Chapter Text
“We need to talk.” Judy said in lieu of her typical ‘Good morning partner!’ as Nick stepped out of his cab. They were starting their day off in Mosswick, a borough in Zootopia that housed the mustelids of the city.
Nick had his sunglasses on, with his signature Pawaiian green shirt and brown slacks. He was holding two cups of coffee.
“Good morning to you too, Hopps.” He said, giving Judy her usual order, an iced chai-tah latte with cinnamon sprinkled on top. Nick was sipping on a piping hot espurrso.
“It’s about last night,” Judy said, wanting to address the elephant sooner rather than later.
“Walk while we talk,” Nick replied, “Time is money.”
Judy followed him and they walked down a sidewalk and into an alley way. The air was putrid; the ground littered with expired produce and emptied bottles.
“What’s on your mind fluff? Still on about me dancing with Valérie at the Jungle Beat? I already told you; you have nothing to worry about. You know how I feel about you.”
Do I? Judy thought to herself worriedly. She’d been scatterbrained ever since he kissed her. Since when was that something they did? Foxes were solitary creatures, as he so frequently reminded her. To be so attached to each other as friends was already unconventional, but to add kisses to said friendship added a new layer that Judy found scary and confusing, given her newly accepted feelings towards her partner.
“Although I must say, it’s nice to see the shoe on the other paw. Now you know how I felt, seeing you and that Lynxley loser at the Zootennial Gala.”
Judy’s ears perked at the mention. What did that mean? Had Nick been jealous? She spared him a glance, but he was pushing aside some trash, revealing a manhole cover. Judy watched curiously as he knocked on it in a rhythm. The cover popped open from underneath and a polecat surfaced, waving at Nick.
“Come on in.” She said.
Judy and Nick lowered themselves into the sewers. The tunnels were swarming with all sorts of mustelids. A marten was preaching to passersby, reading verses from the Holy Otter-ance.
Judy quickly recognized why Nick brought them here. A familiar weasel was waving around a DVD, standing behind a table. A candid photo of Lionheart was on the cover, Chief Bogo behind him as the disgraced former mayor was being arrested. The case of the missing mammals felt like an eternity ago. It was the case that jumpstarted her and Nick’s partnership – and more importantly – their friendship. The DVD read Predators Gone Savage: The Fall of Leodore Lionheart.
“Well if it ain’t cottontail and slick. What brings you two to Mosswick?” Duke Weaselton asked as they approached him.
“We need you to break into a phone. An iPaw 17.” Nick tossed the phone onto Duke’s cheaply made table, rattling his display.
“Watch it!” Duke said angrily. He made sure his station was secure, then grabbed the phone, turning it over in his hands. He glared at Judy and Nick distrustfully.
“I like you, Nicky. Not as much as I used to since you became a fed. I just don’t see why I should help you guys.”
“Do I need to remind you about what happened the last time you refused to–“ Judy started, but Nick’s hand shot out and pinched her mouth shut, eyes never leaving Duke.
“We have a lead on who’s producing Ruffrush. Pretty little vixen named Valérie who frequents the Jungle Beat in the heart of Zootopia.”
“Ruffrush…” Duke looked down to the phone in wonderment, then back to Nick, leaning in. “This Valérie, she’s making it?”
“Maybe, maybe not. She doesn’t look like the type who gets her paws dirty. But according to ZPD reports, she may know who is.”
“Mm! Mm!” Judy protested, mouth still clamped shut by Nick.
He flashed her a look, using that silent language that only they understood.
Trust me. He was saying. He turned back to Duke.
“That phone contains prime evidence.”
“Ruffrush. That stuff is terrible. It’s not one of those drugs that you snort or inject. You absorb it through your fur. I’ve seen peddlers sell softcore versions of it as moisturizer. Then, once mammals start getting addicted, they put out heavier concentrates of it and jack up the prices.” Duke worked his magic on the phone all the while as he spoke, then passed the iPaw back to Nick.
Nick removed his hand from Judy’s mouth.
“Thank you,” she said to Duke, after clearing her throat awkwardly.
“If you find anything else out, let me know, slick. I hate gabbin’ to a filthy cop, but our streets will be better off with that drug gone.”
Nick nodded at Duke, pocketing the phone and leading Judy out of the sewers. The polecat that had granted them admission closed up the manhole cover as Nick called a Zoober back to the city.
“Bad cop doesn’t need to be the solution every time we want to get something done,” Nick said as he and Judy entered the vehicle.
“Do you think it was a smart idea to namedrop Valérie?” Judy asked.
“Duke is harmless. There’s nothing he can do with that information that would jeopardize our case. He makes a quick buck selling bootlegged movies, out-of-print editions of books that he ‘borrows’ from the library, and produce he steals from local marketplaces. Something like Ruffrush crosses the line of what’s ‘acceptable’ to be peddling, in his eyes. Plus, everyone loves a little gossip. We can’t always do things your way.”
“We don’t always have to do things my way,” Judy said defensively, “It’s just that my way is optimal. Most of the time. But I’m okay with letting you take charge. Sometimes.”
