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The inside of the cruiser was silent, as it often was in the past few weeks. Judy drove, eyes forward and a hint of a frown across her muzzle. Nick hid behind his sunglasses and watched the city slide by his window.
It had taken years for him to realize it, but he’d fallen in love with his partner.
The clincher had been two months ago, when she’d been quarantined after exposure to a highly communicable virus. Her confinement had been seven days of pure misery for Nick. They’d been able to communicate via phone, and Judy felt well enough to use video chat more often than not, but… it wasn’t enough for him. He barely slept for the entire week, not out of concern for her health — he knew her physical symptoms were mild at best — but because he couldn’t see her in person. He couldn’t lightly brush against her ear. He couldn’t smell her subtle but intoxicating scent. When she was finally released, and he gave her a huge, bone-cracking hug, he distinctly remembered thinking, That’s it for you, Wilde. You got it bad.
After weeks of struggling to keep his feelings to himself, he’d given in and begun flirting with his partner more and more flagrantly. His constant stream of jokes and wisecracks had grown more suggestive. His compliments on her appearance had shifted from half-mocking to overly earnest. He kept finding reasons — no, excuses — to linger near her, to touch her shoulder, to look into her eyes.
Her initial responses to these advances had been to grin and roll her eyes. But as his ability to hold himself back slipped, her reactions became more reserved. Her smiles became fainter and more tentative. Sometimes she’d simply look at him with a blank expression for a long moment.
Deep within his heart, Nick knew he was screwing things up beyond repair. She doesn’t feel the same way about you. Every time you lay it on thick, it drives her a little further away. You’re flirting more with suspension than you are with her. As she grew more remote, he finally forced his stupid adolescent lovesickness back under control and swore to himself that he’d suffer in silence.
Too little, too late, he thought as he stared out the passenger window. She barely looks at you now. I guess you saved yourself the humiliation of asking her out — it’s pretty damn obvious what her response would have been.
He tried to keep his sigh as quiet as possible. Was it better when you just didn’t know? When you could tell yourself that maybe she was interested in you?
Nick shoved his sunglasses up onto his forehead and rubbed an eye. Good gods, he thought. You’re well into your thirties and you’re still acting like some teenager with a crush. Get a grip and do your job instead of seeing how close you can get to sexual harassment charges.
He slid his shades back into place and made a conscious effort to straighten his posture. As he turned to face the windshield instead of the passenger window, he saw Judy glance at him from the corner of his eye.
“Are you okay?” she asked. He heard genuine concern in her voice and tried to ignore the stab that came with it.
He mustered a small but carefully impersonal smile. “Yeah. Just lost in thought.”
She threw him another glance. After a moment, she said, “Thoughts about what?”
It was easier to stifle the first response that sprang to his lips than it had been a few weeks earlier. “Nothing important. Just… fox things.”
Although he was doing his best not to stare at her, he saw a half-smile form on her muzzle. “Fox things,” she repeated. Her ears, he noticed, were sitting higher than they had been for a while.
He didn’t feel a reply was necessary, so he simply scanned the streets. The citizens of Zootopia seemed to be, for the most part, engaged in their everyday business and observing all applicable laws. A few mammals waved in recognition as the cruiser passed.
When Judy spoke again, it took Nick by surprise.
“I’ve had a lot on my mind too. I’m sorry it seems like…” She trailed off as her eyebrows drew down. “I’m sorry that things have been different lately. I guess I’ve kind of retreated inside myself and pushed you away.”
Hopps took a deep breath and held it for a moment before exhaling. She took her eyes off the road for a moment to look at Nick.
“Do you want to do something together? Just go out and have some fun? I miss doing things like that.”
Nick held himself steady with a vicious effort. It’s a peace offering, Wilde, just accept it. It isn’t going to be a date — it’ll never be a date. But she’s decided to ignore the clumsy flirting, and she’s still your friend. And that’s a hell of a lot better than being nothing at all to each other.
He carefully constructed an expression of polite interest. “Yeah. That sounds great. Any ideas?”
