"Family Day part 1"

She was excited to tell him the great news.

The feisty bunny, Judy Hopps, raced towards Nick's apartment. She jammed the spare key into the keyhole and burst through the door in a crash. The front door rattled, making a frightful noise which startled Nick from his bed. His muzzle kissed his wooden floor in a painful thud. He scrambled, trying to escape from the unknown threat running right toward his door.

"Nick!" She called out, opening his bedroom door and running inside. "Wake up! I got to tell!...why are you on the floor?" She asked, finding him facedown with his arms and legs tangled in his sheets.

His shoulders slumped as he released a tired sigh. Of course it was her. He should have been used to her sudden visits.

"You know," he muttered toward the floor. "That's what I was thinking too." He managed to pull his arms out of the sheet's grasp and pull his legs out of the mess. She noticed that he was shirtless, only wearing his khaki pants. At one point it would have made her look away in a awkward sideways glance, but over the months she seemed to have gotten used to the sight of his bare chest. However, she still couldn't help but blush. He rubbed his tired eyes.

"Is there a reason to why you're here? At..." He glanced at the clock on his dresser drawer, which sat beside his bed. His ears and tail sprang up when he saw the time. "At 5:30 A.M!? Judy!"

She blushed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, but I just couldn't wait!" She smiled widely, bouncing on the heels of her feet. "I need to tell you something amazing!"

He gave her a deadpan look, and turned back to his warm bed, which beckoned for him to return before it turned cold. "Can it wait a few more hours?" He was already climbing back into bed before Judy suddenly grabbed him from behind.

"No! We actually have to get ready!" She said, pulling him away from his bed. Nick scowled and made his body go limp and heavy, purposely making her struggle. That didn't stop her from dragging him in the direction of his closet.

"Come on Nick! This is really important!"

"It can't be work; it's our day off!" He grumbled. Judy dropped him, making his head hit the floor with a thunk.

"It's not work." She answered with a giggle, looking at him from above. He rubbed his sore head, slightly annoyed.

"Than what is it?" He went back to his feet, sliding his closet door open. Inside, he had a row of green Hawaiian shirts on the top; his khaki pants sat on the row below. Judy wondered if he would ever get something new. She pulled a letter out from her back pocket.

"It's an invitation for "Family Day" back at my hometown; it's a family reunion!" She smiled, pressing the letter to her chest and sighing happily. "It's been so long since I last saw my "whole" family."

"Family day, huh?" He buttoned up his clean shirt. "What does that have to do with me?" He asked. Letting out a tired yawn, he dragged his feet toward the kitchen to make himself a well-needed cup of coffee. Judy followed.

"Well, I was hoping that you could come with me."

He reached into his kitchen cabinet, taking out a white mug. "No thanks."

Her ears lowered. "Why not?" He frowned when he heard her disappointed words. He turned on his black espresso machine, hearing the machine rumble inside as it began to heat up the water.

"Because I don't want to?" He answered, rubbing his crust-covered eyes again. "It's too early."

"Is that your only excuse?" She asked, pivoting her hip to the side while placing a paw on it. He gave her a glance and put his cup underneath the small hose of the machine, watching as the hot, brown coffee spilled into the waiting cup.

"Maybe." He muttered. He took his filled cup and turned to Judy, who had her lips pressed into a fine line. She wanted to know the real reason; her expression said it all. He swallowed a mouthful of coffee before speaking. "Your parents don't like me."

She let out a breath and walked up to him. "How can you say that? Of course they like you."

He took another slow sip of his drink. "No, they don't. You saw how they reacted when they found out that we were dating. Imagine the rest of your family..." he placed his cup on the counter and felt Judy place her paw on his wrist.

"They won't care."

He scoffed. "I'm not going." he pulled away, bringing the cup back to his lips. She clenched her paws at her sides, crinkling the letter.

"Please?" She softly asked, making his ears twitch slightly. "It won't be fun if you're not there."

He glanced back at her and instantly regretted it, as he saw Judy's piercing amethyst eyes glossing over as she did her signature puppy look.

"Judy! That's not going to work this time." he said firmly, avoiding eye contact as he took another sip. Her expression changed back to normal.

"Please Nick! I'll do anything! I'm even going to wear that pink Hawaiian shirt you gave me for my birthday." She heard him let out a grunt. "I thought it might look cute, like what some other couples do. We'll match!"

"Tempting, but..."

She realized that she would have to take another approach. She decided to use guilt. "After I helped you get a job, you can't do this one thing for me!" She said with a huff. He put up his index finger and wagged it. He wasn't buying it.

"Ah, ah, ah! You can't guilt me with that, Whiskers! I'm the one who agreed to help 'you' remember?" He said with a smug little grin. Her face fell and she clasped her paws together, pleading.

"Please, oh please, Nick! Um, I'll...um..." she tapped her chin, trying to fish for something else. Nick took a long sip, ignoring her pleas. Judy cheeks flared up to a light pink color, her face puffing up like a chipmunk hoarding nuts. She had to come up with something that would convince him to come with her. She couldn't go without him.

"What if-" she began with a small voice, making Nick arch a brow and place his empty cup down on the counter. Her cheeks turned red. "I wear a...dress?"

His eyes perked up. "Judy Hopps wearing a dress? Now that is something." He smirked, leaning against the black countertop. She gasped letting out a smile. "But," her smile faded. "I need a little bit more than that to make me go."

She cringed, twiddling her thumbs. "You can pick the dress?"

