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It was a rainy evening in Savannah Central, and Judy and Nick were curled up on his couch talking over a Star Boars movie. It didn't matter which. Nick wasn't paying any attention to it anyway.
"I swear I went easy, I stretched before and after, but I'm still so stiff! I told Bogo that bedrest would break me."
Nick shook his head, unable to help his smile. "You sprained an ankle, Carrots, he hardly had much choice."
Judy snuggled further into her blanket, tossing her head back dramatically. "But now I'm soooore," she whined. Nick rolled his eyes.
"I could give you a massage."
That... wasn't what he meant to say. Now that it was out there, he supposed it could be taken as a perfectly acceptable platonic suggestion. When he glanced Judy's way to gauge her reaction, he was surprised to find her staring straight at him.
"Really?" she asked hopefully.
"Why not?" Nick shrugged. "Y'know, I was a masseuse by trade for a minute there."
"Were you now?"
"Yes ma'am. I offered massages for a very reasonable price... and expected very unreasonable tips." Judy laughed, and Nick smiled. His grifts had ranged from complicated to downright awkward to execute, but her amusement at his retellings more than made up for the discomfort. "I was a single father putting my beautiful son through kindergarten at the time," Nick explained with a paw against his heart, "who could say no to such an upstanding citizen?"
Judy hummed and cocked her head, familiar with his playbook. "What was Finnick's role in this? Did he give pedicures?"
Nick shook his head regretfully. "Oh, Finn was off doing his own thing. I just showed pictures. In fact, I think I still-" He dug his wallet out of his back pocket and opened it to reveal an accordion insert filled to the brim with pictures of Finn, each more eye-wateringly cutesy than the last. "... Have them! Look at that, isn't he adorable?
"SO cute," Judy agreed, grinning at the pictures.
"He hates how cute he is," Nick sighed happily. "Alright!" He clapped his paws. "Let's get started! Do you want the full Nick Wilde experience? It involves lotion and is only 9.99 extra."
Judy rolled her eyes. "Oooh, yes please. You gonna light candles, too?"
"If you're willing to pay the up charge," he winked. Nick dug his TV remote out of the couch cushions, paused the movie, and pulled up a EweTube video: 10 hours of royalty free music to relax and study to. Judy snorted when she noticed that it had been watched in full already.
Nick stood and stepped into his bathroom, hunting through the cabinets for lotion. He was fairly certain he still had a bottle of the exact brand he had used at the time in there somewhere... he spotted it in the very back of the space under his sink where it had toppled behind a box of hair dye. He grabbed it and returned to his living room only to find that Judy had removed the blanket... and her shirt.
She looked a little embarrassed, clearly unsure of whether or not Nick had expected her to disrobe, but if he knew Judy, he knew that she'd defend her decision. He only had a moment to appreciate the curve of her toned stomach and the strength there within before she proved him right.
"Oh, like you haven't seen my belly before," Judy scoffed playfully. Nick quit gawking and dropped himself onto the couch, placing the lotion on his beat up excuse for a coffee table.
"Sure, but usually I get a warning."
Judy covered her mouth with a hand. "Sorry-"
"It's no problem, Carrots," he cut in, "at least you kept your pants on. You have no idea how many unsolicited butts I saw during my brief stint as a masseuse."
Judy laughed, relaxing. "Should I take my bra off?"
Nick hesitated. It would be impractically awkward to try and massage around her sports bra, but he didn't exactly want to demand she undress while harboring undisclosed feelings for her. He cleared his throat. It would probably be best to let her pick her poison. "I'm happy to work around it, or-" He put a paw over his eyes. "I can cover my eyes while you get situated. Up to you."
Judy considered it silently. "... Keep 'em covered," she decided.
"Aye aye, cap'n."
Nick heard shuffling, then the distinctive thumph of Judy dropping onto his threadbare couch. "Okay, I'm all set."
Nick opened his eyes and failed to reply, his mouth dry. The dip of her spine was visible against her bare back, the fur there slightly darker where it trailed to the base of her fluffy white tail. Nick licked his lips and reached for the lotion. Focus, Wilde.
He poured some of the liquid into his paw and warmed it up. It had separated some over time (the masseuse routine hadn't exactly been his most recent grift), but was still smooth to the touch, so he mixed it as best he could and carefully laid his palms against Judy's back. He slowly ran his fingers from her shoulders down to her hips, getting a feel for the task ahead of him. He couldn't have counted the knots he felt on one paw. He clicked his tongue sympathetically. "No wonder you were whining. You are one stiff bunny."