Judy’s ears were standing straight up now. “It feels like my apartment has been closing in around me. Maybe we could go bowling.”
Nick smirked despite himself. “The last time we tried bowling, it didn’t go so well. I think they have your picture posted at the desk, labeled ‘do not admit.’”
The insides of her ears flushed. “Okay, I admit, maybe sometimes I have slight issues with accepting defeat.”
“Wow. That is some top-notch deflection. Right up there with ‘maybe sometimes fire has a slight tendency to burn things.’”
“Okay, okay. We should probably stay away from competitive things. We could hit a bar?”
“Look, Carrots, I’m not trying to shoot down all your ideas, I’m really not. But history suggests you are a bit of a lightweight when it comes to drinking.”
Hopps rolled her eyes. “I’ve gotten more used to it. And I promise I’ll pace myself. I really want to just… go out and get away from things for a while.”
Nick sighed with exaggerated frustration. “Fine. Just remember that when you feel like crap the next day. So when did you want to do this?”
Judy gave a casual shrug. “Our shift tomorrow doesn’t start until the afternoon. Tonight’s as good a night as any.”
“One last time: are you sure you want to go out drinking on a work night?” Nick asked. “I know better than to say you can call off if you’re hung over.”
“I’ll be fine, grandpa. Stop worrying over me.”
Nick held up his paws in a gesture of defeat. “All right, I’m done with the nagging. That usual place near the station?”
Her nose wrinkled. “Nah, let’s try somewhere new. What about… this place?” She gestured at a sign ahead and to the left of the vehicle. Nick craned his neck to get a look.
“Huh. Nondescript cinderblock building, and the business name is literally ‘Dive Bar.’ Charming lack of pretension,” he mused. “The sign promises cold beer, mixed drinks, pool, darts, and whatever ‘karyoakie’ is supposed to mean.”
“Come on, Nick, you know what karaoke is. Mammals sign up to sing along with songs, usually badly.”
“I guess that’s what they were getting at. I hope the service is better than the spelling.” Nick made a mental note of the approximate address. “What time do you want to meet there?”
She shrugged again. “Does eight thirty sound okay to you?”
Nick imitated her shrug. “Sure. Eight thirty.”
***
The exchange seemed to break the tension between the two partners. Judy acted more relaxed and friendly, and Nick managed to approximate his light-hearted attitude from months earlier. The remainder of their shift passed without the awkwardness that had been so oppressive lately.
As Nick made his way home afterwards, however, he had no reason to hide his glumness. It’ll just be a few hours, he told himself. Drink a few beers, make some innocuous jokes, bid her goodnight. You were just thinking you’d rather be friends with her than have no relationship at all. So grit your teeth and get through it.
He forced himself to eat a larger dinner than his appetite warranted. Fill up, he thought, unless you want to get sloppy-drunk and humiliate yourself even further. That done, he dragged himself into the shower and scrubbed himself vigorously, as if he expected to find a different fox underneath his own fur.
After he dried himself, he considered what to wear. Definitely not in a Pawaiian shirt mood tonight, he decided. Probably not a great idea to wear the ZPD T-shirt either… hard to tell from one glance at the outside, but Ye Olde Dive Bar may not love cops. He settled on jeans and a faded black concert T-shirt. Good enough. Not like I’m trying to impress anyone. The thought caught him by surprise, and he stomped out of his apartment in a somber mood.
With a considerable effort, he forced himself to lighten up as he walked to the bar. It could be a nice night. Judy will be there, and all you need to do is turn off the hormones for a while and behave like a normal mammal. Just enjoy her company while you can.
The evening was warm, and Nick found it easy to distract himself from his inner monologue. There were plenty of other mammals on the sidewalks, and most of them seemed to be in fine spirits. A light breeze carried the scent of flowers, and Nick tried to guess which parks it might have blown through.
He checked his phone as he approached Dive Bar. It was just after eight twenty. He didn’t see Judy outside, so he opened the door and peeked inside. He spotted a familiar pair of dark-tipped gray ears and smiled to himself as he stepped through.
