Blueberry Swirl (or Operation Mope-patrol)

Her front door rattled with a barrage of knocks, playfully thumping out a silly tune. With a lazy smile on her muzzle, Judy slid off the couch to answer the assault on her door.

"Hellooo, Nick." She mused as she undid the lock, rolling her eyes at his familiar childlike antics. "Can I help you?"

"Carrots!"

She was met with a pair of bright green eyes and a mischievous smile that spelled trouble. Her partner held up a grocery sack in one paw and a 6-pack of carrot-ginger beer in the other and all she could do was shake her head and sigh.

"Mope-patrol called-in a wallowing bunny, so I rushed over with beer and ice cream; the world's best cure for patheticness." He teased, pushing his way past and into her apartment.

"I am not wallowing." She replied, closing and locking the door before spinning around with her arms crossed to regard her friend.

It had been less than an hour since their shift had ended and they had parted ways for the night, or so she had thought. He was dressed in a navy blue tee shirt and a pair of cargo shorts; different civvies than the sweats he had changed into at the precinct, so apparently he had at least made a brief stop at his apartment before heading her way.

Nick leaned down to meet her eyes, his ears pointed straight back and one eyebrow raised. "Did you, or did you not share your heartache today as a cry for help?"

Throwing her arms up for dramatics, Judy narrowed her eyes at her friend and pointed at his chest. "You asked me if I had a date tonight. And I casually told you that Jeremy and I broke up. That's it. There was no heartache."

"See!" Nick blatantly ignored her words. "Such sadness!"

He tipped his muzzle down with a mock look of despair on his features and Judy couldn't help but let out an exasperated chuckle as he continued on. "I mean just look at you! You're wearing your 'I'm too sad for real clothes' frumpy t-shirt. It's obvious you're in pain."

"Hey!" Judy looked down at her favorite old tee that she had stolen from one of her older brothers many years ago. Sure it was too big and threadbare, and between both it and the old yoga pants, they had seen better days, but she would describe the ensemble more as 'comfy' rather than 'frumpy'.

"It's okay Carrots, I'm here now." Nick put on his best charming grin and continued with his charade. "I'll have you cheered-up with some happy calories, in no time."

Knowing it was quite pointless to continue her argument, Judy narrowed her sights on the sack he was still holding. "What kind of ice cream did you bring?"

"Blueberry Swirl; your favorite." He winked and then made his way into her tiny kitchen.

"That's your favorite." She replied, following him in and heading straight to the cupboard for bowls.

"You like it too." He defended, pulling the carton out of the sack and placing it on the counter. "And if I have to gag down this swill you call beer, I figured you could handle your 'second favorite' ice cream flavor."

Judy laughed, amused by his argument. "I suppose that's a fair sacrifice."

Grabbing the opener from a drawer she pulled out one bottle, snapping off the top and passing it over to Nick, before picking out another for herself. Hopping up, to sit on the counter beside him, she popped the cap off her own drink and took a big gulp. Savoring the cool delicious flavor.

She watched as Nick moved around her small kitchen with a familiar ease; placing the rest of the 6-pack in her fridge and collecting the whipped cream canister while he was in there. With the ice-cream scoop from one drawer and a pair of spoons from another, he returned to his spot at the counter beside where she sat and went to work filling their bowls.

Despite her attempts to sound casual about the latest failed romance, she was not at all surprised to find Nick at her doorstep this evening. It was a familiar routine that they had practiced many times. One of them would have a rough day and the other would show up at their place with some beer and a favorite treat to cheer them up. Judy had gotten to the point where she almost looked more forward to the post-break-up routine than the actual dates she'd gone on.

"So seriously, Fluff. You alright? You looked so down when you left the precinct earlier." His teasing tone and goofiness was gone and he remained quiet, awaiting her answer. The room fell into a peaceful silence, save for the swoosh of his long bushy tail across the floor and the scrape of the scoop inside the carton.

Letting her shoulders sag and her ears droop, Judy tipped her head back to lean on the upper cabinet. She didn't think she had been acting any differently than usual, but then again, if anyone was going to notice, it would be her best friend. Over the year and a half they had been partners on the force, it hadn't taken Judy long to realize that Nick's skills at reading people, transferred quite nicely from hustling to investigations. He noticed things about mammals that other, well-seasoned officers didn't, he had this natural intuition that you couldn't train for, it was a talent he just possessed.

