A Herculean Disaster

Sharing Messes

Nick climbed into the truck beside Judy. "Remind me again why we're going to Bunny Burrows." he said, propping his feet up on the dash.

"Tomorrow is Clawhauser's birthday and we're picking up pies. Get your feet off my dash." replied Judy, revving the engine.

Nick obeyed, shaking his head in amusement. He stared out the window, watching Zootopia flash past and eventually fade into the distance. Judy played "Try Everything" by Gazelle, bouncing and singing at the top of her little lungs. Nick watched her, smirking. He rolled his eyes at her. As they got closer to Bunny Burrows, Nick lowered the volume to the music. Judy looked at him, her eyes narrowed in half askance and half annoyance. "Why're we going to this guy? Aren't there bakeries in Zootopia?" Nick asked.

Judy grimaced. "Well, there are, but… Gideon's a partner with my parents."

"Uh-huh," said Nick, feigning disinterest. "What else are you not telling me?"

Judy's grimace deepened. "Well… There is something you should know… But I was waiting to tell you until after we got the pies."

Nick, catching the tone of Judy's voice, sobered of any amusement. "What is it?"

Judy stared at the road as if it were the most interesting thing she had ever laid eyes on. "Well… Gosh, I don't know why I'm telling you this… But when we were kids, there was an incident with Gideon that may or may not have been the reason why I was so scared of foxes."

Nick blinked. He stared at Judy, still unsure of what she meant. He had a pretty good feeling, though. "What happened?"

Judy's paws clenched and unclenched the steering wheel. "Gideon… sort of, well, he… He scratched me."

Nick widened his eyes. He remembered seeing three faint scars across Judy's cheek. The fur had long since grown over, but if one got close enough, the thin lines were visible. Nick had always wondered, but… Now it made sense. Those were scratch marks. Nick looked out the window. "No wonder your first instinct was to mistrust me…"

"Nick, I'm fine. You've showed me that foxes are good." said Judy.

"Not all of them." Nick growled.

"Nick," said Judy sternly, "Gideon's turned his life around. He apologized."

"Oh, I'm glad he apologized for traumatizing and forever tainting your view on foxes. Real sweet guy." Nick said, sarcasm poisoning his tone.

"Nick, you be nice to him. He's a friend now. He's a good mammal. I shouldn't have told you." Judy sighed.

"I'm glad you did," said Nick, clenching his teeth. "I told you about what happened to me."

"And now look at you. A police officer and friends with prey. So my situation isn't much different." said Judy.

"I suppose," said Nick, though he could not shake his disgruntlement. No wonder Judy had immediately reached for her fox repellent when he had threatened her after the press conference. She must have had a flashback about Gideon attacking her!

Judy pulled up to a bakery. "If you can't be nice, don't come in." she warned.

Nick feigned offense. "Carrots, there's a picture of me beside the word 'nice' in the dictionary."

Judy rolled her eyes. "Right."