The interior of the bar matched his expectations. It was dark enough that the only decorations visible were illuminated signs for beer and alcohol brands. The various tables and chairs seemed to be from at least four sets of very different styles. A spotlight shone on a small platform where a very inebriated coyote was mangling ‘The End of the World (As We Know It)’. The bartender on duty was a brown bear who looked as if he may have been there for decades. The room was about half-full, and the few mammals who looked up as Nick entered quickly dismissed him and returned to their own little worlds.
Nick walked over to where he’d seen Judy, who hadn’t noticed him yet. She was sitting at a small table, browsing a spiral-bound notebook of laminated pages.
“Evening, Carrots,” he said as he sat down opposite her. “Looking over the menu?”
She gave him a warm smile and closed the book. “No, this is the list of karaoke songs.”
He threw a pained look over his shoulder at the coyote who was still refusing to admit defeat. “Oh, right. I’m guessing they use that to tell when a mammal’s had enough to drink so they can ask him to leave.”
“C’mon, Slick,” Judy said with a grin. “You’ve never had the urge to get up in front of a bunch of strangers and belt out a song?”
“Let me put it this way,” he replied with a sigh. “If I was drunk enough to consider it, I’d probably be too drunk to stand or hold a microphone.” He looked at Judy doubtfully. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about singing something.”
To Nick’s surprise, a thoughtful look crossed Judy’s face. “I don’t know. Maybe. Doesn’t everyone have a fantasy of being a singer?” She looked at Nick’s chest and squinted. “You’re even wearing a band shirt, but I can’t tell what band it is.”
To his embarrassment, Nick couldn’t remember which shirt he was wearing and had to glance down at it. “Oh. They Might Be Anteaters. I was into them when I was younger.” He saw no recognition in Judy’s eyes, and fumbled to explain. “They play… kind of… I don’t know. Quirky music. Surreal, sometimes. They were popular with the college-age crowd. I saw them in concert about fifteen years ago.”
She looked at his shirt again.
“Well? Are they?”
“Huh? Are who what?”
“The band. Are they anteaters?”
Nick chuckled.
“No, in fact, they are not. It’s a reference to… something else, I can’t remember what.”
Judy opened the notebook again and flipped through the pages. “Huh, it lists a couple of songs here. ‘Birdhouse in Your Soul’ and… ‘Doctor Worm’?” She looked up at Nick curiously.
Nick laughed. “Yeah. ‘Doctor Worm’ was kind of a novelty hit. A very minor one. And the lyrics make about as much sense as the title itself. ‘Birdhouse’ is pretty catchy, though.”
“Hm, it kind of rings a bell. How does it go?”
“Let’s see here… it starts out, ‘Nice try, Carrots, but you won’t get me to sing no matter what.’”
She stuck out her tongue. “Spoilsport.”
“Trust me. If you’d ever heard me try to sing, you’d appreciate my restraint.”
She closed the notebook and shrugged. “If I was going to sing, it would have to be a pretty special song. With lyrics that meant a lot to me.”
“What, like ‘Try Everything’?”
Judy scoffed. “No. I love that song, but… it isn’t the kind of song I mean. It’s fine to sing under my breath in the car, or to listen to as I exercise, but to get up in front of other mammals and have them listen as I sing…” She shifted in her seat as if the thought made her uncomfortable. “It would have to be a statement. Like ripping open my skin and exposing my soul.”
Nick puffed out his cheeks. “Whoof. You know karaoke isn’t supposed to be a competition that someone can win, right? It’s just for fun. You seem a little… uh… intense about it.”
Hopps blinked and gave him a slightly embarrassed smile. “Heh. No worries, Slick, I’m not going to make a drunken spectacle of myself. Just thinking about moving out of my comfort zone a little. How about we get a couple of beers?”
It turned out to be a nice night. Conversation flowed more easily between them than it had in a long time. Nick was able to relax enough to enjoy himself, but took care not to lapse back into flirtation. He worked his way through four beers, and Judy stayed true to her word by nursing two drinks.
