It was their first big case, one that had taken them on location to the neighboring city of Mammalville. The duo had followed their suspect's trail to learn that his last whereabouts had been at a hotel, a hotel they were now spending the night at.

Undercover, of course. On assignment, of course. Platonically, of course, despite the knowing giggle Clawhauser had given Judy when she'd phoned him that she and Nick were going to be away overnight. Besides, they had an entire room to themselves, it's not like it would be anything weird -

"There's only one bed," Nick informed her, bringing her thoughts to a jarring halt.

Her eyes widened, cheeks flushed. "What?" She pushed past him, entered the hotel room, and saw in fact, there was only one bed. The rest room was nice enough, there was an impressive flatscreen, a plush loveseat, and the wall was lined with windows that offered a grand view of the city.

But only one bed?

She could feel her cheeks growing hot as Nick entered the room, closing the door behind them. "This…I…I told the panda at the front office that we needed a room for the two of us! Two! I thought that would mean two beds!"

Nick shrugged, loosening his tie and flopping down on the bed, already making himself at home. "I guess he thought we were together," he smirked at her, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively on the last word.

"Nick!" Judy blushed harder, grabbing a pillow off of the love seat beside her and throwing it at him. "You're so dumb!"

Nick caught it easily, tossing it behind him. He smiled at her, "Carrots, it's been a long day, we're both exhausted, and it's only one night. We'll just share the bed."

Judy smiled shyly, cheeks growing even redder under her soft gray fur. Back in the burrows, a very conservative community, it would have been frowned upon to just share a bed with someone who wasn't your blood relative or spouse. Her parents would have had a fit. But Nick was her friend, besides, like he said, it was only for one night; it's not like this would become a regular thing.

Right?

"You're right," she smiled, shaking her head. "I'm just being silly. Friends sleep together all the time!"

Nick gave her a look, and Judy felt as though even from across the room he could feel the heat radiating off of her cheeks. "Y-you know what I meant!" She corrected herself quickly.

He smirked, getting off of the bed to begin undressing. "You said it Fluff, not me."

They kept their backs to each other as Judy removed her belt, armored vest, knee pads, and cuffs, leaving her in her blue undershirt and navy pants. When she turned back to her partner, he was sliding back into the bed, clad in a white undershirt and navy pants.

Judy felt suddenly shy as she followed him under the covers. She wasn't quite sure why; this was platonic, of course. Just for one night, of course. There was no use making a fuss and paying for two separate rooms.

She just hoped he couldn't hear how loudly her heart was beating.

He turned his back to her, facing the windowed wall, and she did the same, facing the opposite wall. Judy was just getting comfortable when she felt his tail move under the sheets, brushing past her legs. It was a brief contact, but she still felt suddenly anxious and nervous and excited and shy all over again.

"Hey, Carrots?"

Her heart skipped a beat. "Y-yes?"

"Goodnight."

Then she softened, not turning to face him but smiling all the same. "Goodnight, Nick."

Morning crept upon them, and it was far past the time they should have awoken, but the bed was so warm, and they were so close, and the golden sunrise filtered through the white curtains, casting the small room aglow.

As she awoke, Judy could feel his arms around her, holding her against his chest, his slow breathing against her neck. She fit perfectly there, ears tucked under his chin, chest rising and falling in time with his, his tail wrapped around her. He was awake, she could sense it, and the morning haze made it seem perfectly natural when his paws began running up and down her arms.

Her name, her real name, not Carrots or Fluff or Cottontail, was a nothing more than a whisper, and she rolled over to face him, causing their noses to touch. Her head felt fuzzy as she met his gaze, held it.

"Nick…"

And suddenly and all at once, his lips were on hers, loving and desperate and craving everything and more. She bit down on his lip; he buried his face in her neck and made her gasp. It was a loving jumble of touches and kisses here and there, punctuated by the rustling of sheets and feverish gasps.

For a moment Judy wondered if she was dreaming, but the weight of him against her, on top of her, the nip of his teeth against her neck, it was all too real.

He murmured her name again, needier this time, and she nodded, pulling him closer to her. They were in a daze, a beautiful, blissful daze, but it had to come to an end, and it did, far too soon. Just as Nick was pressing closer to her, they were startled apart by the sound of Judy's phone ringing.

Nick swore under his breath, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him. "Don't answer it."

Judy blinked up at him, feeling suddenly awakened and self-aware. "I have to," she insisted lamely, reluctantly pulling away from his grasp. "It could be important."

He sighed, lying back on the bed and burying his face in his pillow. Judy walked over to the dresser where her phone lay, answering the phone call from Bogo. They had a new lead, their suspect was spotted at the train station, buying a ticket back to Zootopia. They had to leave, now.

After she hung up, she told Nick the news, and he began getting ready without protest. They grabbed their things, fixed their uniforms, both quickly and silently. "You ready?" He asked when they were finished, approaching her from behind and placing his paw on the small of her back, holding it there.

She turned to look up at him, purple eyes meeting his own green ones. Ready for what? The case? Whatever happens next? To forget this ever happened? To always remember it did?

She had a thousand questions flying through her mind, but she knew they had a job to do, she had to stay focused. So, she swallowed her worries, forced a smile.

"Yes," she murmured. "For anything."