Chapter Text
Nicholas Wilde took a long, drawn-out sip from his Snarlbucks coffee, hoping to drown out the sound of the other mammals in the room. He had to stand on the oversized chair he was assigned in order to see over the desk and to the front of the room, where Chief Bogo would appear any minute to give the morning's briefings. His aviator shades covered his eyes needlessly—he was indoors, after all—and even if the other mammals could see his eyes, they would see the most well-rested fox in Zootopia.
Nick had slept very well the night before. Better than almost any other night that he could remember. His dreams had consisted of a combination of blueberries and salmon, and him swimming in a sea of both. It forced him to wake up in the middle of the night, grab a midnight snack, and then go back to sleep to enjoy even more pleasant dreams. These, though, didn't involve food, but a particular bunny in his life.
The thought of Judy caused Nick to smile, ever so slightly. Judy Hopps, the rabbit who was responsible for him being in this very room right now. Judy Hopps, the bunny who had seen more in him than anyone ever had before. Judy Hopps, the—
The room erupted into cheers, causing Nick to take off his sunglasses and turn around to see who was coming in the door.
Judy Hopps. The small mammal who had just taken down a polar bear an hour ago in front of her own apartment building.
Word had spread quickly among the ZPD officers. Judy had taken down large mammals before, of course, but never single-handedly. Never a polar bear. Never so early in the morning, at a time when most mammals thought alarm clocks should be illegal.
Judy nervously walked down the aisle, forced a smile, waved a paw, murmured "Thanks, thank you, thanks everyone," and jumped onto Nick's chair to join him. She sat down, almost completely disappearing behind the oversized desk.
Nick slid his aviators into a pocket and chuckled. "I hear you had a rather fun morning, Carrots," he whispered in her ear—one of the only parts of her body that was above the desk. "And you didn't think to invite me along?" Judy's elbow in his side a second later caused him to yelp in pain. "Was that really necessary?" He looked at her with his trademarked half-lidded sly smile. "I don't want to be the next mammal you take out today."
Judy glared at him with an expression that told him he had taken it one step too far—which, amazingly, was a rare occurrence. Usually, Judy appreciated Nick's wit and sarcasm. In fact, in the several months since they had become partners on the police force, he could count the number of days she had really been annoyed at him on one paw.
Now, suddenly, he needed two.
Nick dropped the smile. "Oh, come on, Carrots. I didn't mean it."
With that, Judy reached over, grabbed Nick by his navy blue tie, and pulled him down to her level. After a second of discomfort, he sighed and sat down in the chair. "Why are we down here?" he asked.
"So the others can't hear us," Judy responded.
Nick blinked, not quite sure if Judy was joking or not. The other officers in the room were all talking to themselves—quite loudly, in fact. And it wasn't as if the two of them talking underneath this desk would keep them from hearing their conversation anyway.
But the look on Judy's face told him she was serious.
"Okay, right," Nick slowly replied. He reached out his Snarlbucks cup in offering. "Coffee?" he asked, only to realize mid-word that the cup was empty anyway. He sheepishly withdrew the cup and set it on the desk above them. "So, why so furtive?"
It was only then that Nick noticed the expression on Judy's face. It was even whiter now than it normally was. The nervousness she showed to all the other officers was replaced now by one of sheer terror. She had seen something that had left her horrified.
"What is it?" he asked again, this time with worry. "Are you hurt? Did the polar bear hurt you?" He began looking over her body for any sign of tears in her suit, or blood on her fur. "Are you all right?"
Judy took a moment to answer. "Physically, yes, I'm fine. Not so much as a scratch."
Her pause after that did little to help Nick's worrying. "Well, you dragged me down here to talk about it." He smiled, this time warmly and genuinely. "Come on, Carrots. You can trust me."
Before Judy could say anything else, the side door opened and Chief Bogo walked into the room. The two of them had to stand in order to see him properly—and just as they did, he laid eyes on them. The rest of the room quieted down quickly, and as Bogo walked over to the podium, he stared at them. "Exactly what were the two of you doing under the desk?"
Judy, embarrassed, sunk down a little bit to hide her flustered cheeks. Nick, however, had a comeback planned for just such an occasion. "Officer Hopps and I were just counting the number of ways we like you, sir."