"I'm fine, I really am." Judy stopped to take another swig of her beer before looking back over in his direction. "We hadn't even dated very long, I was just…. I don't know, dissapointed in myself. It left me a little preoccupied today."

"What could you have possibly been disappointed about?" Nick asked, scooting one bowl towards her after topping them both with a hefty tower of whipped cream.

She sighed. "He had to tell me that it wasn't working out, I mean, I had no idea he wasn't happy. How did I not realize that?"

Nick laid a paw on her knee, stilling her calmly swinging legs as they dangled. "Sometimes when we try and see with our hearts, it leaves us blind."

Judy blinked in surprise at his statement, not expecting such a sentimental response from her sarcastic friend, but shook her head softly in disagreement. "It wasn't that, I felt like we were hitting it off okay, but it wasn't love. I think I was just trying too hard to make it work, to fit in with what was expected of me. This buck lasted a few dates longer than all the others…" She trailed off, not really sure of the point she was trying to make.

"Since when do you care about fitting in?" Nick asked, with a truly confused look on his face, his muzzle quirked up to one side. And then he held out his arms in front of him and gestured at her wildly with his paws. "You're Judy Freaking Hopps: Zootopia's first bunny police officer! You're the very definition of going against the grain!"

His comment brought on a proud smile that she couldn't hold back. So she tried her best to explain how this was different. "I know, it's just that when I graduated from high school and started training to be a police officer, my classmates weren't only becoming farmers, or housewives or some other small town profession. They were also finding mates and getting married, but I put that part of my life on hold. I guess I had always thought that once I established my career, I could just pick back up on those things. But it turns out, it's not so easy."

Nick had picked up his bottle as she spoke, and after taking a large sip he tipped it towards her as he talked. "Not everyone finds a mate right away Judy, there's nothing wrong with that. Hell, look at me. I've got some years on you and I'm still single. You just started dating again this year, give it time."

"That's not all it is. You know how bunnies are," Judy made a little face and a gesture in the air that made Nick raise an eyebrow. "They have one thing on their minds: starting families and making babies. Once they find out that I'm not ready for that, they lose interest."

Nick chuckled once he realized the gesture she had been making. "I'm sure they're not all like that, Carrots."

"Oh you'd be surprised! Do you know how hard it is to even find single bucks my age? It's mostly the ones that got advanced degrees with longer schooling, like doctors and lawyers. And let me tell you, once they decide they are ready to date, they are looking for one thing. And they are eager to make up for lost time."

Her exaggerated response made him smile and shake his head. "Well maybe it's time to stretch your dating pool beyond the rabbit population! Find yourself some other nice mammal that doesn't have the genetic drive to have hundreds of children."

This made them both start to laugh and Judy nodded along with his idea before taking another long swig, emptying her bottle.

"What about foxes?" She asked, out of curiosity. The implications of the question not hitting her until she saw the way Nick's eyes darted away. "I mean, um… at what age does a mother fox start voicing her disappointment over not yet having grandkits?"

Nick let out a nervous sounding chuckle and quickly took another drink of his beer, setting it down a bit too roughly on the counter, causing it to foam up inside. "I uh," He ran a paw up the fur at the back of his neck. "I started disappointing my mother, long before I was even old enough to have kits, so I wouldn't know."

Judy felt her cheeks heat up knowing she had embarrassed him. And tried to cover it by casually laughing along side him. Seeing a welcome distraction, she picked up her bowl of ice cream, shoving a large spoonful of the sweet decadence in her mouth before she could say anything else.

"Ok, you're right." She mumbled through a mouthful of swirled blueberries. "This ice cream is amazing."

"I know my desserts, Carrots." Nick gleamed, all earlier embarrassment gone. "And it almost makes this beer tolerable."

"Well, then we should probably have another."

Several beers later, the pair of friends found themselves lying around the living room floor, telling stories and laughing till their eyes watered. If her partner's goal had been to cheer her up, he'd certainly been doing a fine job.