Judy shot a glare over her shoulder, but quickly relented. "I admit, I may have hit the gym just a little too hard." Nick raised his eyebrows, and she shrugged, laying her chin back on her arms. "It just felt so good to be back. You know I can't stand holding still. Makes me antsy."
Nick smiled fondly. "That's my Judy. Never knows when to quit."
Nick began to rub her back in earnest, starting at her shoulders. Judy groaned at the pressure, her ears going limp, and Nick's ears twitched at the sound. He did his best to toe the line between firm and gentle- he knew Judy had one hell of a pain tolerance, but he didn't want her to be in agony if he could help it. For her part, Judy took the aggressive approach with ease, pushing back against Nick's thumbs and grunting if he was too rough. When the first of the knots released, Judy blew a sigh through her pursed lips. Nick hummed approvingly and gave her a break, rubbing his paws up and down her back, ruffling her fur before smoothing it flat.
"You know, your services might just be worth that exorbitant tip," Judy mumbled against her arm.
Nick chuckled. "Excuse you, my services are absolutely worth the exorbitant tip."
Judy laughed. She quieted when he returned to working her shoulders, her brows furrowed. The second knot relaxed more easily, melting away at Nick's careful attentions. He kept at it, diligently rubbing at the nasty knots until they gave under the pressure. After the last of the tension in her shoulders released, Judy blinked her eyes open and tipped her head so she could peer at Nick out of the corner of her eye.
"I like your paw pads," she murmured.
Nick's jaw worked. "Yeah?"
"Mmm. They're rough. it's like having my back scratched." She smiled pleasantly, her eyes slipping closed again.
Nick hummed and drew wavy lines into her fur with his finger pads before carefully raking his claws through the displaced fur. Judy groaned, so Nick continued, the only sounds in the room being the soothing music, their breathing, and the rustle of Judy's fur.
Nick watched wrapt as his paws left patterns on his partner's back. He played with her fur for a few minutes, drawing in the shadow and light before remembering he had a job to do. He slowly reintroduced pressure, this time on either side of Judy's spine. Her hips twitched when his thumbs pressed against her middle back, and a new aroma made Nick's nose twitch.
It was earthy, slightly tangy, and immediately recognizable- it was the smell of arousal.
For one horrifying moment Nick thought that he was smelling himself, but his scent was saltier; this was tart, feminine. Nick's eyes went wide. He was smelling Judy.
His paws slowed to a stop against her back.
"... Doing okay down there?" he asked carefully.
"Mmhmm." Judy nodded lazily, shifting her shoulders to convince him to continue touching her.
"Okay," Nick eked out. Shit. Now what? He knew he should tell her. His sense of smell would come up eventually- hell, he had put it on his job application. If she discovered that he had been getting a nose full of horny bunny while rubbing her back, she'd be mortified.
... But on the other paw, God, he didn't want to stop.
Before he could make up his mind, Judy stiffened below him. "... How good is a fox's sense of smell?" she asked conversationally.
Nick winced. She knew. Of course she knew. He should have expected that his clever bunny would be two steps ahead. "Good enough. Why do you ask?"
He could just see her eyes dart about, looking for an excuse. She spotted one in short order. "... You're using unscented lotion. Do scented products, ah, bother you?" she asked. The small part of Nick that wasn't busy panicking took the time to appreciate how damned quick Judy was. Any mammal less familiar with her would have been none the wiser.
Nick shrugged, absently running his paws up and down her back. The knots were long gone now, but it kept him busy. "Some are worse than others," he replied. He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "A smell only really sticks out to me if it's on me or... someone I'm very close to."
The hint was enough. Judy dropped her head against the couch cushions.
"... You can smell it, can't you."
Nick rubbed a thumb against her shoulder. "... Yeah," he admitted weakly. "Do you want me to stop?"
Judy groaned into the couch cushion. "... No," she grumbled.
The reply startled a warm laugh out of Nick. He moved his paws up to her neck and gently squeezed her cervical spine. "Then I won't. Simple as that."
"Nick, you don't have to-" Judy abruptly attempted to sit up. Nick took a sharp breath and pressed a palm against her back.
"Woah! Still shirtless, fluffbutt," he reminded her.
Her scent grew stronger immediately, and Nick felt himself flush just as Judy's ears went red. "Oh gosh, sorry," she whispered.
"It's okay," Nick soothed. "If you're gonna flash me, I'd like for it to at least be purposeful."
Judy huffed out a laugh. "It doesn't... bother you?"
"Being flashed? Personally, I love being flashed, who doesn't-"
"Nick."