Bogo stared at him, not believing it for a moment. "And how long were you down there, Wilde?" he asked in the same tone of voice as the first question.
"Quite a while, sir. We were unable to come up with a single thing."
The giggles from the other officers in the room drowned out the snort Bogo exerted. "One of these days, Wilde, you will go too far," he mumbled as the chuckles died down. He picked up the pamphlet and added, almost as an afterthought, "Luckily, it wasn't today," before raising his voice for the whole room to hear him. "Good morning, Zootopia Police Department officers. We only have one thing to get out of the way before you are assigned to your duties." He motioned to Judy. "Officer Judy Hopps this morning single-handedly took down a dangerous polar bear, who was terrorizing Savannah Central. Thanks to her heroic work, there were no casualties, and the polar bear is currently in custody."
The other mammals gave her a vigorous round of applause. Beside her, Nick settled for just patting her twice on the back. Judy once again forced a smile, no doubt embarrassed by the whole ordeal more than anything; she hated being in the spotlight.
It was something Nick admired about her—something he had admired about her even when he had wanted to ditch her in any way he could, back when they were on the Night Howlers case. Judy had not joined the police force for the power or the glory. She had joined because, as she had told him so many times, she just wanted to make the world a better place. Sure, sometimes the limelight would fall on her, and when it did she didn't seem to mind it too much. But she never pursued it. She just wanted to help Zootopia in any way she could.
And that was what had drawn him to her to begin with: her selflessness. The little rabbit, whether she realized it or not, had made a bigger impression on him than anyone else in the world. She contrasted to his selfish, sad, miserable life, and made him realize that he wanted that for himself. He wanted to be selfless, happy, and helpful. It had taken this bunny to make him realize that.
His bunny…
Bogo's booming voice jerked his mind back to reality. "Now, as fascinating as Officer Hopps's adventure was, we have many unanswered questions—namely, why the polar bear went on a rampage in the first place. It did not go savage, as some particular news stations have implied. According to Officer Hopps, it was fully conscious and in control of its actions throughout. Right now it is in Zootopia General Hospital, and when it is conscious again, it will need to be questioned." He stood up straight. "So, do I have any volunteers?"
Unsurprisingly, nobody raised their paw. If there was one common enemy to the ZPD, it was paperwork—and anyone who questioned a suspect knew that there would be a great deal amount of paperwork involved.
Bogo sighed. "Well, seeing as everyone has assignments for today anyway, I suppose I'll go and do it."
Nick was about to give a witty comment in response, but thought better of it. In fact, after a second thought, Nick realized that Bogo was probably the best mammal in the ZPD for the job; after all, the buffalo was intimidating and could be very persuasive when it came to interrogation.
Not that Nick new that from experience or anything.
"That's it for now. Assignments!" Bogo looked at his notes. "As you all have heard by now, Mayor Lionheart will be announcing his new assistant mayor at City Hall. Officers Grizzoli, Fangmeyer, Trumpet, Jackson, Wolfard and McHorn." The officers rose from their chairs and stood at attention. "You will be acting as security at the event. You know the drill." As the group left, Bogo's eyes landed on Nick and Judy. "Officers Hopps and Wilde…"
Nick smiled in anticipation. What was it going to be today? A murder case to track? Stakeout on a jewelry store? Part of a drug bust?
"Parking duty."
Nick's single laugh echoed throughout the room. He barely noticed Judy beside him forcing a laugh of her own. "You are one funny buffalo, sir," Nick exclaimed. "I thought I just hear you say 'Parking duty'."
The smile disappeared when Bogo's expression remained the same. "I did."
Judy finally spoke up. "Sir, I assure you, my incident from this morning has in no way impeded—"
"I don't have any doubt of your abilities, Hopps," Bogo cut her off, though his voice finally changed tone. Now he almost sounded sympathetic—which was strange, since Nick swore that it was an emotion the chief was unable to feel. "This assignment was made before today. Everyone has to take turns being the meter maid."
"Even me, sir?" Nick quipped, taking offense to being called that particular term.
Bogo glared at him. "Especially you, Wilde." Bogo motioned to the side door. "Just be glad I'm giving you the Horndai today instead of the Jokemobile."
