a/n:
this story is written in lapslock. sorry if it bothers you! it's also been published on tumblr and on ao3 by me. please excuse the mistakes as this is unbetaed!
(sorry in advance - and enjoy!)
i.
judy believed that zootopia was a place where all mammals could get along, prey and predator alike, until the first case arrives.
she's in the middle of role call when clawhauser bursts into the room, panting and yelling about a predator going savage in tundratown.
she decides to dash out of the room without listening to another word, and wonders how amazingly lucky she is that the new recruit, zpd's first fox (a predator), is her partner.
turns out the fox isn't that bad, because he's quick and agile; the polar bear is down in two minutes flat.
he cuffs the creature to a lamp post and smirks at judy, saying, "all yours, carrots," before sauntering away.
she's intrigued by him. sure, she's afraid of foxes, but that doesn't stop her from introducing herself when she's back at the station, a muzzled bear being dragged in a few moments after.
he's about to tell her his name when his eyes slowly fix themselves onto the captured polar bear. his eyes flicker from the muzzle to its beady eyes and starts retreating slowly, slipping out of the room.
judy doesn't understand what just happened, but she figures that she could just ask again the day after.
ii.
the second case arrives 38 hours later.
she's chewing on a donut with clawhauser and nick (she got his name exactly a day after the whole polar pear incident) at the receptionist desk when it happens.
a puma bounds in and starts to attack everything it sees, and judy is ready to save a dozen lives. she looks around before forcefully undoing nick's tie ("carrots, what are you doing —?"), muttering a silent prayer of "please let this work," under her breath as she charges towards the animal.
she jumps upwards and onto it's back, making sure that the tie was around the puma's neck.
she tries to pull the predator away.
"nick! get a muzzle!" she shouts towards her partner.
nick's face falls immediately, and she notices that his breathing's becoming more rigid. she doesn't really have the mental capacity to be worried right now, because she could be mauled by a beast if he doesn't react anytime soon.
"hurry!"
in the end, it's officer grizzoli who muzzles the puma up. nick can't stop shaking, plus he's uncharacteristically quiet, which makes judy concerned. he's never quiet, so why was he now?
"you okay?"
all she gets is a plea of fatigue and a nod.
she doubts it, but gives him the benefit of the doubt either way.
iii.
nick doesn't show up the next day, but judy manages to arrest yet another savage predator at city hall.
she really doesn't know why she's so worried about the fox, it isn't as though they were that close or anything.
she decides to let it go.
(after all, she has other things to worry about; like the reason as to why the animals are going savage, and why only predators?)
iv.
"muzzled another mammal, hopps?"
judy can't figure out the tone of his voice, but she feels somewhat accused.
"it's my job, nick. and yours too, remember? we're cops."
"you don't have to get so defensive, sweetheart. i was just asking. i just don't get how such a cute little bunny like you can muzzle other animals."
"number one, don't call me cute. number two, you're being ridiculous, nick. like i said, we're cops. it's our job to keep zootopia safe, so muzzling savage predators is necessary — i don't get why you're so against it!"
she swears he flinches at the last statement. an uncomfortable silence envelopes them. it lasts for a while until nick heaves a sigh, his ears lowering.
"i was what — 8, 9? — and all i wanted was to be a part of the local junior ranger scouts. my mum scraped as much money as she could and bought me my first uniform. i was so proud of it," he pauses to let out a soft chuckle. "it was my initiation day. i was so excited; i even memorised the oath years ago. i remember walking into the basement where we were supposed to meet and i was greeted by the troop. they switched the light off, shone a torch at me, and i raised my right paw.
it was going well until the word 'trustworthy'. they said that i was stupid for believing that they'd accept a fox, a predator — into their troop and beat me up. muzzled me. tore my uniform apart. i managed to escape, but i was real upset. developed a fear of muzzles since then."
and judy immediately feels terrible about saying those things to nick. she hops over to him and places a paw onto his arm.
"i'm sorry, nick. you're not anything they said you were. you're much better than that. you're the first fox cop!"
"typical, positive bunny, you," he smiles at her fondly.
"it's true!"
"whatever you say, cottontail."
+ 1.
judy is positive that her heart's stopped beating.
it's as though her worst nightmare happened.
a fox is tied to a tree, growling and desperate to have a taste of her.
nick's turned savage.
it hasn't even been a month since they've developed a close friendship before it happens, and judy is confused. she's scared, and she's worried.
she reaches for something metal in her back pocket, but she stops when she's done blinking back the tears.
she sees nick's face; though he's snarling and she's positive he wants to kill her, she can't bring herself to strap something so poisonous to him on him. and yes — she knows he wouldn't even realise because he isn't currently himself anyway, but it hurts to think about him in a muzzle after all he's been through.
so she takes it out, and hurls it against another tree.
she can't do it. she won't do it.
as judy takes another look at nick, she feels the tears coming back. she let's them fall freely this time.
somehow, she finds herself setting him free and manages to escape him narrowly.
she hopes he turns back to normal before the other zpd officers find him,
but adds a silent apology, just in case he doesn't.
(judy hopps find herself staring back at a muzzled nick wilde when she returns to the zpd, and she swears she's never been more heartbroken.)