Judy felt warm with joy and a delightful buzz from the beer. There was honestly, nowhere she'd rather be than sitting here on the floor, joking around with her best friend.

She smiled inwardly as she glanced at that friend, who had at some point earlier discarded his bowl and resorted to scraping the inside of the carton with his own spoon. Collecting and savoring every last ounce of the ice cream that remained.

"I think you've eaten more than your share, mister." Judy argued from beside him, giggling at the way he wasn't about to let a single drop go to waste.

"Okay, but let's be practical here." He pulled his spoon from the carton to point it in her direction. "I'm twice your size, and therefore I should get twice as much as you."

He then turned his makeshift pointer in the direction of the empty bottles beside her. "And when it comes to alcohol, I'd suggest an even bigger split, because despite your many arguments that you've 'consumed plenty of moonshine' back home. You deary, cannot hold your liquor."

"Hey!" Judy sat up taller to make her protest, but just barely missed knocking over her current drink.

"I rest my case." Nick said, as she righted the wobbling bottle.

Judy scrunched up her face and resisted the agitated quiver her nose was attempting to produce and opted to simply reply by sticking out her tongue.

"Oh real mature, Carrots."

"Says the fox getting ice cream all over his greedy little paws."

This last comment hit deaf ears. Instead, he smiled up at her, licking the few drops of melted dessert that he had indeed gotten all over the knuckles of his paws, smacking his lips in a satisfied grin. "Welp, ice cream's gone."

"I noticed." She replied in a flat tone. "Some gluttonous fox ate all of my cheering up treat."

"I thought you didn't need cheering up." Nick teased again with a little shake of his muzzle in her direction. He then held out his arms to gesture at the empty bowls and bottles lining the floor around them. "Besides, the treats are gone, so snack time is over."

And that's when they both spotted the whipped cream canister that lay on the floor right between them. Judy's eyes flicked from the canister up to Nick who had clearly set his sights on it as well.

"Oh no you don't." She warned, diving a split second before him for the last of their tasty treats, Nick laughing spiritedly as he joined in the battle.

Somehow it quickly devolved into a wrestling match between two grown adults, one decidedly much larger than the other. Despite Judy's disadvantage, she managed to snake her arm around his own and grab ahold of the canister just enough to point it more in her direction. As they fought over the small container of creamy confection, their dueling paws pressed against the spout causing the last of the cream to spurt from the end. Judy pushed up in front of Nick, preparing to catch a mouthful, but the canister let out a gurgling sort of hiccup and the cream stopped for a split second, followed by a burst of pressurized air which sent little specks of the confection spraying in all directions.

"AHH!" Judy tried to duck out of the way, but caught a face full of whipped cream splatter as they broke apart.

Nick sat back upright and held the bottle at arm's length to regard it, giving a little shake to confirm his suspicions. "Hmm, guess it's empty, too."

"Yeah, no kidding." Judy giggled from beside him, using the back of her paw to wipe at the speckles of cream dotting her face.

Nick turned his focus back to her and his bright green eyes lit up in myrth as he broke out laughing. "Oh man, it got you good!"

Judy once again replied with her favorite comeback of the evening, her tiny pink tongue darting out in his direction while she continued her attempt at wiping away the rest of the creamy spatter.

Still sitting beside one another, Nick placed the emptied canister behind him on the floor. His laughter had died as he seemed to take pity in helping her clean up. "Here, you missed a spot… or two."

His dark paw reached towards her face, and she was suddenly struck by how large it was. With a gentle swipe, the roughness of his thumbpad grazed over her cheek, wiping away a stray speck. He brought his thumb to his mouth and licked the sugary smear away.

She was suddenly frozen to her spot, watching as he moved slowly to reach up and swipe again at a place just above her right eyebrow. The look in his own eyes had changed, the silliness that was there moments earlier seemed to be replaced with something different. His paw pulled back and moved to the floor on her other side, anchoring his arms so that his chest was like a bridge hovering over her still form.

Ever so slowly, his muzzle dipped down towards her face and Judy could feel her pulse racing. The scent of the blueberry ice cream was on his warm breath as it grazed her cheek. She could feel her fur stand on end and the tip of her nose vibrate in a nervous shudder. Almost imperceptibly, his tongue darted out, moistening his long black lips and Judy found she could not take her eyes off them. A flutter of excitement coursed through her body and she found herself licking her own lips in anticipation.

