Almost there.

He had slaved through the physical training, broken again and again until he learned to adapt. He had spent long nights with dry textbooks, and set new records in the written exams. He had worked, for months, toward a singular goal.

And now here he was. A few short hours from graduation.

Nick lounged on his couch, enjoying a well-earned rest. Right now, the dorms at the academy were buzzing with a carnival atmosphere, recruits finally able to let out months of nervous energy. While Nick considered all of his fellow cadets good friends – it had proven to be a heck of a bonding exercise – he had only revelled in the ruckus for a few hours. He wanted to be presentable for tomorrow morning. He wanted to wait for the ceremony here, at home.

He wanted to see Judy.

The front door clicked in the hallway. Nick smiled, but didn't move. He knew she would come to him.

Moments later, Judy let herself into the living room. She smiled at him brightly, hands clasped behind her back. "Hey, Nick!"

"Hey."

"Big day tomorrow. All set?"

"Think so. Looking forward to it." He was wearing his usual smirk – though around Judy, it always came out subtly warmer. "Be careful, though. You're not allowed to see me in my dress until I'm walking down the aisle."

Judy laughed. "Well! I was gonna ask if you were excited about officially becoming my partner, but I think you just answered that question..."

'Til death do us part, suggested Nick's brain, and his gut twisted uncomfortably. He was no stranger to dark humour, and despite her cheerful demeanour, neither was Judy. But policework was dangerous. That was... It'd be...

He quickly shoved those thoughts under a dark rock, where they belonged. It was over in an instant – Nick's face showing no sign of discomfort, as always – so he changed gears easily. Still smirking, he just shrugged. "Yeah, Carrots. I am."

"Me too, Nick! Me too."

She crept closer – and revealed she had been holding something behind her back. A small box, wrapped neatly in blue and green paper. She offered it with both paws.

"Actually... I got you a little something. Nothing major, just a small gift to celebrate."

Nick raised his eyebrows, leaning forward. "Oh, Carrots... you shouldn't have," he said. And meant it.

"Nonsense! Go on. Take it."

He lifted it carefully – if it was so 'little', why was she holding it with such reverence? – then settled back in his seat. "You want me to open it now?"

"Yeah!" Judy climbed onto the couch, sitting next to him. "Like I said, it's not big. And you might want to have it tomorrow."

A smile tugged at Nick's mouth. "Well. Now I'm curious."

"Then go ahead!"

He did. His claws crinkled the paper, moving methodically.

Unwrapping the paper revealed a deep blue case. With a final glance to Judy – who was watching intently, ears high – Nick opened it. He stared.

A pair of sunglasses. Aviators, specifically, shining brilliantly in the dim light. They looked expensive.

The best shades Nick had ever seen.

"I remember when we busted Lionheart together," Judy was saying. "Bogo wanted me to read him his rights, so I left you by the squad cars for a few minutes. And when I came back, you'd 'borrowed' a pair of aviators from Wolford's glove compartment! He was a good sport about it, but he did want them back..."

Nick realized, dimly, that his paws were shaking. Where did she get these? How much had they cost? He knew a low-quality product when he saw one, of course he did, and these were... How much money had she wasted?

"Then a while back you mentioned to me how your Braybans were getting rickety..." A chuckle. "And I was like, 'getting rickety'? You must've had them for years! So I started looking around..."

Nick's thoughts spiralled, a mess of prices and stores and feelings and numbers, focus on the numbers, he'd need to buy her something really great to ever match something this thoughtful. Dammit! He'd never be able to – why did she have to – he was already so–

"And when I saw these ones, I just... I remembered the night at Cliffside, and how you wanted to 'blend in' with my department, and I figured it was, y'know, a nice way to..." Judy must have finally looked up. She trailed off, voice quiet. "Nick?"

Oh god. He was crying.

He wasn't sobbing. Nick, as a rule, did not sob. He hadn't since Ranger Scouts. That night he had learned there was no room in the world for his tears. He forced himself to stop. Crushed his pain into uneven cubes until the nausea passed.

