she was paying attention.

If.

"I may fall asleep on you," she said.

"This was your movie, Carrots."

She yawned. "Seen it before. Wanted to see it with you."

"How many times?"

She yawned again. "High school, summer camp, the Academy..."

He only realized she was asleep when her cheek thumped into his left shoulder.

And then she slid off.

He caught her before she could faceplant into his lap, and eased her down, grabbing a pillow for her to rest her head on. She seemed just fine with that, with her right side down and face toward the TV.

Nick fondly regarded his partner.

Time to face the elephant in the room. Which ZPD sensitivity training had pointedly informed him he was Not Supposed to Say and therefore he only said it in his own head.

In the museum, when Judy had been, frankly, gloating (he had been so proud!), she had put her hand on his shoulder, and he had put his around her waist, and maybe squeezed it a little. Sure, her leg gave him an excuse, and he had quietly removed it the second he could, and she had never bought it up, and - had she even noticed?

And here she was, with a completely unprotected side. The same side, in fact. Would it be creepy to just...do that again? While she was sleeping? Maybe he could just...kind of let his left hand drop. If she didn't like it, he could tell her he didn't notice. Whoops, paying attention to the movie.

The texture of her t-shirt was different from the flannel she wore at the museum. He could feel her relax. She even snuggled the back of her head into his stomach, murmured something indistinct.

Uh...

Okay.

How did she keep doing this to him? One minute he's just an ordinary hustler, the next he's going to mob weddings, then staring down the biggest cop in town - and winning. Then she somehow got him in blue-

Maybe that's why it hurt so much at the press conference. Maybe he had already started to fall for her.

She stirred, and Nick stroked her side until she calmed down. Maybe it was a rabbit thing. She said she had a big family, and even on a farm, you only had so much room. If you grew up in those kind of quarters, maybe the big city felt a little lonely without someone close and warm.

He wanted to stroke her ears. Was that...allowed? Maybe it was like sheep and their wool. What if he just used a finger? Would that wake up-

"-My bunny".

why did he say that out loud

He felt her freeze, and she turned over, staring up at him.

"...Friend," he said, as he pulled his hand away. "My bunny friend. My bunny bud-"

Without looking, she trapped his left hand in her right, interlaced fingers, pulled it back so their hands rested on her stomach. She just kept staring at him, with those big, innocent eyes of hers, and her chin came up in that defiant little tilt-

And then, with her free hand, she bought out the carrot-pen.

"My bunny," it said.

"Uh."

"My fox," she said - or maybe corrected - and smiled at him.

And there, for a time, the matter rested.

THE END

For the purposes of this fic, bunnies have the same romantic reputation that the French do in real life. Several of the other officers have been checking Judy out, but even leaving aside the size differences, she hasn't noticed, and besides, everyone knows she's with Nick. If they weren't, why would they be moving in together? Everyone can see they're totes a cute couple.

If you want to read another romance fic of mine about a Disney movie, check out Tron Legacy: Logout, on my profile. You can also see the title card I drew at fav dot me slash d9ufcp0.