Just as he honed into his target and began to close the last fraction of distance between them, Judy suddenly realized what was actually happening. The last missed dollop of whipped cream sat innocently on her cheek, so near to her own quivering lips that she instantly felt a fool for thinking he'd have been doing anything else. With a sharp inhale of breath, she flinched back, just as his tongue darted out to lap at the missed speck.

"Delicious–" He started to declare in a soft tone, just as she had jolted; his eyes snapping open to meet with her own.

Instantly he pulled back, brows stitched together and ears flattened down. A look washed over him, somewhere between confusion and disbelief, but it only lasted for a heartbeat before it transformed into hurt and anger.

He had been looming over her, and used his hands planted on either side of her hips to push himself back upright. The corner of one side of his lip twitching up as he scowled, his tail lashing around behind him.

"Really?" He asked with cynicism lacing his voice and his muzzle wrinkled up in anger.

Judy's ears hung behind her as she watched his immediate transformation, her own face contorted with confusion, unclear of what exactly has just happened.

"After everything we've been through…" He spoke, his voice cracking as he struggled to keep his volume low and steady. "...all this time as friends and partners and you're still afraid...of me?"

The impact of the last two words hit Judy like a mallet to the chest. Somehow he had construed her reaction as fear.

"Wha…?" She tried to respond, but was so surprised that she could not even form the words to ask.

Nick's face sank and he silently blinked, turning away looking as though his very heart had been shattered.

Judy sat up taller beside him and stretched a paw for his arm, but he moved away from her short reach. "No. Nick, I didn't… why would you think that?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head lightly. When he spoke it was quiet and soaked in hurt. "I saw the way you fliched away from me... I guess when it comes down to it, I'm still just a predator."

"What? That's not… I didn't…" Judy struggled to argue as she stared at the pain on her friend's face.

"I saw you, Judy. Maybe you didn't mean to, maybe it's just some kind of biological instinct, but…" He paused and turned his face away from her. "That doesn't make it hurt any less."

He shifted his legs and his tail moved around behind him, making it clear he was about to stand and depart.

"Please don't go, Nick. Let me explain." She pleaded, a well of tears fighting to stay contained.

He paused in his ascent, and stayed sitting, facing away from her, his ears hanging in misery behind him. He didn't say anything, but it was obvious this was her one chance to clear this misunderstanding.

"Maybe I did flinch." She started her confession and saw his shoulders fall even more as she spoke. "But not because I was afraid of you. Nick, you're my best friend, I don't care that you're a predator twice my size, I could never be afraid of you."

Ever so slowly he turned back around to meet her eyes. "Then what was it?" He asked, clearly skeptical that she held an answer for him. And when she delayed her response, even for that fraction of a second, he started to turn away again.

And so she blurted out to still him once more. "I thought you were going to kiss me!"

There was a moment of silence after this confession left her mouth. And Nick cocked one brow as his ears tilted slightly higher up to listen. "So, you flinched away from me because you thought I was about to kiss you?" His expression shifted to one that gave the appearance he had just smelled something rotten. "Gee." His snark was clear. "That makes me feel soooo much better."

Judy's heart pounded away in her chest, feeling as though she had just run a marathon. Her original reaction had been for the sake of their friendship, but she couldn't hold back now, no matter her pride.

"No, it wasn't like that, ... I wanted you to kiss me." She muttered before nibbling at her bottom lip. She could feel her cheeks warm and was sure the pink crept up into her ear membranes.

As she had hoped, this seemed to be enough to keep Nick from leaving. She watched him sink back into his seated position across from her, ears now alert and waiting.

Knowing that her attention was limited, she continued on with her explanation. "You were being all flirty and playful like always, but then… I dunno, you moved in close and your breath was on my cheek and I thought… I thought you were about to kiss me." She paused to watch his reaction, but he just stared back in a stunned silence, not betraying a single emotion.

"And I was going to kiss you back, but... but then I realize that wasn't what you were doing, –I mean who licks cream off of someone's face?" Her hands rolled about aimlessly in the air in front of her as she spoke, and she lifted her palms up with her question, barely noticing his fazed shrug in response. "And so I panicked a little, and that made me flinch."

