Wine Coolers, Chapter 2
#3 of Wine Coolers
Morning had just begun to slant through the blinds when Nick's alarm went off.
"Umfggg..."
He slapped at the obnoxious noise with a gloved paw, twisting uncomfortably on the couch. Wait. The couch? Why was he -
Cracking an eyelid, Nick noticed that he was under an unfamiliar roof with equally unfamiliar water stains.
Oh. Judy's place. Right.
His chest, which had been the bunny girl's pillow for most of the night, was bare. He sat upright, pain shooting through his temples as he padded down the hall.
Cracking the bedroom door a few inches, Nick leaned in. Phew. There she was, safe and sound in her own bed. Resting against the door frame, Nick watched the rhythmic up and down of her breathing, cocking a grin. She looked so much... softer in her sleep. All of the plucky, can-do attitude and false bravado was gone, leaving behind a sweet country girl with thick eyelashes and a cute button nose.
Feeling suddenly like a voyeur, Nick pushed off, making a beeline through Judy's cramped studio apartment. First stop: the bathroom for some Motrin, because he had a splitting headache and desperately needed to sober up. Second stop: back to the living room for his shirt, which had been doffed at some point during the night. He found the undershirt, but his Hawaiian shirt was nowhere to be had. He tugged the undershirt over his head, padding into the kitchen to make Judy breakfast.
His partner had been on a juicer kick all month - the kind of all-organic, all-liquid diet that made Nick's stomach turn. Many a morning jog had been held up by the little bunny rummaging through the crisper for vegetables to pack into the hot pink blender. On various days of the week Nick had watched carrots, pineapples, kiwis, eggplants, rhubarbs, dragonfruit, cucumber, guava, acai berries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, boysenberries , juniper berries, kale, spinach, and fuck knows what else get minced to brightly colored liquid by the sharp whirring teeth.
Nick rooted around in the well-stocked fridge, fishing out a bin of strawberries, a bag of baby carrots, a cellophaned mango half and three kiwis, setting about to prep them on the cutting board.
He skinned the kiwis. What the hell are you doing?
He cored the mango half. It's not natural.
He washed and nicked the leaves off the strawberries. You're both going to get hurt if you don't back out now.
Nick sighed.
Make her breakfast.
Text her that you're sorry.
Keep things in the friend zone from now on.
He closed the sound dampener over the blender and set it to high, watching the spinning blades pulp the fruits and vegetables together as his temples throbbed in tune with the whirring. Pinching the space between his eyes, Nick fumbled in his trouser pocket, producing a shiny phone.
<<< Deputy Wilde, ZPD: Hey Carrots ~ hope you're feeling better. Made you breakfast. I know, right? I'm awesome. Listen - sorry things got a little out of hand. Nothing untoward happened, I promise. Hope we can still be friends. Love, Nick.>>>
Backspace, backspace, backspace.
<<<Respectfully, Nick.>>>
Nick frowned at the screen. What is she, my grandfather?
Backspace, backspace, backspace.
<<<Warmest regards, Nick.>>>
There. Nailed it.
He pocketed the phone as the blender ceased its whirring. He lifted the glass pitcher off its dais and set it front and center in the fridge for Judy to find.
Nick turned to get ready to leave. There, silhouetted by the cascading light, Judy was framed at the edge of the hall, watching him silently. In her hand was an iCarrot phone. She was wearing his Hawaiian shirt.
"Were you really gonna leave without saying goodbye?" she yawned.
Nick's brows formed an arch along his forehead. The bunny girl didn't seem to be wearing anything underneath his shirt.
"Umm... yeah. Figured I'd let you sleep." He fumbled for something pertinent to say. "I made you a smoothie."
At this, Judy chuckled. "I know. I read the text." She tucked one lopping ear behind her shoulder. "Such a gentleman."
Judy padded over the linoleum tiles, bumping Nick out of the way with her hip and retrieving the smoothie pitcher from the fridge. She hopped her butt up onto the counter and poured herself a glass, sitting there with her legs dangling over the side, sipping her smoothie and watching Nick out of the corner of her eye.
Nick, for his part, didn't know where to look. Only a few of the Hawaiian shirt's buttons were done up.
"Look, Carrots," Nick groaned, scratching the scruff of his neck with a paw. "About last night..."
"I still want to fuck your brains out."
Judy sipped the bright orange concoction, smacking her lips as Nick's eyes went wide.
"Come again?!"
Judy smirked over her glass, staring at the floor. "You heard me."
Nick's fur was standing at attention all over his body. The rabbit's words rang in his pointed ears. His mouth felt dry as sandpaper.
"Carrots..."
"Oh hush. It's been a long time coming, you and me. Ever since you pretended to bite my throat at the planetarium when we were running from Mayor Bellweather, I've wanted to feel your lips on my neck. I can't tell you how many times I've masturbated thinking about you." Judy set her glass aside, resting her elbows on her knees and rolling her back until it popped. "Besides... I'm pretty sure you feel the same way, after last night. Not to mention I catch you watching me sometimes. When we're at our desks at the station. In the squad car, when you think I'm not looking."
Nick felt dizzy. He pulled up a kitchen stool. "Wow."
Judy's ear spilled back over her shoulder and onto her lap as she grinned. "Yep."
For a while, they just regarded each other from across the distance. A new, strange electricity crackled in the air.
"It's wrong."
"I know."
"We're two totally different species."
"I know."
"Your parents wouldn't approve."
"I'm not gonna tell them."
"I don't have a condom."
"You can't get me pregnant."
Nick blinked. This all felt so surreal. His headache was gone, replaced by a new, albeit all-to-familiar throbbing.
Judy grinned down at him from high atop her counter. She held out her arms in the universal gesture for Uppies!
Nick's body seemed to move without his approval, pushing off from the stool, padding over, gathering the rabbit up in his arms.
Lips and buck teeth nibbled at his throat. "Where we going, big guy?"
"Somewhere nice."
"Mmmn," Judy sighed, closing her eyes and nuzzling against the underside of his jaw. "Somewhere like the bedroom?"
"Possibly."
Toeing the door open, Nick nuzzled the bunny girl's throat, forcing a sigh from her. The door kicked closed as their lips met in the darkness.