They'll Be A While

A/N: This is a random gift for Cimar Turalis of WildeHopps, Friend Extraordinaire! He wanted fluff, so I delivered fluff. I've actually been meaning to write this little thing for a while, and he just gave me a good excuse.

For those who are wondering, I'm still working on the next chapter of The Tale of Crossfire and the Hustler. With any luck, I'll have it posted in the next week or two!

Over the din of small voices asking for seconds or for someone to pass the salt, a hiss of pain made Bonnie's ear twitch. She glanced across the long Hopps table and saw Judy wincing and glaring at her fox mate, who sat next to her with a self-satisfied grin. For a moment, Bonnie simply watched them, but they soon returned to wordlessly eating their food.

Something about the whole incident seemed very odd. Unable to put her finger on it, though, Bonnie simply shrugged and focused on chopping up some more carrots for the salad.

Then she heard Nick loudly whisper a quick "Ow!" Once again, she looked up at the interspecies couple and saw Nick glowering at Judy, ears folded behind his head while she smirked triumphantly. Furrowing her brows, Bonnie kept her eyes on them a little longer this time, but once again, they were back to enjoying their dinner in no time.

That's when it occurred to Bonnie what was strange about the way they were sitting. Nick was on Judy's left, and he was eating with his left paw, even though Bonnie knew him to be right-pawed. Well, it didn't really matter. Again, Bonnie shrugged and turned her attention toward slicing some more bread for everyone to eat with her salads.

But it kept happening. Periodically, either Judy or Nick would emit some sound of pain under their breath, narrow their eyes at their partner, and then just keep eating. They were quiet enough to not really disturb the dinner, but occasionally, a few of the bunnies at the table glanced curiously at them. Bonnie herself was about to ask what in the world was going on before they both stood up, placed their empty plates in the sink, and walked outside.

About an hour passed, and then Bonnie herself went behind the house to pick up some of the toys that the younger kits had left there. As she followed the trail of toys around to the side of the house, her ear swung in the direction of Judy's voice wafting faintly along the early autumn breeze. It was coming from the front porch.

Silently, nose bouncing, Bonnie tiptoed closer and peered at them from behind a bush. They sat next to each other on the bench swing, and Judy was giggling. Their fingers were intertwined together on the wood between them.

"But I want you to say it this time," she said.

"Not until you admit defeat," Nick replied, a warm smile in his voice.

"I will do no such thing." Bonnie recognized the stubbornness in Judy's tone; it was the same tone her daughter used whenever someone had tried to tell her that she couldn't be a cop.

Nick clicked his tongue. "Then I guess you're not going to hear it."

A beat passed before Judy turned her head and gazed at Nick pleadingly, eyes huge, mouth angling downward in a tiny pout.

For several seconds, all Nick did was stare back at her with a blank expression, but then he tore his eyes away, heaving a sigh and shaking his head. "All right, all right. You are clearly violating the terms of the Wilde Times Peace Convention by using weaponized eyes of adorableness, and you will stand trial before the council later for that, but for now…"

Softly, he looked at her, holding their clasped paws in the air between them.

"I." He squeezed her paw. "Love." He squeezed it again. "You." And again.

With a delighted grin, Judy squeezed back. "How..." And again. "Much?"

Then Nick's smile turned devilish, and his grip tightened around hers so hard that their paws shook. Judy cried out in surprise, giggling when Nick released her paw to let her shake it out.

Soon, she grabbed his paw, locked gazes with him, and said, "I. Love. You." She punctuated each word with a squeeze.

Another smile crept onto Nick's face. "How. Much?" he asked, squeezing back with both words.

Leaning toward him, Judy suddenly clutched Nick's paw so fiercely that he yelped.

As soon as they let go of each other's paws, they broke into peals of laughter and scooted closer to each other. Judy rested her head on Nick's shoulder, and for a second, they were content to watch the sun slowly fall behind the hills.

"But seriously," Judy said quietly. "I love you, Nick."

"How much?" Nick inquired with a smirk.

And Judy tilted her head upward, gently laying her lips against his cheek. They stayed that way, unmoving, even after Bonnie found the decency to blush and turn around. Hastily gathering up the rest of the toys, she returned to the house.

Stu looked up from where he was washing dishes in the kitchen. His brows furrowed. "What's got you so worked up?"

Bonnie waved her paw dismissively after dumping the toys into the nearest chest in the enormous living room. "Nothing to worry about, Stu."

"Okay," her husband said with a hint of suspicion in his tone. "Well, where in the heck'd Judy and Nick go? They're supposed to help clean the kitchen."

"Oh, I'm sure they will," Bonnie chuckled. "But I think they'll be a while."