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Officer Clawhauser was not the first person to wish Judy a happy birthday; her parents, as per tradition, had called her at three seventeen in the morning to remind her that she'd kept them up all night twenty-six years ago. Clawhauser was, however, the first person who hadn't been present at the original event to do so.
"Morning, Judy! And happy birthday!" He leaned over the edge of the desk, grinning toothily at her. "Do you have big plans tonight?"
Judy shook her head.
"Tomorrow, then? Come on, you've got to celebrate!"
"I am. I'm going to order in, watch a crime drama, and get some real sleep." Judy almost resisted the urge to sigh at the sympathetic shift in Clawhauser's expression. "It's fine, really. I don't need a lot of mammals putting up a huge…Nick didn't plan some huge surprise party, did he?"
Clawhauser shook his head hurriedly. "No. And I'm not just saying that!"
"I know." Judy gave Clawhauser a gentle smile and reached up to pat his paw. "But I've got to get to the bullpen-"
"Oh, not before I give you your birthday present!" Clawhauser tugged a small package from behind the desk and held it out to Judy. "It's just a little thing, but I thought you might like it."
"Thanks!" Judy tugged the paper off, tearing it at the edges where Clawhauser had sealed it sloppily. Inside was a small turtle made of a dark metal, smooth to the touch; a loop at the tail end seemed to be for linking it to a necklace, which...there was indeed a loop of chain in the box as well. She looked up at Clawhauser, teeth still showing, and had a moment of uncertainty in how to ask why he'd given her a turtle without it sounding rude. "Um, it's lovely-"
"But why a turtle?" Clawhauser leaned a little closer. "If you hop up here I can explain, if you've got a minute."
Judy shot a glance to the front entrance and shrugged. "Since Nick hasn't shown up yet, I'm sure I do." She clambered up to the desk and sat before giving Clawhauser an attentive look. "Well?"
"It's a little religious, actually. A little cultural. Have you ever heard of Chelonialism?" Judy shook her head; until recently, she'd had little experience outside of Bunnyburrow's casual Martinism. "We probably don't have quite enough time for that explanation, but Chelonii - we, that is - have a saying. 'In a hundred years we'll all be dead, but here and now, we're alive'." He smiled wistfully at that, and Judy realized with a start she didn't know very much about Benjamin Clawhauser at all. "The turtle reminds us there's something that'll outlast all of us, so we ought to keep the place tidy for it."
Judy pushed the box back at Clawhauser. "I don't know if I should be wearing a - a religious icon. It's a little presumptuous."
Clawhauser shook his head. "No, keep it. It's a sort of good luck charm, too." His gaze slipped down, and Judy's heart skipped a beat. Everybody had come out to celebrate her recovery after the Blood Blossoms incident, but Clawhauser had seemed a little more choked up about it than most other mammals.
"Well, if it's for luck..." She hooked the chain through the loop and clipped the necklace into place. "How's it look?"
"Oh, wonderful!" Clawhauser was beaming, the genial, less toothy smile that was his default. "Now I think you're just in time for the morning briefing, so-"
"Whoops! Thanks, Ben!" Nick called Clawhauser Ben - he called most mammals by their first names, if he could get away with it. Judy had stayed professional, but this seemed a time to reconsider that choice, at least in certain circumstances.
She arrived at the bullpen alone, and found the crowded room was absent one red fox. She glanced around again to make sure she hadn't missed him, but Nick was not there.
Judy took her seat, feeling off-balance, and folded her paws in her lap. Chief Bogo took the stand, waiting until the noise died down.
He gave a thin smile. "Good morning. Our first order of business is a nod to Officer Hopps. It's Judy's twenty-sixth birthday today-"
"Congratulations, Flowers!" A round of laughter cut off the rest of Bogo's statement while Judy ducked her head. She'd loudly threatened dire consequences on whoever had started using that nickname, and everyone had gone on using it, as the culprit was almost certainly Nick. It was better than almost anything they'd have stuck a rabbit with, and at least a nickname with a history that involved preventing two coups and a collapse of predator-prey relations.
"All presents, cards, and free drinks can be dealt with on your own time. Now, assignments. Hopps, you're on traffic duty-"
"Sir!"