As they shuffled towards the door, Judy was still laughing over Nick’s last joke. She touched his arm lightly and said, “We need to do this more often. This was fun.”
Nick smiled and silently fought the urge to rip his arm away from her paw. “It was. And this dingy old place may not look like much, but it wasn’t bad.”
“Maybe this can be our new hangout. Make this a weekly thing.”
He paused for a split second. “Are you going to be able to fit this into your budget? Two whole beers every week?”
Judy pretended to ponder the question seriously. “I think I may be able to dip into my savings. Push my planned retirement out by a couple of years.”
Nick snorted. “Well, if you really want to make this a regular thing, I guess I can let the chess club guys down gently.”
Her ears sprang forward and her face lit up. “Perfect! We can come here the night before our days off, just in case we feel like cutting loose.”
“There’s no kind of fun like carefully planned, logically scheduled fun, after all.”
Judy swatted his arm. “That’s how I roll, Nick. You know that by now.”
***
Nick had to admit, visiting the Dive regularly was a good idea. Although he still kept a tight grip on his emotions, it was really nice to have a few beers and talk about everything and nothing with Judy again. He’d consciously backed away from hanging out at her place during their recent awkwardness, and he’d missed hanging out with her. Even if it would never lead to anything romantic, she was fun to be around.
And as they hit Dive Bar more, he felt more relaxed around her again. The need to censor himself was always present in his mind, but the unease he’d been feeling around her melted away. Things almost felt like they had before.
Every time they were at the bar, Judy paged slowly through the list of karaoke tunes. Sometimes she’d revisit it several times in a night.
“Working up your courage?” Nick asked one night as she flipped the plastic pages again.
She closed the book and replaced it on its stand. “Maybe. Rockstar dreams don’t die easily,” she said as she took a sip of her beer. Nick noticed the blush in her ears.
“Seriously, Carrots, if you want to get up and sing, I won’t laugh.”
Judy squinted suspiciously at Nick, who held up one paw.
“If worrying about me mocking you is keeping you from trying, then I swear on my mother that I won’t make fun of you for it.”
She relaxed and shrugged. “Well, I thought of the perfect song, but it’s not even in the book.” She took another drink. “No big loss.”
Nick threw a glance over his shoulder. “Talk to the guy running the song machine. Maybe he can add it for next time.”
Hopps pursed her lips as she gazed at the hyena sitting to the side of the singers’ platform. “I don’t know. It’s a silly idea.”
He poked her gently in the arm. “Sometimes silly ideas are the best kind. I’ve watched you pick through that book every single night we’ve come here, Carrots. You clearly want to sing something.”
Judy shrugged again, but more tentatively. She sipped her beer and looked down at the table.
Nick sighed. “Come on, just go talk to him. Find out whether it’s a possibility.”
He smiled as he felt her foot tapping under the table.
“Yeah. I’m gonna just ask. No harm in asking.”
“Atta girl.”
Nick drank his own beer as he watched Judy approach the hyena. He couldn’t hear any of their conversation, since the platform was currently occupied by a dromedary who was swaying dangerously as he shouted his way through a song Nick couldn’t identify. But he saw Judy’s ears fall as the hyena shook his head. He sighed in disappointment; now that she’d finally asked, he was feeling curious about what she wanted to sing.
She started to turn away when Nick saw the hyena say something else. Judy stopped and turned back to him, ears rising again. She raised her paws in an inquisitive gesture, to which the karaoke attendant nodded. He watched Judy fumble the phone out of her pocket and tap at the screen. She looked back up at the hyena and seemed to ask another question. He gave her a warm smile and shrugged with a slight nod.
Judy tucked her phone back into her pocket and bounced back to their table. She wore a grin on her face, but simply sat and took another pull at her beer.
“So?” Nick prompted. “It looked like he agreed to something.”
She looked at him with mirth in her eyes. “There’s a possibility. We’ll see next time.”
No matter how Nick pried, Judy refused to reveal anything further. Whatever it is, he concluded, it should be entertaining at the very least.
***
Another work shift was winding down. Hopps was driving, as usual, and there was a contented smile on her lips. Nick felt his own smile as he glanced at her.