But even he had his limits. And there had been times over the years, some more recent than he liked to admit, where the dam... didn't burst, per se. Just overflowed. And Nick, not sobbing, would lie or sit or stand there, silent tears running down his face.

It was happening.

Judy tensed, bringing a paw to her mouth. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. Was it – did I–?"

His instincts kicked in, but he was different mammal now, with different instincts, and they conflicted.

Never let them see that they get to you. Too late. Far too late. Leave the room, straighten up, never speak of this again.

That wasn't an option. Judy was his partner. This was a present. He had to save the situation, salvage it.

Tell a joke! Carrots, your presents are so bad they make me cry. No! What?! No! Horrible!

Tell the truth. That seemed unfathomable. Even after a year with Judy, after so much progress, he couldn't just... talk. Not when he was taken by surprise like this.

But he had to say something.

Nick had just sat there for an entire two seconds. It dragged like a funeral. He stole a glance at Judy. Her ears were low, her eyes wide. He could read her easily. She was horrified, doubly so because she had no idea what she had done wrong.

That wasn't helping his tears.

He unfroze suddenly, laying the sunglasses on table. He wiped at his eyes, trying to disappear into his arms.

"Um," he said.

"What's wrong?" said Judy. Worried, self-conscious, probably louder than she intended. "I'm really sorry, I had no idea that–"

"No, no. Of course. It's not your fault at all." He dried his eyes, already regaining control. "Seriously, it's nothing. I'm just – just tired from the training, that's all, and nervous about tomorrow. I'm not..."

Another silence, one that dragged for a few moments. Then Judy shuffled closer. "Hey. If you need to talk, I'm right here." She reached out.

She laid a paw on his arm.

Nick remembered their first adventure too. He remembered the first time he had ever opened up to her. He remembered Judy laying a paw on his arm, just like this. He remembered his discomfort, how he had quickly pulled away.

He remembered every moment between then and now.

He pulled his arm away – so he could reach around and use it to pull her close. He caught her in a hug, arms tight around her.

Judy blinked, but a second later she was eagerly returning the embrace.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise. I thought you weren't the hugging type..."

"Shut up before I change my mind," mumbled Nick, and Judy laughed.

She adjusted position, pressing herself against him. Her small arms wrapped around him, revealing her surprising strength. "Easy now. It's okay, Nick."

His breath hitched. "It's not! I shouldn't – I don't–!"

"Shh..."

Nick hesitated for a moment, but soon he was relaxing into the hug. He clung to her. She was so much smaller than him, yet so much stronger. It wasn't merely a question of muscles, though he could feel the power resting under that soft fur. She exuded confidence. Safety.

He felt at home.

"You are," he said slowly, "the best person in the world, and I'm unspeakably lucky to have you, and I'm sorry I'm so weird."

She chuckled into his chest. "Oh, you foxes... you're so emotional..."

Nick couldn't help but smile. "Shut up! That's not even a stereotype..."

For a few moments, they sat there. Judy rested her head against him. Nick held her tightly.

His old anxieties about physical contact had faded a lot in recent months. But not completely. Nick pulled back, disentangling his limbs. Judy sat back as well, giving him space and a small smile.

"Feeling better?"

"Uh, yeah." He returned it. "Yeah."

"Good. Good." Her smile diminished. "Nick, I don't want to pry, but... what was that? Is everything okay?"

He sighed. She was owed an explanation. "I guess..."

Nick thought it over for a moment. It was hard to articulate the problem. But it would always be easy to talk to Judy.

"I'm not used to... this. To somebody treating me this way. My life has been generally low on people giving me free stuff."

His eyes wandered to the sunglasses.

"And this... I mean, it's expensive, so you spent money, and high-quality, so you spent time and effort researching it. And it's practical, which you know I prefer to ornamental junk, and it's something I, specifically, will use every day." He let out an awed little sigh. "And on top of all that, it's – it's thoughtful. You had the whole story to go with it, and you're right, it was a big moment and this is an amazing way to make me feel like I actually belong..." He turned back to her with a lopsided grin. "It's the perfect gift, Carrots. You went from zero to Perfect Gift. No wonder I got whiplash."