Bogo leveled a glare at Judy. "Your partner is, as I've been told, not here, so you'll have to forgive me for putting you on a job that has a low chance of ending in a high-speed chase, you requiring backup, or a press conference. Bergot, Delgato - downtown patrol…"
Judy mostly tuned Bogo out, musing on Nick's absence. She waited until the meeting broke for everyone to head out to their assignments and checked her phone. Nothing, making Nick's absence more mysterious...and worrying.
Judy's distraction slowed her work; she barely hit 150 tickets by the end of the day, and she still hadn't heard from Nick. He was either in trouble or...hadn't bothered to even get in touch with Judy on her birthday, and both possibilities were worrying.
On the way home, she browsed through her takeout options, intent on following her original plan for the evening. She'd settled on pizza, and was struggling with her keys at the front door when her phone dinged. She tugged it outside once she was inside, and felt a surge of - something - when she saw it was Nick.
slickwild: you home yet?
Judy frowned at the message before typing a response.
judethedude: Just got here. Where have you been?
slickwild: paying the piper
slickwild: you got ten minutes to shower.
judethedude: Shower?
slickwild: yeah you stink when ur shifts over
judethedude: >:(
slickwild: no apologies. get in the shower hopps
judethedude: Why?
slickwild: curtain's up at seven.
Judy stared at the message for a few long moments before her heart lightened and a grin pulled at her mouth. Nick was, as always, full of surprises. Whatever he had planned, he wanted Judy to make a good impression on whoever'd be there.
She was clean in seven minutes, but a knock at the door proved Nick was ahead of schedule himself. Judy took a moment considering before deciding she could afford to head out there in just a towel, though she double-checked the peephole to verify she wasn't about to meet her landlord with only a towel to preserve her modesty.
Nick looked...smart. He'd brushed out his fur, and dressed in a crisp dark blue suit. A diamond-patterned green tie set off the color just a bit, and he was grinning at Judy. He held a clothes hanger at arm's length, something covered in plastic. Nick held it out to Judy.
"Your dress."
"Nick-"
"Five minutes, Carrots. You don't want to be running late and make a scene, do you?"
Judy gaped at Nick for a moment, but when his expression didn't shift, she grabbed the hanger and retreated to her bathroom where she tugged the plastic away and took a moment to look. The dress was dark green, a complement to Nick's tie, restrained, calf-length, and short-sleeved. Once it was on her…
Judy found an unfamiliar mammal in the mirror, someone who looked adult and serious. She turned a little, finding the dress was...not tight, but more restrained than the billowy summer dresses she preferred when she wanted to look nice. Turning back to face the mirror, Judy smiled gently, unused to seeing herself look so...well, pretty. She tugged nervously at her ears, finding them looking plain.
She took a deep breath and stepped back out. Nick was lounging against her kitchen counter; when she entered, he straightened and gave her a wide, close-mouthed smile.
"That was quick."
"I was threatened with public humiliation if I was late." Judy paused, catching sight of Ben's little metal turtle, and swept it up, clasping it back around her neck. She turned back to Nick and afforded him a smile; it felt tentative, somehow. "Are we ready to go?"
"Certainly."
Nick held out an arm; Judy gave it a moment before taking it, letting Nick lead her downstairs like something out of an old movie. Outside, one of Mr. Big's long black cars was waiting, Renato standing by the door to let them in.
Nick was...quiet, thoughtful, and Judy felt odd giving him more than quick glances. When they arrived at the Zootopia Theater, however, Judy gave him more than a passing glance, grabbing Nick's arm with more force than was strictly necessary.
"You got tickets to Titus Andromedarycus? They've been sold out for months!"
Nick shrugged. "Well, I knew you wanted to go. Who wouldn't want to see Shakesdeer's most violent play?"
Nick, Judy thought, but kept that thought to herself. He'd gone through the trouble to get tickets, to dress up, to ask Fru Fru or Renato for a favor, so she'd not press too hard on what it cost Nick to sit down and watch Shakesdeer's most brutal drama, the story of bloody revenge that was Judy's favorite.
She let Nick lead her to their seats, settled down, and waited. They'd cut it close, but that was Nick for you.