Nick and Judy exchanged a glance. Getting an actual car was an improvement, but it was still the least-desired job on the force. Nick could feel the disappointment filling the pit of his stomach, and instinctively reached for his shades to help cover the disappointment that was sure to fill his eyes.
Judy stopped him with a paw, locked eyes with him, and smiled. "Well, Slick," she perked, "ready to make the world a better place?" She held out her fist in request for a fistbump.
Any disappointment Nick had immediately disappeared at the sight of Judy's eagerness. He knew she was not looking forward to this day any more than he was, but if she could go into it with a positive attitude, he could too.
He connected his fist with hers and hopped off the chair. As he passed by Bogo, he placed his sunglasses over his eyes and suggested, loudly, "One of these days, we'll have to get you a meter maid outfit too, chief." Before Bogo could respond, he was out the door, Judy close behind.
"So, how many tickets are we up to?"
Judy looked at the counter on her ticket writer. "Seventy-two. Slow day, I guess."
Nick chuckled. "Well, I guess that's a good thing. Everyone decided to be law-abiding citizens today."
The two of them were sitting in their police cruiser, on their lunch break for the day. Nick had picked up a burrito from Chipmunkpotle, and Judy had opted to pack her own lunch, which consisted of a simple garden salad.
Usually, the two would make small talk during their lunch breaks. Nick was surprised by that, actually. The two of them were partners on the force, which meant they were in each other's presence all day almost every day, and since they were great friends on top of that, they often spent time together after work as well. Surely, after such a long time, they would have run out of things to talk about.
Maybe that day was today, because Nick was the one coming up with all the topics, and Judy gave simple answers, sometimes just a single word or two. He asked her what she wanted to do after work, she didn't know. He asked if she had finished the paperwork on a case from the previous week, she had said yes and it was given to Bogo three days ago. He asked if she had any new siblings born recently, she had just shot him a look and taken a bite out of her salad.
In fact, Judy was eating so much more than Nick, she was about to finish eating first—which was a very unusual thing for her. Her whole behavior today was so out-of-character, Nick was wondering if she had been replaced by one of her many twins.
Finally, Nick couldn't take it anymore. "All right, Carrots, out with it." When Judy picked a carrot out of her salad and presented it to him, he clarified, "No, I don't want your carrots. I want you to tell me what's going on."
Judy popped the carrot in her mouth, chewed on it for a few seconds, and swallowed. "What exactly do you mean?"
Nick sighed. Judy knew what he meant, and obviously she didn't want to talk about it. But at the same time, this was bugging him, and he didn't want to spend the rest of their already-long day being left in the dark.
"Well, you could tell me about what you meant earlier today, in the bullpen." When Judy blinked in confusion, he decided to help her. "You said you were fine, but you looked like Bogo was gonna bite your head off or something."
Judy's eyes flickered as she remembered. "Oh, right." She looked down at her salad, only to realize there was nothing left. Nick got the distinct impression she had been eating in order to avoid talking about it. "It was just a dream I had last night, that's all."
"Obviously, that's not all," Nick insisted. He caught her gaze, and tried to express his genuine concern as much as possible. "I'm your friend. If something is wrong, I want to know, so I can help you."
Judy seemed to ponder on his words for a moment, before she finally nodded. She placed the empty plate in the back of the cruiser, folded her paws, and sunk into her seat. After taking a deep breath, she told him. As she talked, her voice began quivering, as if the dream replaying itself in her mind was making her scared all over again.
When she finished, she was visibly fighting to hold back tears. "It was all so real. I was never more frightened in my life."
Nick lowered what was left of his burrito, his appetite gone. "You were frightened of me," he stated. He was not at all surprised, if he was honest with himself. After all, bunnies and foxes were natural enemies, and had been for thousands of years. No matter what they went through, Nick knew that would never change. Deep down, Judy would always be at least a little afraid of him.
She, of course, denied it. "I wasn't afraid of you," she insisted, her amethyst eyes trying their best to persuade him of it. She reached over and placed a paw on his arm. "All those animals that went savage, they didn't know what they were doing. They were not themselves. Mrs. Otterton even told me so when she saw her husband."
"So what were you frightened by?" Nick asked. He wasn't trying to redirect Judy to place it back on him; he was genuinely curious. He even moved his arm away from Judy, only to place his paw on hers.