“Yeah, totally okay. You were hardly vibrating with nerves while I spoke. What is up with that, by the way?”
“Rabbit tremors are a natural response to social and environmental stressors. It’s normal!”
Nick laughed at her.
“I’m sorry for stressing you out carrots. How can I make it up to you?” He asked, running a paw along the shell of her floppy ear. She shivered at his touch, mindful of how close they were sitting to one another.
Their driver honked the horn twice, signaling they’d arrived at their stop.
Judy and Nick exited their Zoober, naturally heading to a local café to review the evidence they’d collected. It was one of their unspoken traditions whenever they worked on a case together.
“You could start by continuing our conversation from earlier.” Judy said, opening the doors to the Gentle Flock. “When I said I wanted to talk about last night, I didn’t mean Valérie. I meant the fact that you kissed me when we walked back to my apartment.”
“That I did. What about it?”
“Well, why?”
“Felt like it was time for it to happen. Did you not like it?”
She did like it. She liked it a lot. But Judy was the kind of rabbit who felt every emotion she had ten times harder than the average mammal. She didn’t want to normalize kissing her partner, no matter how enjoyable it could be, if it didn’t hold the same weight for him as it did for her. They were just friends.
Best friends who cared deeply for each other.
But friends, nonetheless. Not lovers, nor mates.
Judy slid into her seat at the booth. To her surprise, Nick slid in next to her instead of sitting on the opposite side as he usually did.
She glanced at him and said, “I don’t think we should be doing that, that’s all.”
It was the safest reply. Not a direct answer to his question, but it encapsulated what she was thinking.
Nick’s face fell.
“Oh… alright.”
“Let’s go through Valérie’s phone,” Judy said, not wanting to linger on the subject for too long nor analyze why Nick seemed so sad at the idea of not kissing her.
Nick pulled out Valérie’s phone and powered it on. They scrolled through her list of contacts and read her texts. None of them mentioned Ruffrush by name, which was to be expected. But the pair was having trouble identifying code words that could be a reference to the drug. Pretty much all of her messages were her flirting with a variety of men and sending a tasteful selfie here and there.
Nick ordered himself a warm slice of blueberry pie and Judy nibbled on some carrot cake while they read each text. Seeing how many men Valérie was speaking to on a daily basis almost made Judy feel better about being jealous over her and Nick at the Jungle Beat the other night. To Valérie, Nick really was just another fox. Nothing special. It was hard for Judy to conceptualize that he could be seen that way, because he meant the world to her.
“I know you said you guys are solitary creatures but… Valérie seems very friendly, at least in the love department. Is that normal for foxes?
Nick scoffed.
“Not even a little bit. When we find our mate, we’re bonded for life.”
Judy felt the weight of his gaze as he said that and fearfully turned to meet it. There was something electric about the look in his beautiful green eyes that made Judy want to get closer.
“Oh my God!” She exclaimed suddenly, backing away from him.
“What?” Nick asked, puzzled by her reaction.
“These aren’t just random men that she’s flirting with! They’re her customers!” Judy picked up the phone, trying to calm her beating heart. “We should take notes on all of these contacts and see if we can bring some of them in for questioning.”
“Finding customers is nice and all, but our big picture goal is tracing the manufacturers.” Nick countered. “Try snooping through her other apps, like WhatsQuack, and see if you can find any incriminating evidence.”
Judy, always the overachiever, tried to do both. In one hand she scribbled down the list of contacts with her carrot pen, and in the other she held the phone, swapping between a tab for Valérie’s contacts and her WhatsQuack, as instructed.
Nick decided to study the café while Judy searched. It really was a quaint spot. The sheep could be seen in the kitchens hard at work, making coffee and rolling dough for their pastries. The all-purpose flour blended in perfectly with their wool. The exit sign read ‘Thank ewe for visiting’ and their closing sign, which was turned inward, said ‘Closed. Be baa-ck soon’ in bright white letters that were shaped like clouds. Then, from outside, a familiar but unwelcome face was approaching the café.
“Uh, carrots, code red.” Nick said, pointing to an angry Valérie who pushed open the doors to the Gentle Flock, unintentionally bumping a pair of goats in the process.
“How did she find us!?” Judy asked.
Nick noticed the iPawd mini she was holding and groaned.
“She used the Find My feature to track us here. We’ve gotta go.” He grabbed her by the arm and led her out.
“Wait, we didn’t pay for our –“
“I hate to dine and dash but we really need to dash!” Nick insisted.
They bolted out of the café, Valérie catching sight of them immediately.
“Merde! I see you, stupid fox! Get back here!”
Judy ran as quickly as her little feet could take her, Nick trailing closely behind. His touch was a constant on her fur. His primary concern would always be her safety, above all else. Which gave Judy license to be a bit reckless as she ran across a busy intersection.
“Sorry! Coming through!” She said to the honking cars as she hopped her way across the street.
“Judy, as long as we have that phone, Valérie will know where we are!”