She laughed at that, clearly thankful the joking tone had returned. Nick wasn't the only one who relied on humour to sail difficult conversational waters. "Are you saying you're gonna cry every time I give you something?"

He snorted. "Yeah. 'Hey Carrots, can you pass the salt oh god my feelings'!"

Judy burst out laughing. Nick savoured the joy on her face before continuing.

"No. I just... Take it as a general warning, I guess. I'm still working through stuff. A lot of stuff. I don't talk about it, you know I don't, but I... I've been through some rough times. And sometimes I can have weird reactions to weird things, especially if it's sudden. But I'm getting better." He felt a warm smile break out. "Thanks to you."

She returned it. "I'm really glad to hear that, Nick. Anything you need, I'm here."

"Thanks, Judy."

The silence was warm for a moment. Then Nick felt a tendril of his old anxiety.

"Do me a favour, okay? ...Don't tell anybody about this."

"About what? The fact Nicholas Wilde actually has emotions?" She was smirking, but her eyes were soft. "Don't worry, Slick. Your secret's safe with me."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." He looked back to the sunglasses, still lying on the table. Moving delicately, he picked them up, cradling them in one paw. "And these too. Thank you so much. I'll take good care of them, I promise."

He unfolded them, claws moving with reverent grace. Then he settled them on his face for the first of many, many times.

"How do I look?"

Judy looked him over, eyes bright. "...Like a police officer."

He smiled. "Great. The illusion is complete. Hopefully someone will actually fall for it."

Judy shoved him playfully. "Darn it, Nick, quit joking about how much you suck! I always feel bad if I laugh..."

"Right, right. Sorry."

"And you won't be fooling anyone." She smiled softly. "When people look at you, they're gonna think you're a brave, loyal, helpful, and trustworthy cop. And there's no hustle there, no con. Because that's exactly who you are."

Nick was glad he was wearing the sunglasses. They were useful for moments like this. When everything became slightly too much, and his careful mask, the cool exterior he had built for decades, wasn't quite able to–

...Oh, what the hell. It was Judy.

He slipped the aviators off, letting her see his eyes, his vulnerable expression. He really was touched. He was tearing up again. And that was okay.

They held each others' gaze for a moment, green on purple. Neither of them said anything. Neither of them had to. Nick loved their constant banter, but he treasured these silences too. He knew what they meant. Despite everything, the drama and excitement and initial antagonism, he and Judy were comfortable with each other. In a way that was rare, glorious.

Partners.

Nick let out a breath, wiping his eyes. "Hoo, boy. I... Hopefully I'll keep it together tomorrow. Because y'know, I've... catharsis'd myself now. Emotions gone, all vented out. Better out than in, right? Pressure's off."

"Sure, sure." Judy shifted, coming very slightly closer. "You're really okay?"

"I'm really okay. I just... yeah."

He stood, a touch abruptly. He folded the glasses up and returned them to their case. "I'm gonna put these with my dress uniform. I'm wearing them to the ceremony and there's nothing anyone can do to stop me."

"Well, that's the spirit." Judy settled back on the couch, smirking. "After all, the whole point of law enforcement is to be yourself and have fun."

"You say that sarcastically, but I'm just following your example." He returned her wry look. "I seem to recall you committing several fun felonies to stop Bellwether. Don't high-road me for accessorising."

Judy shrugged. "Got me there. Do what you want, Slick."

"I will. And thanks to these, I'll look fabulous doing it."

He moved for the doorway – but paused in the frame. After hesitating a moment, he turned back.

"Um, Judy?"

"Yes?"

He took a breath. He knew there was no need to be nervous. "I'm... really glad I get to be your partner."

She returned his timid smile. Nick tried to commit the scene to memory; Judy, relaxed on the couch, watching him warmly. Eyes soft.

"Me too, Nick. Me too."