Judy paused for a minute, either to think of the right words or to keep from losing to her swelling emotions. "I was frightened," she said slowly, "that I had lost my friend, and that I would die without ever seeing him again." She squeezed his paw tight. "And that is why I wanted to talk to you about this. Even after I've woken up, that fear is still with me."
Nick was very unused to these kinds of situations. He may have had twenty years of experience as a hustler, but that didn't mean he was good at words—especially when those words were needed right now for reassurance. He thought up something, hoped they were the right words, and said, "Carrots, I promise, I'm not ever going to go savage. Aside from the Night Howlers, animals haven't even gone savage in thousands of years, so I'm—"
"It's not that," Judy replied, her eyes glistening as tears began to form. "I was completely over the dream until I took down the polar bear. When I did, it was one of the hardest things I've had to do since joining the ZPD. It made me realize…" She took a deep breath before continuing. "You know how dangerous our job is. What if something happens to you? What if something happens to me? What if…" The tears came and drowned out whatever else she might have been about to say. Not caring anymore, Judy buried her face in Nick's chest, sobbing weakly.
Nick did not hesitate in wrapping his arms around her, enveloping her in a big hug. She had only ever cried in front of him once, and that time, he had known exactly how to cheer her up. This time, he didn't have a clue. He wanted to dismiss her worries as being unfounded, but he knew, all too well, how common it was for police officers to be injured, or even killed, in the line of duty. He knew that any day, it was completely possible that one or both of them would meet a very sudden end.
He had thought about it himself, from time to time, though he dared not dwell on it. Judy was his closest friend in the world, and the thought of losing her someday was almost unbearable. He could already imagine a future without her—a dull, miserable future, which he did not want to experience.
Any day, at any time, though, it could happen.
Nick shook the thought out of his head. He focused his attention back on the rabbit curled up in his arms, soaking his uniform in tears. He pulled her in even tighter, holding her firmly against his chest.
He still didn't know what to say. If he shared his own fears, it would just make things worse. To do anything less would be a lie, and he was not about to do that either. All he could do was keep her close, occasionally rubbing the back of her head.
"I'm here," he finally said. "I'm here," he repeated.
That seemed to help Judy, who nodded in the midst of her sobs. "You're here," she repeated.
"That's right," Nick replied, a smirk appearing on his face. "Good. We've established that I am, in fact, here."
Judy snorted and punched his shoulder softly. "You stupid fox," she murmured.
"Aw, you bunnies. Always so emotional." Nick patted Judy's shoulder and glanced at the car's clock. He groaned in protest when he saw they were already three minutes over their lunch break, but helped Judy sit back up nonetheless. "Come on, Carrots. We've got a town to save."
"Again," Judy added, wiping the rest of her tears off with Nick's Chipmunkpotle napkin. With her vision back, she noticed his shirt, now completely soaked in her tears. A look of regret crossed her face. "Oh, Nick, I'm sorry. Your shirt—"
Nick held up a paw to stop her from going any further. "You needed to talk about this. I'm here to listen. That's what friends are for." When Judy opened her mouth to continue, he held up his paw again. "I don't want to hear another word about how sorry you are, Carrots. This," he said, motioning to the shirt, "can be replaced." He poked her square in the chest, his finger sinking into her vest. "You can't."
He meant it from the bottom of his heart—but whether Judy realized the full extent of his words, he didn't know. He was quick to put back on his sly, joking smile, and Judy smiled back before starting the car up. If she did suspect anything about his deeper feelings, she was doing a good job at hiding it.
Maybe I'm rubbing off on her. He absentmindedly wiped some of the wetness off his shirt. Well, I guess she's the one rubbing off on—
"Hopps, Wilde, dispatch," the radio blared, cutting into Nick's thoughts.
Judy quickly picked up the radio pawset from the dashboard and clicked the button. "This is Hopps, over."
Clawhauser's voice came back, so distorted Nick could barely even tell it was him. "Code 34, City Hall."
"10-4, Code 34, City Hall. Intercepting, over." Judy plopped down the radio and turned to Nick, a smile plastered on her face. "You know what that means?"
Nick flicked out his shades and nodded. "Yep." Judy revved the engine and he leaned back in his seat. "It means we're done writing parking tickets for today."