"I was already planning on doing that, but you really got to give me something more, whiskers." He said, leaning in, their noses almost touching. She felt her whole face heat up again. If he wanted to, he could steal a kiss. Nick drummed his fingers against the counter, waiting patiently for her answer.

She nibbled her lower lip. "Oh alright! If you do this for me, I'll owe you, big time!"

He rubbed his chin, giving her a grin. "Deal. I'll go."

She smiled widely and jumped for joy, propelling herself right into his chest with arms opened in gratitude. He stumbled back, nearly falling over from the sudden hug. "Oh thank you Nick! You won't regret it! We're going to have the best time!"

"That's-great!" He strained painfully, she had his arms pinned down and he felt her squeeze harder.

"I can't wait for you to meet all my brothers and sisters, my cousins, my 2nd cousins, my aunts and uncles, my-"

"Judy! Can't-!...breathe!"

"And all the games we'll play! I just know we're going to win the three legged race!" She squealed, giving him another squeeze.

Nick wheezed, having heard a sudden crack. "Y-yeah that's great, Whiskers! Now can you-ow! Let go!"

She pulled away, her eyes wide with concern when she saw Nick take a well-needed breath of air, clutching his sore ribs. She laughed slightly, embarrassed.

"Sorry, got over-excited there but-" she jumped high into the air. "This is going to be so much fun!" She landed, grabbing his wrist."Come on, no time to lose!"

He lurched forward, Judy dragging him behind her like a piece of luggage out the door. "We need to get to my apartment!" She raced down the street. With how fast she was going, Nick barely had enough time to lock his door.

"What-! Whoa!" He jumped, avoiding a pothole. His feet were on overdrive, afraid that he might trip over himself while trying to keep up with her. "For!"

He was suddenly shoved into the passenger seat of Judy's compact car. 'This bunny is trying to kill me!' He thought, clutching his rapidly beating heart. Judy entered the driver's side.

"I need to change and get the carrot casseroles I have baking at home."

His paw slowly went to the handle of his car door. "Yeah...I think I changed my-!" He fell back from the sudden force of the car moving forward, the wheels screeching loudly from Judy driving out of the parking lot.

After a terrifying car ride to her apartment, he found himself sitting peacefully on her small couch. It probably won't last long, he mused. He rubbed his eyes, taking another look at his phone.

6:45

His shoulders slumped. He had been sitting for over thirty minutes, waiting for her to get ready. He had already finished putting the casseroles in the back of her car, all forty-five of them. She forgot to mention that when he agreed to help. His fingers still ached from taking those glass dishes back and forth to the car. He bounced his leg impatiently, trying to keep his mind off of the wait while he scrolled down his social media newsfeed. Deep down, he still wasn't looking forward to "Family Day", mostly because of the bad experience he had had with Judy's parents. He had tried to show them some of his magic tricks, but even though they made Judy clap for joy, he saw only unimpressed grimaces from her parents. He had tried to win them over with jokes, but that seemed to only impress Judy. He could only imagine what he was going to deal with when he met the rest of her folks.

"Okay!" His ears sprang up, hearing her call. "Just tell me if it's too short."

He lifted his head up, snickering slightly. "If it's too short, I won't min-"

She was one step out of the hall, and his jaw had already fallen to the floor. Judy was wearing a pink dress with white floral designs, the dress was held up by a couple of straps that tied over her shoulder. It was simple dress; he would have called it cute but Judy wouldn't have bought it if he said that. That didn't stop him from thinking it though. She had her paws down at her sides, pulling the fabric down, and he noticed that it was just above her knee. He saw her cheeks turn a light pink, matching the color of her nose.

"Um, so how do I look? I-it's not to short is it? I mean, I don't want there to be wind..." She brushed it down, turning her waist to get a better look from behind. "I should wear shorts right? Just in case. What do you think, Nick?"

She turned her head and gasped in horror, finding him snapping photos of her with his phone. "Nick!"

He turned his phone to the side, sticking his tongue out and closing his right eye in a way that was almost like what professional photographers did. "Why don't you do some poses for me so I can get a better picture for my screensaver?"

She stomped her right foot. "No!"

"Perfect! You keep doing that scowl, yeah, look powerful!" He laughed, watching her shake slightly in anger. He took another picture. Judy swiftly crossed her arms over her body, running behind the wall of the hallway.

"No more pictures!"

"Aww come on, Judy!" He said standing up. She shrunk back, not taking any chances. "Just one more!"

"No!" She huffed. He frowned, reluctantly shoving the phone back in his pocket. He tilted his head down the hallway, giving her a small smile.

"Okay, fine. Now let me see you." He said, prompting her to come out of the shadows. She shyly took a step toward him, her arms still crossed. He grabbed her paws, pulling them away from her body. "Aw, come on, let me get a better look at you."

Her fingers tensed against his, making him put his thumbs on her knuckles. He moved his thumb to make small circles over them, trying to get her to relax. She had her head down, staring right at her feet, feeling him massage her paws gently.

"You look great, Judy." She glanced up at him, giving him a small smile.

"Thanks...um, is it too short? Be honest."

"Eh." he shrugged. "Whatever makes you more comfortable Juds, I'll still think you look great."

He froze when he felt Judy land a firm kiss on his cheek, going on her tiptoes to reach him. She pulled away, running back into her room. "Okay! Just give me one more minute and we'll head out!" She closed the door, leaving Nick to scratch at his cheek. It wasn't long till he was forced back inside her car and they were driving toward The Burrows.