Thank gods I didn’t ruin everything. I can’t imagine how I could have handled it if we’d had to split up. As long as I can take a little sip every now and then… steal a glance as she smiles, suffer her touch on my arm, hear her laugh over one of my jokes… I can deal with everything else.
Without looking away from the road, she said, “We have tomorrow off. Dive Bar night?”
“Sure. Did you want to invite Fangmeyer, or Clawhauser, or some of the others from the Precinct?”
Nick thought he saw a subtle motion from the corner of his eye, but when Judy spoke, her voice was calm. “Nah. I like feeling like this is our little thing, just the two of us, you know?”
“It’s your call, Fluff. I’m fine keeping it between us.”
“Super,” she said. “Meet you there at eight.”
***
Nick was halfway to the bar when he remembered that Judy might sing that night. Heh. No wonder she didn’t want to invite anyone else. I wouldn’t make fun of her, but good luck getting Clawhauser to stay quiet about anything.
Judy was already there when he arrived, sitting at the table that they’d more or less claimed as their own. An untouched beer was waiting for him and she’d worked her way through half of hers.
“Warming up the pipes, Carrots?” Nick asked with a grin.
Her ears twitched, and he saw a flash of panic in her eyes. “Uh. Maybe.”
Nick sat down and took a drink. “Relax. You look like you’re about to bolt for the door.”
Judy chuckled nervously. “I, uh, I’m having some second thoughts.”
“But the karaoke guy has everything lined up? He managed to find the song you wanted?”
“Yeah. I got here early to check, and he had it ready and put my name on the list. But…” Judy swallowed. Her ears were limp behind her shoulders and her breathing was fast. Genuine concern grew in Nick’s gut.
“Hey, Fluff, take it easy. You rabbits have naturally high blood pressure to begin with.”
Judy took a huge gulp from her beer and wiped her mouth on the back of her paw. “I’m going to cancel. When he calls my name, I’ll just explain that I changed my mind. Probably happens all the time.”
Nick reached out and tentatively patted Judy’s paw. “If that’s what you want to do. But I’d really like to hear you sing.”
Her eyes flashed up to meet his. “You would?”
Nick gave her a sincere smile. “I would. I’d love to hear your singing voice, not to mention what song you’ve picked.”
She looked back down at the table, glancing at her beer as if she drew comfort from the sight. “You promised you wouldn’t laugh,” she mumbled.
“Is that why you’re so worked up? You’re worried about my reaction?”
Judy shivered but remained silent.
Nick continued to stroke the back of her paw, hoping the comfort was worth the pain he felt. “I meant what I said earlier. Give me ten minutes and I’ll scrounge up a big foam finger to wave.”
A little bit of tension left her posture, and she smiled up at him. “I… Thanks.”
“So are you good to go? Gonna sing?”
Her eyes darted back and forth, although she seemed less frantic than before. “I, uh, I think so. I’ll probably be a little less worried after I finish this beer.”
Nick laughed. “Don’t guzzle it too fast. You’ll zip right through ‘feeling good’ and end up in ‘sick to your stomach.’”
Judy nodded and took a smaller drink. She set her bottle down and looked desperately up at Nick. “You really don’t have to stick around. If you want to head home early, I’ll understand.”
“Seriously? You think I’d leave now, after all this buildup?”
Her paws twitched on the table. “Just… you know…”
Nick sighed. “Carrots. Look at me.” He managed not to flinch when she looked into his eyes. “You can do this. None of these mammals —” he gestured around the bar “— know you. You’re just a rabbit having a night out.”
He saw her eyes glisten as if she was on the verge of tears. “But you know me,” she whispered.
“That’s right. I know you. And even if you go up there and… and squeal like a rusty door hinge, that isn’t going to make me think less of you. You’re my partner and my best friend, and I know that you’re… you’re just amazing all around. And you’ve never backed away from doing anything because you’re scared.”
Her eyes widened and she swallowed hard. “Do you mean that?”
Nick drew his head back in amusement. “Well, I guess you could have backed away from something that scared you, but I sure don’t know about it.”