The play was...well, it was her favorite, so although there were weaknesses, it was a wonderful show. Nick handled himself pretty well, although he kept Judy's paw clenched in his through most of the second half. So when it was over, rather than sit through five minutes of applauding, Judy tugged Nick out of his seat and out onto the street. She whirled on him once they were both free, and grabbed him around the waist.
"Thank you!"
Nick wound his arms around Judy. "So you liked it."
"Of course."
"Vicious little mammal." Nick disentangled them and looked around carefully before breaking into a jog, pulling Judy after him. "Anyway, the night isn't over yet."
Renato was waiting across the street; Nick gave him a little salute as the jaguar let them into the car.
"Nick…"
"I learned early that a responsible fox keeps his rabbit well-fed," Nick replied with a grin. "Onward, Renato!"
They fell silent, then. Nick, she thought, must have been recovering from the play, and Judy…
Everything still felt slightly surreal, dreamlike, especially when they pulled up to Ratatouille. She glanced at Nick, who was grinning so wide it made her jaw hurt, so proud of himself, and kept her mouth shut. She let him lead her inside, where a table for two was ready for Mr. Wilde, and settled quietly across from him. After a minute, Nick glanced up from his menu, smile faltering when he looked at Judy.
"Carrots?"
"Nick - are you attracted to me?"
Nick's ears flicked up and his whole posture tensed. He glanced Judy up and down, swallowed once or twice. Judy didn't dare breathe. They'd never talked about it - she'd thought it was settled, the easy rhythm of their friendship a sign that they'd found what worked for them. But seeing Nick going to such trouble for her, her stomach was in knots at the thought of having to hurt him.
"I can't...say that I am, Ca - Judy. I mean, you look nice in that dress, obviously, but you're...the sort of friend I never dreamed of having. I can't explain how it all makes sense, but I want a beautiful, smart, dedicated, sly bunny as a best friend. I...don't see anything else I want from you."
Judy started breathing again, but Nick's ears were drooping, the tension gone from his body, and she realized it might be settled for her, but Nick didn't know if she was broken-hearted or angry or what.
"Good. I saw all the trouble you went through and I worried...you saw something I didn't."
Nick chuckled weakly, but by the time he waved down their waiter and ordered a bottle of wine for the table, his smile, his real smile had returned.
"Now, what's good?"
"This is literally the best restaurant in town, and you're asking what's good?"
Nick shrugged, leaning into his menu. "Well, yeah. I am dropping a pretty penny on this outing; I wouldn't want to have a bad time."
"The head chef reduced a critic to tears."
"Ooh! Do you think we can get whatever they made that time?"
Their waiter, a squat ferret, scrambled up to their table, pouring two glasses of dark red wine for them. He looked between Nick and Judy expectantly. "Are you ready to order?"
"Yes. I'd like whatever you people served to make that one critic cry." Judy had to lift a paw to conceal her smile and hold back a laugh.
"Ah - the ratatouille, then? It's a vegetarian dish…"
Nick's grin widened. "Well, I'm a vegetarian, so it works out all around. Judy?"
"I'll have the ratatouille, too," she agreed. She waited until the waiter had retreated before she looked back up at Nick. "How did you even get a reservation here?"
Nick, who was mid-sip into his glass, paused before continuing his drink. His ears, though, were a little stiffer, a little closer to his head than usual, and he drank longer than seemed reasonable before setting the glass back down.
"You really ought to try the wine; it's delicious."
"Nick…"
Nick took a deep breath. "Okay. But you gotta promise not to get...weird about it."
Judy's chest hitched a little. "Nick?"
"And don't laugh. I...made the reservation when I found out when your birthday was."
Judy almost laughed despite her promise, but fought it down rather than embarrass Nick. "We'd known each other a week."
Nick shrugged. "And you were already the best friend I'd ever had. So I thought...well, it wouldn't be terrible if I were to make a fuss over your birthday."
Judy wiped at her eyes, but the smirk on Nick's muzzle made it clear she hadn't quite concealed her teary reaction to Nick's explanation. "Well. I clearly have miles to go before I can get as thoughtful as you. Don't tell me you got the tickets that early, too."