They entered the bakery. A hefty fox moved out from behind the counter.
"Hiya, Judy. Boy, it's real good to see you. Um... Who's this?" said the fox. He could only be Gideon Grey. Nick had promised Judy that he'd be nice, but seeing this large fox only irritated him. He imagined a little, young bunny and this large fox... This fox had scratched Judy, knowing his size would render her immobile... Nick could only think about young Judy, scared and hurt, pinned down by this fox.
Before anyone could react, Nick had drawn his paw back and decked Gideon in the muzzle. "That's for Judy, fifteen years ago." Nick explained, shaking his now throbbing paw.
"Fair enough," said Gideon, sniffling slightly.
"Nick!" hissed Judy. She put her paws on her hips and glowered at Nick. "That was uncalled for!"
"Sorry." Nick muttered. He didn't really mean it. "I'll wait in the car." Nick left the bakery, Judy's abundant apologies to Gideon ringing in his ears. He slid into the passenger seat and crossed his arms, waiting for Judy. He knew he'd get a mouthful later, but he didn't regret a thing. Judy was his Carrots, and nobody, no matter how long ago it happened, was going to hurt her without getting a reprimand from Nick. Besides, had it been the other way around, Nick knew Judy would do the same thing. Well, she might not punch Nick's bullies, but she would definitely give them a piece of her mind, if she ever met them.
Judy tromped into the car and handed a stack of pies to Nick. "You're lucky Gideon isn't mad. I mean really, what were you thinking?"
"I was thinking I'd stick up for you. You're welcome, by the way." Nick replied.
"I'm not thanking you! And you're fifteen years late." Judy snapped.
Nick could tell she wasn't too angry. "Better late than never." Nick muttered.
Judy sighed, starting the engine and pulling out of the bakery driveway.
"You know you love me, Carrots." Nick teased.
"Do I know that right now?" Judy growled. Nick's smirk faded. "Yes, I do." Judy finished. Nick's smirk returned. It melted into a genuine smile. He leaned back, enjoying the ride and the smell of pies as they made their way back to the ZPD.
Nick carried the pies all the way into the bullpen the next day, regardless of Judy's insistence that she help.
The other officers let out roars of approval for the pies. Nick smirked and set down the pies on a table. They sang happy birthday for Clawhauser, who squealed with delight, and then dug into the pies. "Hello, Judy." said a deep voice. Nick bristled and turned toward the source, praying it wasn't who he thought it was... Dang it.
"Hi, John!" yelped Judy. She bounced toward the handsome tiger, who smiled at the bunny. Nick scowled. Of course John Fangmire, perfect and dashing John, would want to talk to Judy. She was the most attractive female on the force. And of course Judy, sweet and awesome Judy, the heroine of Zootopia, would want to talk to John. Nick wasn't sure what rubbed him the wrong way about the two of them talking, but it did. Maybe it was the different species? Nah. It was probably the fact that John was a player. If he hurt Judy, Nick would go savage on his own accord and claw the tiger's eyes out.
"You and I should get dinner sometime. I'd love to hear about the Night Howler case exclusively." John purred. Nick's scowl furthered.
"Oh, sure!" Judy said, her violet eyes wide.
"Hopps! Wilde! My office, now." Bogo barked. Nick felt a flood of relief. John's incessant flirting would have to wait. Nick led Judy up to Bogo's office. They sat in the chairs across from Bogo's desk.
"What's up, Chief?" Nick queried, leaning back in his chair.
"Just when I think this whole Night Howler hoorah is over, something else pops up," Bogo grumbled. He laid down a case file. "Doug, one of Bellweather's assistants, came forward with some information to reduce his sentence. There were other conspirators, whose names are unknown. There was a plan for said conspirators to attack a massive group of predators with a Night Howler bomb."
Nick felt his smirk fade into a frown. He exchanged a glance with Judy, whose eyes had grown to the size of saucers. "Did Doug happen to say where this was going to happen?" Nick asked.
"That's the problem," said Bogo. "He did. The plan is for it to take place on the new cruise liner, the Hercules."
"A ship?" Nick questioned.
"An enclosed space in the middle of the ocean..." Judy trailed off.
"The prey won't stand a chance!" Nick realized, his eyes stretching.
"Exactly," said Bogo. "Now, we don't know who is behind all this, so that's up to you both. Your job is to go undercover and find out who the conspirators are and arrest them before they can detonate the bomb. Wilde, your cover is the unemployed fox looking for a job aboard the ship. Hopps, you're a wealthy bunny... And you shouldn't go by Hopps, since everyone knows that name... Hare, that's good. Judy Hare. Oh, and you're engaged to James Cotton."
Nick raised his eyebrows. Why did Judy have to be engaged?
"Clawhauser, send in Cotton." Bogo paged Clawhauser's desk. Nick exchanged a glance with Judy. The door opened and a sleek, black-furred bunny entered the room. He smiled at Judy and held out a paw.
"James Cotton, ZBI. Pleasure to meet you." he said in a smooth voice.
"ZBI?" Nick queried.
"Zootopia Bureau of Investigation. A step up from police force." James said.
"Like secret agents? Oh, wow!" Judy exclaimed.
To Nick's dismay, Judy seemed enamored with Mr. Sleek and Smooth Bunny. "The three of you will be working together on this. You have two days to pack. Your train leaves Tuesday at 5 am sharp, and it'll take you to the docks. Good luck." Bogo said.
Nick, Judy and James left the office. "Should we all get dinner to acquaint ourselves?" Judy suggested.
Nick clenched his paws. No, he did not want dinner with James. "I think it's a good idea. I can tell you the information I have, and you two can tell me your information." James said in his annoying, velvety voice.
Nick ground his teeth together. "I'll have to pass. I've got big plans tonight."
"You do?" Judy said, her ears dropping a little.
"Yep," Nick replied shortly. "You two bunnies don't need this ol' fox around, anyway."
"Nick..." Judy tried. But Nick didn't listen. He walked away from her, not caring that he was acting childish. What if Judy wanted to be partners with James instead? What if she left the ZPD to join the ZBI?

