Opening Statement: Hey fanfiction, I'm back with a new story, one I got inspired to write after seeing art on Tumblr, specifically art by K. Sasuga, which they point out different aspects of rabbit ecology that aren't totally touched on in the film. Hope you enjoy, and be prepared for some fluff.
Disclaimer: Zootopia is the property of Disney
Secrets Worth Sharing.
The alarm blared as Judy got up and yawned, turning the device off and rubbing her eyes a bit. Today was her day off, and so she didn't mind grabbing a small blue case from her night stand and opening it, slipping onto her face the contents, a pair of black rimmed eye glasses.
It wasn't uncommon for the bunny cop though; all through her life she'd had issues with her vision, as did her siblings. Most of her siblings had chosen to have laser eye surgery to improve their vision, others chose contact lenses or glasses, her older sister Violet Hopps being one of the few rabbits in the Hopps clan to solely use glasses to improve their vision. Judy however was different, deciding on a compromise of sorts; with her being a cop, she decided to use contact lenses when on duty or just out on the town, but if she decided to have a lazy day (rare though they were), she'd forgo the effort of putting her contacts in and just were her eye glasses.
Today was fixing to be a lazy day, and though Judy did insist on at least being dressed for the day, she wasn't planning on going out anywhere. Judy decided that she would get herself some breakfast, and without really thinking had left her bedroom in her and Nick's apartment; to be fair, Nick was normally the one to sleep in, being a nocturnal mammal and all. The few times Nick had gotten up before Judy were few and far between. So when Judy stepped into the kitchen to find Nick sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and his phone, she was surprised enough to "eep" softly as her ears shot up, and thus draw the fox's attention to her before she could try to hide her vision aiding secret.
"Carrots? Since when do you wear glasses?" Nick asked, Judy's eyes shifting a bit behind her spectacles before she sighed, letting her ears flop behind her head.
"I've had these most of my life... and I usually try to keep them hidden-"
"Why? I find them rather nice on you," Nick explained, Judy rolling her eyes and smirking slightly, her fox could make her smile even while discussing insecurities she had.
"Well, the first reason that comes to mind is to prevent teasing... you know, typically rabbits are seen as having great vision since we like eating carrots." Judy replied, Nick smirking as he sipped at his coffee.
"Okay, that is a good point, but then if you have poor enough vision to even need glasses, how come this is the first time I've seen you wearing them?" Nick asked, as Judy walked past him to get herself a cup of tea; since she had a rapid heartbeat, the caffeine content of coffee would hurt her more than help, and so she instead drank ginseng tea, same effect of keeping her alert, less likely to cause a heart attack.
"That's simple, when we're on duty or hanging out, I usually put on contact lenses... I've even perfected putting them in faster than is usually recommended," Judy explained, Nick nodding his head before he smirked a bit.
"Carrots, I have to ask... do you not like wearing your glasses? In public I mean," Nick asked, causing Judy to shake her head and sigh.
"I already told you Nick, I don't want to subject myself to the opinions of others... not to mention the last time I wore glasses in public, I was teased for it, "Oh look, it's Judy Bugeyes," they'd say-"
"You mean to tell me that you, Judy Hopps, the first rabbit cop in the history of Zootopia, is afraid of being picked on?" Nick teased, though immediately regretted it upon seeing the look that came over his bunny's face, it was one he only ever saw one other time, the same face he had seen when she came for his help under that bridge. Before he could try to apologize, Judy simply sighed and stared down at her tea, the steam slightly fogging up the lenses of her glasses and causing her to grumble a bit before taking them off and setting them aside.
Nick knew he messed up, it wasn't the first time he had accidentally struck a nerve or tender spot with his teasing, though those other times he'd at least been given a response, an angry huff, a thump of the foot in annoyance, sometimes even a snarky comeback, but when Judy decided to just go silent, it meant he had gone too far and actually hurt her. "Carrots... I-I didn't mean-"
"It's okay Nick... I get it, you now have more opportunities to give me nicknames... Four-eyes, Bugsy... but just so you know, it's for this reason I tried to keep my vision impairment a secret." Judy explained, her voice a mere whisper as she slowly took a sip of her tea and closed her eyes tightly, Nick watching as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Nick sat there in silence for a moment, before he got up and walked to the hall closet, reaching inside and pulling out a brown box, walking back to the kitchen and setting the box down before the bunny, taking his seat back at the table and sipping his coffee.