"Why did you panic?" He finally spoke, his voice soft, genuinely curious for the answer.

Judy rolled her neck while taking a deep calming breath. Tipping her head to one side, her ears still hanging low, she regarded the fox in front of her.

"Because you're my best friend? And I thought I was about to make a fool of myself?" Her last statement sounded like it was a question directed at him. As though maybe he could confirm whether or not such things would ever happen.

"Because you wanted me to kiss you?" He asked again, to confirm.

"Yeah, I guess." She let out a nervous chuckle and tugged at one of her limp ears, feeling the heat continue down their length as she pulled on it to keep her paws occupied.

The pair sat in silence. Judy couldn't even look up, she was so embarrassed, and instead decided to lock her gaze down on the scraggly rug they were seated on.

Finally after a moment that felt way longer than it could have possibly been, Nick cleared his throat and she tentatively glanced up into his emerald eyes.

"What if I assured you that you wouldn't be making a fool of yourself? Would you still panic?" His eyebrows lifted as he spoke, awaiting her answer.

Still feeling on the verge of either dying from embarrassment or possibly hurting her friend again; Judy shrugged, unsure of where he was going with his new question. "Um, no. I guess not."

"Then let's test that out, shall we?"

"Wha–?" Judy began to ask when he swiftly reached one large paw back to cup the side of her head and tilt her chin slightly up as this time his lips landed exactly on hers.

The speed of his movement still managed to surprise her a little, despite his cryptic warning. But she recovered quickly, letting her eyes fall shut. Because of their positions on the floor and their vast difference in height, Nick had to lean forward and down to reach her. This prompted Judy to scoot in closer, reaching her own paws up to hold him. One against the soft red tufts of his cheek and the other wrapping up around his neck.

Her movements encouraged him and he deepened the kiss, tilting his head to one side as they found a comfortable angle for their muzzles to fit together. Scooting even closer, she made her way up into his lap. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her forward to his chest where she could feel the pounding of his heart beating furiously beneath.

His warm tongue darted out and caressed her quivering lips, eliciting a low throaty moan. Her paw that was smoothing it's way behind his head, felt his ears jolt forward in response to her sound. This was followed by his own rumbling moan when she gave a quick swipe of her small tongue against his.

Another few steamy moments passed before their kiss seemed to have reached the unspoken yet agreed upon level of intensity for their first attempt, and they reluctantly broke apart.

"Whoah." Judy muttered, sitting back on her heels, where she was still perched on Nick's lap, his own legs criss-crossed in front of him.

"Yeah." Nick agreed with a small sound. He spoke again, this time a little louder. "I don't think you'd have any reason to feel foolish about that."

"I suppose not." Judy squeaked out, still feeling somewhat taken aback by what just happened. Of course he'd still be able to make a joke.

"I'm sorry, that I somehow mistook your reaction for being fear. I was obviously very off-base." Nick let the tip of his muzzle fall forward in shame as he spoke.

"It's okay Nick,"Judy used a gentle paw to tip his chin back up to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry I was acting weird enough to ever make you think such things. But I hope you'll believe me, when I say that I would never be afraid of you."

"Oh, I'm a believer." He smiled, crookedly after his own silly statement.

Judy stared wide-eyed at her friend, taking a deep breath, she tried to will her racing pulse to slow down as her tipsy brain whirled over what to do next. Her ears were at alert and she could hear that Nick's own heart was rapidly pounding and verified that he had yet to catch his breath.

"So what now?" She finally asked into the silence of the room. "I don't think we can just forget that happened."

"Oh, hell no." He was quick to respond with a shake of his head. "Nor would I want to."

Judy's eyes lit up at his tone, he was trying to keep things light, but it was also clear he was dead serious. "Really?" She finally asked with a questioning raise of her eyebrows.

"Really, really." Nick's large paws moved to capture her smaller ones and he looked down into her eyes. "I gotta be honest, Judy. This was not the first time I've thought about kissing you."

"What?" She sat up straighter in surprise. "You've wanted to kiss me too? Why didn't you say anything?"