…

Judy watched Nick's retreating back over and over again in her mind. What had gotten into him this week? First punching Gideon, then blowing off James...
Sighing, Judy examined herself in the mirror. She was wearing a pink dress with a tie around the waist. She hoped it wasn't too much for dinner, but James had said to dress up...
Judy's phone began to ring. She frowned when it wasn't Nick. "Hi, James."
"I'm waiting for you outside." said James.
"Oh, I'll be right down." Judy chirped. She pushed Nick out of her mind.
"Good luck on your date!" yelled one of her neighbors.
Judy rolled her eyes and left her apartment. It wasn't a date. Well, they were supposed to be engaged... But it wasn't a real date. Although James was quite a handsome bunny. Judy slid into James's car.
"You look lovely." James said.
"Thanks, you look nice, too." Judy said, eyeing the suit.
James drove them to a nice restaurant and had them seated. Judy tapped her feet nervously. It sure felt like a date. "Sorry about Nick. I don't know what's gotten into him lately."
"It isn't a problem," said James, smiling. "I'm sure it's the case stressing him out."
"Right, the case!" Judy cried. "What do you know?"
James tilted his head. "I'm afraid I don't know much more than you do."
"Oh," said Judy, her ears dropping. "Then why are we here?"
"Well, if we're going to be dating for the next week, then I think we should get to know one another. We should act the part." James replied.
Judy fiddled with her napkin, feeling her stomach churn. "Okay..."
"So, we need a backstory, right?" James prompted.
"Uh, yes." Judy chirped, smiling.
"How did we meet?" James leaned forward. Oh my, he was a very attractive bunny.
Judy thought for a moment. "You were buying carrots from my farm."
"And then I hired your farm as my permanent carrot provider. We were around so much we fell in love." James added.
Judy relaxed a little. James was pretty easy to talk to. "How about our first date?"
"Hm... I took you dancing." James decided.
"A gala! I've always wanted to go to one." Judy exclaimed.
"And you were stunning in your dress, of course." James said.
"It was green," said Judy.
"Yes, green looks lovely with your amethyst eyes." James added.
Judy felt her face heat up. No one had ever called her eyes amethyst before. "When did you know you loved me?"
"Whenever I realized that my heart nearly stopped every time I looked upon your flawless face." James murmured smoothly.
He leaned forward and touched Judy's paw. She looked away. James's amber gaze was intense. Wow. If only their relationship were real. It seemed like a dream come true. "My face isn't flawless." Judy said, touching the faint scars from Gideon's attack.
"I don't see any flaws." James replied.
"Still..." Judy trailed off, looking at the table.
"You are beautiful, Judy. I mean it." James murmured.
Judy lifted her gaze to meet James's. He smiled. Judy felt herself smiling back. "Thank you."
"What happened?" James prompted gently, indicating toward Judy's cheek.
"Oh, um... Some guy, when I was nine, scratched me. It's not a big deal." Judy explained.
"What guy?" James said.
"A fox from my hometown." Judy replied.
James's ears laid back angrily. "Your partner? Nick Wilde?"
"Oh, no! Some guy named Gideon." Judy clarified.
"And you're sure you're comfortable around Nick?" James asked.
"Of course," said Judy, "he's my closest friend."
"You're brave, Judy. After what happened to you as a child, and now you're partners with a predator... I admire you." James replied.
Judy flushed. "Oh, it's nothing. So, um, how'd you propose?"