Judy’s eyebrows lowered in frustration. “Not that part. About… I’m your best friend? You think I’m… amazing?”
The laughter faded from his expression. “You’re absolutely my best friend, paws down. There isn’t even another contender. I’m really sorry that we drifted apart for a while, and I’m grateful that we’ve gotten past it. And yes, I can honestly say I’ve never met another mammal half as amazing as you are.”
Once again, she seemed on the verge of tears. “Nick,” she said quietly. “I…”
He placed his paw over hers again.
“It’s okay, Carrots. I’m here. If you want to sing, I’d love to hear it. And if you don’t want to sing, we’ll just sit here and talk.”
Judy sniffed and took a sip from her beer. She turned to look at the karaoke organizer and her nose began to twitch.
“I’m going to do it. I’m going to sing.”
Nick was quietly amazed at how much his reassurance meant to her. Although her drinking slowed, she was still halfway through her second beer before her name was called. She glanced at Nick in trepidation, and he responded with a big smile and two thumbs-up. Judy stood, squared her shoulders, and marched to the platform.
She had to stand on her tiptoes to detach the microphone from its clip. For a long moment, she stood looking down at her feet, slowing her breathing. Then she nodded at the hyena and closed her eyes.
As she brought the microphone to her mouth, a chord sent a chill up Nick’s spine. I recognize this song was the only thought he managed before Judy began to sing, eyes still clamped shut.
I had to listen to you
You told me what you wanted time and again
I gave it some thought
Her voice was shaky and slightly off-key. Nick had never heard anything as beautiful in his life.
You treat me like I’m royalty
It’s so new to me
You even ask about my day
You’ve convinced me despite my doubts
It’s not my fault if I fall for you
It’s not my fault if I love everything about you
It’s not my fault
It’s all yours
Nick sat, numb with shock. She isn’t seriously… this isn’t… He refocused on Judy, whose eyes were still closed as she clutched the microphone.
Your heart has filled up my world
You’re my knight in shining armor
I’m not just saying that
You’ve convinced me despite my doubts
It’s not my fault if I fall for you
It’s not my fault if I love everything about you
It’s not my fault
It’s all yours
I’m jumping to conclusions, he thought in near-panic. She’s not singing to me, no matter how much I wish she were. I have to stop seeing things that aren’t there.
Nick felt like he’d been punched in the gut when he saw that her eyes were now open and she was staring directly at him.
You carry me when times are tough
You’re there when I’m here and gone
I’m glad you waited
The song swept into a short instrumental break, but Judy’s gaze didn’t waver from Nick. He found it hard to breathe.
You hear and see me like no one else
You’re the most important mammal to me
My center of gravity
Her voice cracked as she sang:
What took me so long?
She regained her composure during the short break before the next verse.
For once I finally feel alive
I understand it’s a lot to ask
I know it
I know it
Nick became aware that he’d gotten to his feet and was walking slowly towards her. The realization felt strangely distant.
You’ve convinced me despite my doubts
It’s not my fault if I fall for you
It’s not my fault if I love everything about you
It’s not my fault
It’s all yours
As the chorus repeated and faded, Nick found himself a short pace away from the platform, staring into Judy’s eyes. He was almost afraid to breathe.
Don’t read too much into this, Wilde. It was a popular song, she likes it like a million other mammals do.
But how old was she when this song was released? he asked himself. Five? Six, maybe? Every other song she’s ever mentioned was recorded in the past ten years. There’s no way it’s a coincidence.
You’re setting yourself up for the worst humiliation possible. She’s just a friend.
She stared directly at me for half the song. Not with a smile, not looking for support. I wasn’t imagining what was in her eyes.
The music ended, and Judy lowered the microphone. She was still looking into Nick’s eyes, although much of her earlier confidence seemed to have fled.
Nick felt like he was balanced on a pinpoint miles above the ground.
Judy cleared her throat quietly and turned to return the microphone to its clip. She wobbled slightly as she stretched. Nick reached out to steady her but couldn’t bring himself to make contact.