Judy glanced to the box and sighed as she put on her damned glasses again, the grey doe sipping her tea again before she reached to open the box. "Aren't you going to ask what's in the box?" Nick asked, Judy pulling her paw back and giving the fox a blank expression with just the barest hints of curiosity.
"Okay, fine then... Nick? What's in the box?" Judy asked, her tone still sounding hurt, but also sounding highly annoyed, Nick sighing as he reached over and pulled the box towards him, almost acting protective of it.
"In this box, all my deepest kept secrets... none illegal, and none that would threaten my job with the ZPD... just things I've deemed too dangerous to allow to see the light of day, let alone share with anyone else... not even Finnick knows about this box." Nick explained, Judy's eyes widening as she watched the tod clutch the box as if it were the only thing keeping him alive.
Then, with no warning, the red fox shoved the box back over to Judy, the grey doe blinking before she glanced to her fox with a look that nearly made Nick cry, she was astonished with the act, simply dumbfounded by how willing her fox was to lay himself bare before her, and before she could say anything, Nick did something she'd never seen him do... he let down his walls and stared into her eyes, all his insecurity in sharing with her the things others probably didn't even get to have a hint of knowing about him.
"I'm not going to open this Nick… it's too important-"
"No Judy, it isn't important at all... I mean sure this is basically me revealing my most closely guarded secrets with you, but honestly I could care less about that..." Nick reached across the table and gently caressed Judy's cheek, feeling the three lines that were her claw scars his bunny had gotten when she was younger, "… right now, you are more important than my sense of pride... and if I can make it up to you for going a bit too far with my teasing earlier, then I'm going to do it... all you have to do is open the box, and we'll be even." Nick explained, Judy smiling as she let fresh tears roll down her cheeks.
Judy pulled Nick over to hug him, the fox returning the favor and simply allowing the two to come down from their shared emotional storm. When they parted, Judy glanced to the box and then back to Nick, almost as if asking permission to look inside. Nick for his part simply nodded, Judy reaching to the box and lifting the lid slightly before she stopped and smiled, closing the box and sliding it back to Nick, whom for his part had a look of confusion on his face. "Judy-"
"I don't need you to bare your closest secrets to me, just knowing you're willing to do that for me is enough... thank you Nick." Judy explained, the fox smiling and taking hold of the box, turning it away from her eyes before opening it and grabbing something from inside.
"Well, the least I can do is show you one of my personal secrets... and I'm not going to make you promise not to laugh, because once you see it you'll be in hysterics." Nick replied, handing what looked like a photograph to his rabbit, Judy taking hold and glancing at it before she snorted and then let out a full blown laugh; the image in Judy's paws was that of a young Nick being held by whom she assumed was his father, apparently about to be given a bath before little Nick had decided to empty his bladder in the old tod's face, the mirror of the room catching enough of Nick's mother to show that she was in the throws of laughter herself, while Nick's father was wearing a face similar to Nick when Judy had hustled him about a year and a half ago.
"Okay Carrots, I get it it's funny, but may I please have the photo back?" Nick asked, snatching the picture from his lapin girlfriend and stuffing it back into the box, Judy calming down somewhat as she glanced to Nick, her giggles suddenly renewed as she started to slam a closed paw to the table.
(Several years later)
Judy was trying her best not to laugh; it was about a year after Judy had married Nick in the hospital, and right now they were trying to give their nine kits a bath; truth be told, Nick wasn't really their father, rather he was acting the part for Judy's sake. Nick had gotten eight of them in the tub already, so far it was Kim, Vanessa, Sarah, Sasha, Jessica, Alex, Tyler and Jason in the warm soapy water, and that left Joey, Nick smirking as he heard Judy getting the camera turned on, "What's with the camera Carrots?" Nick asked, before Joey shivered and started emptying his bladder, catching Nick in the muzzle as Judy snapped a photo, laughing and letting the photograph print and fall to the bathroom floor, the image revealed looking oddly similar to the one Nick had shared with her years ago, the grey doe in the frame wearing her glasses as the red tod looked extremely grossed out and annoyed, a russet furred bunny buck in his paws while eight other bunnies watched the event.
The End.
How was that hmm? A little tie-in to the "Seeking Forgiveness" series for the ending? Let me know in the reviews and I'll see you in the next story, PEACE!