…Nick got Judy's text and headed over to her apartment, bag in paw. He knocked on her door. She answered, her ears tilted to the side. Her face slanted in a glower. "What's going on, Nick? You're… First punching Gideon, then blowing off James…"

"Hello, good to see you too, Carrots. Of course I'd like to come in," said Nick, rolling his eyes. Judy stepped aside, allowing Nick access into her apartment. They had set up an air mattress for Nick to sleep on whenever he came over, which was frequently. Nick plopped down on the air mattress. He glanced at Judy, who had her paws on her hips and her foot tapped the floor impatiently. He shrugged. "I explained about Gideon. I'm not apologizing for that. And I didn't want to be a third wheel with you and Mr. Big Shot Secret Agent."

Judy blinked. "Third wheel? If anything, James would've been a third wheel with us."

Nick shrugged again. "I'm just tired, okay?"

Judy's face fell. "Okay."

Nick leaned back. Judy looked pretty in her pink dress. Nick's eyes stretched. Since when were bunnies pretty to him? He rolled over, pulling the blankets over himself. Since he and Judy had become friends. Since they had become partners. Since… Since their lives had tangled together. Nick grimaced to himself. He cared for Judy, yeah. But when did those feelings cross friendship into something much more dear? The line seemed really thin to Nick. He didn't like others flirting with her. But maybe that was because he knew she deserved so much better. Fangmire was a nice guy, but there was no way he would be serious in a relationship. Judy deserved someone who paid attention to her, who cared for her unconditionally, who laughed at her dumb jokes, who didn't mind her messy apartment… He huffed. "You look nice in your dress." he muttered.

"Oh… Thanks," said Judy. She turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness. They were quiet for a long time. But Nick knew Judy wasn't asleep. He had stayed the night in her apartment enough to know how she sounded when she slept versus when she was not. "You would tell me if there were something wrong, right?"

Nick grimaced. Normally, he would. But… For this? He wasn't sure if he could tell Judy without ruining their friendship. "Once I work up the courage, yeah." he admitted. He couldn't lie to Judy.

"You're still my best friend, you know that, right?" Judy said.

Nick smiled. "I do, Carrots," he murmured. "And you're still mine."

"Okay, good," Judy sounded relieved. "I thought you were mad at me."

"Nah," said Nick. "How was dinner with James?"

"It was okay," said Judy. "He's nice, but it was kind of boring. We came up with our background stories." She filled him in on their fake romance cover story.

Nick snorted. "It sounds like some trashy romance novel."

Judy giggled. "It does."

Nick yawned. "Well, we've got an early start and I am not a morning person. G'night, Carrots."

"Goodnight, dumb fox." said Judy. Nick's lips tugged with a smile as he drifted off to sleep.

…

I loved Zootopia! And I am a huge WildeHopps fan… So, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and add to the collection of fanfics. This is sort of kinda a baby crossover with the movie Titanic, but not enough so to put it in that category. I guess I was inspired by the film. Anyway, please review! Remember that fanfic writers don't get rewarded for their work except for reviews, favorites and follows… Seriously. It's like crack to us. Lol. Have a good day!