Nick sobered, rubbing the backs of his knuckles over her shoulders. "Not at all, Carrots. If you're happy, I'm happy." Judy's tail twitched at that (and Nick had never wanted to touch it so badly) and she relaxed for the first time since the smell occurred to her. Nick smiled and spoke lowly against her ear. "There you go."
Judy whined. "Stop making it worse."
Nick smiled toothily, proud to have incidentally turned her on. "How should I know what makes it worse?"
"You know," Judy accused, hiding her face in her arms. Nick walked his fingers up her back mischievously.
"Carrots, if I knew that, say, rubbing your ears would make it worse, then I wouldn't be doing it, would I?" He lightly grazed a claw against the back of Judy's ear. She gasped but otherwise didn't react. Nick wasn't sure if it was the scent of her interest or his own budding arousal making him so bold, but he followed his instinct and gently rubbed the membrane of her ear between thumb and forefinger. Judy shuddered violently, and Nick's bravado cooled in an instant, leaving him unsure. "If you're uncomfortable, say the word and I'll stop," he clarified quietly.
Judy grunted. "Don't you dare." She sighed, squirming just enough for Nick to notice before catching herself. She turned to face the back of the couch. "How did you know that bunnies' ears are sensitive?"
Nick continued to play with her ears, weighing them in his paws and tracing his claws across their delicate surface. "Back when we were working the reptile case, you told me never to touch a bunny's ears, and I was curious, so I... did a little research." He coughed. "How quickly my research sites devolved into pornography sites is irrelevant, so don't ask."
To his surprise, Judy laughed. "I had the same problem!" she exclaimed. "I wanted to know where your scent glands are, so I Zoogled around. It's amazing how easy it is to end up on dirty sites these days."
Nick paused, the hot coals low in his gut flaring dangerously. "You wanted to know about my scent glands?"
Judy's ears went warm in his grasp. "... I noticed when I got home the other day that I... smelled like you."
God, she can smell me on her. Nick's throat clicked. "You could have asked, Carrots."
After a beat, Judy sat up. Too slow to stop her, Nick made an undignified noise and clapped a paw over his own eyes.
He heard a rustle.
"Nick?" Judy gently pulled his paws away, but his eyes remained firmly shut. She chuckled. "Open your eyes."
When he hesitantly obeyed, Nick had very complicated feelings about the fact that Judy had draped a blanket over her chest. "Are you attracted to me?" she asked simply.
Nick's breath caught uncomfortably in his chest. "... Will you regret your massage if I'm honest?" he asked thinly.
Judy smiled her knowing smile, still holding his paw. "Not even the demand for a ridiculously large tip could make me regret that massage."
Oh, Nick was so in love with her. Far, far gone. He closed his eyes just long enough to summon his meager courage before meeting her eye again.
"... Attracted doesn't begin to describe it," he managed. "You... you're incredible. You're clever, and funny, and empathetic, and... gorgeous, and I can't believe I get to see you and talk to you and touch you every day, I..." he caught himself blabbering and sat up straighter. "Yes, I am unbelievably, embarrassingly attracted to you."
Judy was silent for a moment, before all the remaining tension left her body in a rush. "Oh thank goodness," she spat out in one breath. She collapsed against him as if the question of his feelings had been the only thing holding her up. Nick laughed into her embrace, beyond relieved. He could dodge his own emotions all he liked, but Judy was his... everything. Judy was his coworker and partner, his best friend, his pack; if she had pulled away... He held her tighter against his chest, rubbing a cheek against her forehead in a motion he now knew she recognized as scenting. Judy's own distinctly interested scent returned with renewed vigor, and Nick chuckled lowly.
"Can I assume based on the smell that it's mutual?" Judy rubbed her chin against his chest, giggling.
"It's very mutual," she assured him. The last shred of doubt finally dissipated and Nick relaxed fully, licking her forehead and making her laugh. "You make me feel safe and understood and... and you're so kind, and..." She buried her face into his scruff, her words muffled. "And tall, and... crackers, Nick, you have no idea what your voice does to me."
Nick's heart did something acrobatic, but he played it cool, pinching his partner's tail. "I think I have some idea," he teased.
"Nick!" Judy all but squealed.
They laughed together, scrubbing their faces against one another as if trying to crawl into each other's fur. Nick's paws slipped lower than they had dared at first, his claws tracing the waistband of her loose shorts.
"... Do you want help?" he offered lowly.
Judy tapped a finger against her lip. "Hmm... that depends. What's the up charge?"
Nick grinned. "For you? It's on the house."