She stepped down to the floor and trudged back to the table where they’d been sitting without looking at Nick. When he’d staggered back into his chair, she quietly asked, “So?”
“That…” Nick fumbled for words. “That was incredible. You were fantastic.”
He saw a small smile flicker across her face, but it vanished in an instant. She downed the rest of her beer in one gulp.
“That… took a lot out of me,” she mumbled. “I think I’m ready to head home.”
Nick gaped at her. “Are… you sure about that? We’ve only been…”
“I’m sure,” she said, although her voice trembled. She slumped off her chair and moped towards the door.
Wilde, he screamed at himself, you have to say something. Take the plunge, you idiot.
He scrambled to his feet and caught up to her.
“Would, uh, would it be okay if I walked with you?” he said, tongue feeling numb.
Judy glanced up at him and shrugged. “Sure.” The light he’d seen in her eyes during the song was completely gone.
Once they were outside the bar, Nick struggled to find the right words. All his wit, his suavity, his silver tongue had abandoned him.
“That… that song was… was great. You were… great.”
“Thanks,” she said. She avoided meeting his eyes.
It’s now or never, he thought. You could lose your best friend no matter what you do, so you may as well make it count.
“Carrots. Judy. Just… just stop for a second, okay?”
She halted on the sidewalk, but didn’t turn to face him.
Nick took a deep breath. “Look, I…” He rubbed his paw down his muzzle. “I completely meant what I said earlier, about you being my best friend. The best friend I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
Judy’s head seemed to hang even lower, ears folded against her back.
“And that’s why I backed off on the flirting. It seemed to make you uncomfortable, and I didn’t want to push you away.”
She didn’t turn her head, but she looked curiously at him from the corner of her eye as her ears raised slightly. Nick swallowed the lump in his throat and pressed on.
“For a while now, I’ve known that as much as you mean to me as a friend, I’ve… I’ve wanted more. For there to be more between us. But the thought of losing you as a friend if you didn’t want the same was… was devastating.
“So I’ve been a coward. I let my fear keep me quiet. But that song…”
Nick squeezed his eyes closed and took another deep breath. “I’ve been wrestling with myself for the last fifteen minutes, wondering whether it meant what I’ve been hoping it meant. And even if it didn’t, I have to finally get this out before it kills me.
“Judy, I’ve been in love with you for a long time. When I’m not around you, I can’t think of anything else but you. Your smile, your voice, your eyes, they all… they set me on fire. In a good way.
“If you don’t… if you aren’t interested, just tell me and I’ll back off. We can act like I never said any of this. You…”
He opened his eyes cautiously at the subdued noise he’d heard. Judy was looking up at him with tears streaming from her eyes, caught between sobbing and laughing. She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest.
“You dumb fox,” she gasped. “I don’t think I could have been any more obvious.”
Nick folded his arms around her as he felt tears slide down his own cheeks. “I was so afraid I’d lose you,” he murmured as he pressed his muzzle between her ears. “That you’d never…”
“...Love you?” Judy squeezed him harder. “It took me a while to figure out, but I know it now. I do.”
Nick gently pried Judy’s arms away so he could kneel and look into her eyes.
Even when her eyes were red-rimmed and her cheek-fur was damp and mussed, he’d never seen a more beautiful mammal. He stroked her jawline with a thumb as she leaned into his touch.
“Would it be egotistical of me to ask if you learned that song just so you could sing it to me?” he asked with a tender smirk.
Judy’s sniffles erupted into coughing as she laughed.
“Terribly egotistical,” she eventually managed. “But yes, I did.”
“Mmmm. I’ve never been serenaded before. I kind of liked it.”
She looked into his eyes. “I’ve never serenaded anyone before. And I don’t want to ever do it again.”
“Well then,” Nick said with a grin, “I guess we’re stuck with each other forever.”
“Oh no,” Judy breathed as she leaned closer. “What a horrible fate.”
They shared their first kiss on a sidewalk outside a dive bar called Dive Bar. It was, Nick later decided, the most perfect moment in his life.