Nick shrugged with a small laugh. "For the same reason you panicked just a few minutes ago! You're my partner and my best friend and you've given no indication that you were interested in anything else. The buck you just broke up with, and every other guy you've dated, have been decidedly… nothing like me. How was I supposed to broach that subject?"

All of this new information was a lot to register and Judy had to take a second to absorb it. During this pause, Nick cocked his head to the side and added with a smile, "Also, I was pretty sure you'd punch me for trying something."

"Hey that's not fair." Judy argued.

"So…" Nick started and waited for her to lock eyes with him. "Does that mean you won't punch me if I maybe asked you out sometime?"

Judy tipped her head back and took a long dramatic sigh as though it was a difficult decision, before letting a smile crack in the corner of her lips and looked back up at him. "I guess you'll just have to ask and find out, but I like your odds."

"Ha!" Nick let out a chuckle at her tease, causing her to light up. "Well after tonight, I'm realizing it's definitely worth the gamble."

With that, he moved to stand, and Judy scrambled from out of his lap and tentatively stood, "Where are you going?"

Nick turned around with his million dollar smile plastered into place. "My goal tonight was to cheer you up, and it appears I've succeeded in that. Feels like a good place to put this on hold for now."

"You want to put this on hold, now?" Judy's eyebrows shot up in surprise that he'd be willing to rush out the door after that steamy kiss.

"Judy," He stepped forward and took one of her paws in his own. "As stated, you are my best friend. And as also stated, you are a lightweight and have had 3 beers in the last couple of hours. I'm not making any more moves tonight, until I know we've thought things through rationally."

"Nick, please, I'm a little tipsy, but I can make rational decisions just fine." Judy tried to protest, but he let go of her to hold his paw up; as if to gesture that she stop her argument.

"Remember what I said earlier, about being blinded by our hearts?" Nick paused and raised an eyebrow. "When it comes to you, I'd rather make sure I'm seeing clearly. I think this was a fine place to end things for tonight, don't you?"

Judy let out a small breath, but actually agreed that because of their friendship, this was too risky to rush into without taking at least some time to think it over. "Yes. It was a good night."

"Tomorrow is our day off, maybe I could come by?" He suggested with a sparkle in his eyes. "I think I'll have a question to ask you."

With a smirk and a look of amazement at how he could sound so calm and casual despite that she could still hear his pulse racing, Judy nodded. "That sounds great."

"Well in that case, I shall bid you adieu." Nick made a goofy charade as though to tip his hat forward in a bow.

He then wordlessly grabbed the depleted ice cream container and whipped cream canister in one paw and stacked up the empty bowls in another. Judy gathered up the few empty bottles and followed him into the kitchen to deposit it all into the proper receptacles.

Wiping his paw on her kitchen towel he strolled back to the front entrance, waiting for her there. Unlocking the door, he paused before opening it, and then swiveled around to place a quick kiss on the tip of her muzzle. "See you tomorrow, Carrots."

"I look forward to it, Slick." She replied, watching him walk out into her hallway. He gave a little wave over his shoulder before descending into the stairwell.

Closing and locking the door, Judy leaned her back up against it and let out a sigh. Her heart had just now started to finally calm, though her nerves were ablaze with excitement.

Nick was right, not a single one of those dates she'd been on this last year were with anyone remotely like him. And yet, not a single one of those bucks had made her feel as delightfully light headed and optimistic over what lay ahead. She appreciated Nick's suggestion to give them a night to mull things over, but she knew without a doubt that she wouldn't feel any different in the sober light of day.

The moment she had thought Nick was about to kiss her tonight, it had sparked something inside that she hadn't even realized she had been craving. Pushing back off the door, she licked her lips and smiled when she could still taste the faint flavor of Blueberry Swirl. She decided in that moment, that it was now her favorite flavor too.

The End

A/N: Yup that's right, yet another variation of these two realizing their might be something more between them. SIGH, I suppose my themes are getting old: the two are friends, Judy has maybe been attempting to date and then one of them reveals feelings as they lounge around in the living room. What can I say? I gotta roll with what the muse gives me… and since I wrote this thing, I figured why not share it. :P

This was supposed to be a quick little drabble around the misunderstanding and the kiss, but imagine that, it turned into more! Hope you enjoyed it!