“What if… we turn it off?” Judy asked between pants.
“Not gonna work,” Nick said with a shake of the head, “As long as the phone has some battery, it can be traced… Geez, I need to hit the treadmill more often. Carrots, can we take a break?”
“No breaks when we’re on the clock,” Judy said, her pants becoming gasps of air. Nick forced her to stop.
“Judy, relax, she’s nowhere near. We can take a moment.” He held her by the shoulders, pulling her closer.
Judy felt her adrenaline slowly subside as she let the warmth of Nick’s touch permeate.
“YOU!” Valérie hissed as she caught up to them.
“Okay, spoke too soon.” Nick sighed.
Valérie started mouthing off at them in French.
“You two tricked me to get into my phone! What gives? Are you trying to steal my customers? They will never buy from a dumb bunny like you!” Valérie said, pointing at Judy as she snarled.
Nick, clearly angered by her words, stepped forward to say something, but Judy held him back.
“You’re right. Je suis désolée, madame. Please, take your phone back.”
“I am not old enough to be a madame!” Valérie said as she reached for her phone. At the last possible second, Judy tossed it to the side, letting it skitter across the pavement and into the oncoming traffic…
…Where it was promptly crushed to smithereens.
“NO!” Valérie shrieked, watching helplessly.
Using her distress as a cue, Nick silently pulled Judy away from the angry vixen.
That night, Judy escorted Nick to his apartment instead. But before she could say goodbye and part ways for the evening, Nick invited her inside.
She braced herself for a messy room with snack wrappers and dirty laundry all over the floor, but when he opened the door and guided her into the living room, it was surprisingly neat. He even had a home fragrance dispenser that made the room smell like lavender.
One of my favorite scents, she thought fondly.
His moving boxes, for the most part, were emptied out. There was no trash on the floors and the trash bags had definitely been taken out in time for trash day. The carpets were vacuumed, the hard wood floors mopped.
“Wow, would you look at that.” Judy placed her hands on her hips, doing a 360. “You really spruced this place up.”
Nick shrugged at the praise but was clearly giddy over her approval. He had a shy smile on his face.
“I figured it would do me no good to continue living in my own filth. Plus, I didn’t want to scare you away from spending time with me here.”
“Oh? You… you want me to come around more often?”
“Of course I do.” Nick told her, pointing to the couch. “Come on, our workday’s over. Let’s watch a movie. Meowana 2 is streaming on HuluZoo+. I upgraded my membership so that we don’t have to sit through any commercials.”
Judy let him guide her to the couch, her heart ablaze at his look of adoration. There was no better feeling in the world than being able to continue spending time with her partner after work hours. These kinds of nights were the ones she cherished most.
And it almost seemed as though Nick felt the same way. Had he cleaned the apartment for her?
The microwave hummed as Nick warmed up a bag of popcorn. He stood in the kitchen slicing and plating some vegetables while the opening credits to the movie started. A sense of peace washed over Judy when Nick came back to the couch and sat next to her. He laid out a bowl of warm popcorn for both of them, and in front of Judy, some freshly washed carrots and chopped celery sticks. Next to the celery sticks was a tiny dipping bowl with peanut butter in it. On the other side of the plate were a few leaves of lettuce and thinly sliced radishes. It was a meal fit for a queen, far nicer than the cheap frozen carrots Judy sustained herself on a damn near daily basis.
“Thank you,” she said softly as she took a bite out of everything on her plate.
“Anything for you, my sweet Judith.” Nick said, in that half-teasing, half-serious tone. Or maybe it was all-teasing.
At least an hour into the movie, Nick nudged Judy.
“Where’s my snugglebunny?” He asked.
Judy bit her lip, insides squishy at the question.
Snugglebunny.
Judy was naturally a cuddler, and every so often when she and Nick spent time together, they would snuggle.
It was entirely innocent. Maybe not the most normal activity for friends to participate in with each other, but certainly not the most abnormal activity either. It was far more appropriate than kissing, that was for sure. Sometimes she would just flop over on Nick’s chest, and sometimes he would initiate by asking that very question.
Judy scootched over, falling across his chest. She adjusted herself until she was in her favorite position; with her head right underneath his muzzle so that whenever he leaned towards her, his snout would brush the top of her ears.
Nick drew soothing circles into her back.
“What are you thinking about?” He asked.
“Hmm… How nice this feels.” Judy murmured.
Nick chuckled.
“I thought you’d be more worried about our investigation.”
“Mmp… Figure it out tomorrow.”
Nick’s tiny circles gradually turned into a full-on massage as he identified every knot in her body and rubbed it out for her. She was warm, her belly was full, and she felt way too tired to string together a proper sentence, let alone get back to her complex tonight. She stayed on the couch, in that dreamy space between wakefulness and slumber, as Nick grabbed a blanket for her and tucked her in. But he didn’t leave to go to his bedroom; instead, he scooped her up so he could lie beneath her, cozying himself up in the covers with her. She drifted to sleep nestled in his arms with his snout pressed to her head, just the way she liked it.