"Nah. That was luck. For all he's a shrinking violet, Milo's got connections. I spent most of the day helping him re-paint his apartment in exchange. Before that, I was considering one of those rickshaw tours of the city - let you bask in this wretched hive of scum and villainy."
Judy chuckled despite herself. "You grew up here."
"So I think I'd know better than you."
There was a brief pause when the waiter reappeared with their food, and they each got a refill on their wine. Judy took a few minutes to put her thoughts together before she spoke again; it was easy to pass it off as taking in the ratatouille, which was a savory mix of earthy vegetables with just the right mix of acid.
"Well, thank you. This evening has been...lovely. I…" Judy paused, words escaping her despite her time spent thinking, tears prickling at her eyes. "I love you, you know?"
"It's been mentioned once or twice."
"And I…" Judy hiccuped, unexpectedly. "I want to be worth it, and, and-"
A paw landed on hers; Judy glanced up to meet Nick's gaze, even, bright green, open and, and - kind. "It that it? You're extraordinary, Judy Hopps. I'm just waiting for the day some dapper gentleman comes along and sweeps you off your feet." When Judy snorted, Nick raised one eyebrow. "Sorry, dapper young lady?"
Judy downed a gulp of her wine and shrugged. "No clue. No one's ever...clicked, you know?"
"Well, I presumed a rabbit's got needs…"
"Nick." Judy's ears were burning; no one nearby seemed to be listening in, but still...
"Look, if the whole...mating thing isn't for you, I'm not going to judge."
"No, I…" They were apparently actually talking about this in the middle of a crowded restaurant, but Judy pushed through the mortification, her burning ears, because she'd never had anyone she felt comfortable talking to. "I like the idea, but...I couldn't imagine doing - anything with someone I didn't…" She shrugged helplessly, looking back to Nick for some support in his expression, but…
His ears were straight up, a hint of bristling to his fur, and she realized he was startled.
"Nick?"
"Sorry, sorry." Nick smoothed his fur down hurriedly. "I was just surprised. You've been around the block a couple of times and forget that some people haven't. But well, I suppose it shouldn't come as a shock you've got discriminating tastes." He grinned at Judy. "But I'll drop it, for the sake of your nerves. Now, I hope you saved room for dessert."
"You would." Judy waved down the waiter and gave him a wide smile. "Bring us an order of whatever dessert's got the most fruit in it, and...what've you got in a mousse?"
They shared a second bottle of wine over dessert, leaving them both a little unsteady as they found Renato, but Judy felt light, happy, with no impending disasters or lingering anxiety holding her down. She dozed against Nick's side as Renato drove them back to Judy's apartment, waking only when Nick nudged her once they'd arrived.
"Come on, let's get you to bed."
"Hm, such a gentleman."
"Not a bit. I've been threatened on three separate occasions not to let anything happen to you."
"What?" Judy pushed Nick back; he caught himself on the far wall of her apartment stairwell, preventing them both from falling. "Who?"
"The Oryx-Antlersons, of course, your mother, and Ben."
"Ben Clawhauser?"
"Bared his teeth at me and everything. That cuddly, smiling look is just an act, Carrots - remember that."
Judy chuckled, uncertain how serious Nick was at this time of night, but let it drop. Nick guided them both safely to Judy's door and paused there before tugging her in close.
"Happy birthday, Cottontail."
Judy grabbed Nick in response, holding on tight. "You're setting the bar high for your own birthday, Wilde," she murmured.
"Naw, I'm easy. Drinks, dancing, and pie."
"Watch yourself, or that's what you'll get."
"Alright, go to bed, Hopps."
Judy let Nick push her away, and cracked her door open before looking back at him. He was smiling fondly at her, an expression she couldn't help but return. But rather than linger there staring at each other, Judy slipped back into her apartment. She changed out of the dress, hanging it up carefully, and then flopped down onto her bed.
She hadn't expected much from the day - a call from her parents, maybe a decent meal out with Nick, a movie at home. Instead she found a night months in the planning, Ben giving her something of himself, and discovering the Oryx-Antlersons sort of liked her?
Falling asleep alone in her tiny little apartment in Zootopia, Judy couldn't imagine a rabbit more blessed.