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Hey! This is my first fanfic so if I made any mistakes, I'm sorry ahead of time. This is my first time writing after all, never know what mistakes I'll make. Bah, anyways, please enjoy!

Change. Within such a simple word, there is so much meaning. There are those who don't appreciate change, while others embrace it. Change can always be terrifying, but sometimes, it takes a change for those to realize what they had and what they've lost.

It only takes one simple event to bring a new beginning for others. These beginnings can be seen as doors, which lead to a new path with new experiences.

For the fox Nicholas Wilde, this door just so happened to be opened by a very energetic bunny for whom he is forever grateful for. This bunny showed him that you can be more than what others see you as, who set aside stereotypes to see who he truly was. Not for what he was on the outside, but on the inside.

For once in his life, he found someone who trusted him completely and who he could trust back. He found someone who believed in him and who would stay by his side no matter what. This bunny's name is Judy Hopps.

The event which changed his life forever was when he got a letter. Normally, the fox wouldn't be excited about what came in the mail. It usually consisted of bills, pointless ads, and papercuts. But this letter was special. The contents of said letter would direct him into a completely unexplored path. All thanks to one special bunny.

The letter contained a reply from the Zootopia Police Academy, which would decide if he would be spending the next six months of his life training his heart out, or if he would have to find a different door. Of course, with the recommendation of the Chief of Precinct 1 himself, who could say no?

"What does it say, what does it say?" jittered the enthusiastic bunny, who was currently hopping up and down with excitement next to Nick Wilde himself.

"Calm down Fluff, I haven't even opened it yet." He chuckled, sometimes that energy amazed him. Calmly, he sat down right next to the bunny on the couch located in Nick's apartment.

In truth, his place wasn't much. Above them, pipes hang from the ceiling, visible to the occupants of the room. The plain white wallpaper was peeling from it's resting place and the smell wasn't the greatest. To others, it wouldn't seem like the ideal location to live, but for Nick, it was a good place to lay low just in case a deal went wrong.

"Come on Nick! I'm sure Flash would've been proud but you're taking too long." At that, she hopped over and snatched the letter out of his paws with ease.

"Hey! I didn't know your last name ended with Wilde." Teased Nick, but he put no effort into retrieving the letter himself. On the outside, he may seem cool and collected with a sly smirk present as he waited for the final news. But if you were to take a look on the inside, you would be able to see how anxious and nervous he truly was.

Even with the optimism of getting a special recommendation from the Chief, (courteous of one Judy Hopps) he still couldn't shake the lingering feeling of doubt and denial in the back of his mind. What could he say, he's always been a natural pessimist.

"Dear Mr. Wilde, we would like to thank you for applying… blah blah… Even with a mammal of your background, it would be an honor if you would attend Zootopia Police Academy for the next SIX MONTHS! YES!" Judy's voice continued to rise in volume until she finished with an ear-piercing yell, followed by a back breaking hug.

The fox jumped at the sudden change in volume but was anchored in place by the hug.

"Uh… Judy… can't breaTH!" wheezed Nick. But breathing was the last thing in his mind. The thoughts that flooded his mind focused on what would come in the future since he had turned away from his old days of hustling.

After the ex-mayor was put behind bars, he made a promise to Judy. A promise that he would turn his back on his old scamming ways and to lead a clean, and better life. Sure, he may have been a cheat and a liar, but when he makes a promise, you can count on him to keep that promise.

"Oh! Sorry!" said Judy, releasing him "Nick, I knew you would be accepted! This is so exciting! We got to get you packed… It would probably be best if you did some reading of the training guide… Oh! I still have my old textbook I used when I was in the academy… You'll definitely need a pair of gym clothes…"

"Ugh, yes mother… How do you even know I don't have a pair already?" Nick asked, feign offense while carefully placing a paw over his heart.

Judy took no time to quickly fire back a response "Pu-lease! All I ever see you in is that ugly Hawaiian shirt and tie."

"You wound me! I'll have you know that those are my favorite shirts. Besides, they look good on me."

"Right, if your definition of good is sticking out like a sore thumb, then good job. Why do you even wear those anyways?" Said Judy, oblivious to the falter of Nick's smile.

If he was honest with her, she would know that they reminded him of home. The walls of his childhood home had the same design as his shirts. But, he wouldn't tell Judy that. Not yet at least. Right now was a moment to celebrate, not a time to remember the past. Fun fact, if you pay attention in the movie with Nick's childhood flashback. When he is in the mirror, you can see the wallpaper. And surprise! Same design and color lol

"And here I thought you liked them. Besides, I don't have to go for another month. I've got plenty of time to get prepared." Another time Judy… Nick thought.

"But in that month, you could be preparing! It really helped a lot for me when I went to the academy," said Judy, forgetting the other subject easily.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. How hard could it be?" asked Nick rhetorically.

"Oh, poor fox. With that attitude, you won't last a month." Judy tsked "You probably won't even make valedictorian…" baited Judy.

"Oh yea? I bet I will. Tell you what; If I don't make valedictorian, I'll do whatever you want for an entire day. But if I do, then you will have to do whatever I say for an entire day." smiled Nick with the famous half-eyelid stare with his paw thrust out for a pawshake.

Judy's smile suspiciously broadened. "I'm not sure it's such a good deal. I mean, you really don't have a chance at winning…" Judy pretending to think about it, when in reality, she already made up her mind.

"Ha! When have I lost? Besides, is the widdle wabbit scared she'll lose?" He wiggled his eyebrows, which caused Judy to giggle.

"Alright. You're going to regret making this bet." Judy replied, shaking his outstretched paw. In truth, she knew she just made a losing bet. But that wasn't going to stop her from pushing her friend to try his best. Even if he hadn't started training yet.

"I'm pretty sure that I won't. Now come on, I do actually need to get a new pair of gym clothes. I don't want the other trainees to see those old pieces of clothing. Once we're done, there's this nice diner that I'm sure you'll like. Because I'm starving." He shuffled off the couch and started to head towards the door without a second glance behind him.

"Always thinking with your stomach…" she mumbled to herself but loud enough for Nick to hear. Following suit, she trailed Nick out the door and into the streets of Zootopia.

"You know, I said I needed a new pair of gym clothes. Not three…" Nick complained. They currently sat across from each other at a window seat inside Marian's Family Diner.

"You can never be too prepared. Who knows, you might need them." Judy reasoned.

"Right, I have now back-ups of my back-ups of my back-ups. The academy will be supplying standard issue gym clothes, those ones with big bold letters on the back that read 'Trainee.' I only needed one as a backup in case something happened to the others." Nick countered.

"Wait, how did you even know what was on those shirts anyways?" She raised a questionable eyebrow while she rested her head against her hand, staring into his eyes for an answer.

Nick gulped. The deer waiter with their food came in before he could formulate a reply to try and deflect the question or change the subject. In truth, while Judy was inside one of the stores trying to find the best deal, he was on his phone researching things about the academy.

He wanted to understand how things worked around the academy before he went. This had always helped him with hustling and various deals, so who said it wouldn't during training? He didn't want to go there, stay up for a night and then find out you had to wake up at 5am to start running. Lack of sleep there would definitely kill him.

"Green salad for the bunny and cricket burger for the fox. Please enjoy! Call me if you need anything." And with that, she left to go serve other customers.

"Oo, this looks good! We should probably dig in before our food gets cold," Nick said, glad the waiter came in for the rescue. He didn't want Judy to know he was taking that bet seriously. He wanted to see her face when he rises to that stage first at the ceremony. Not that he will graduate, right?

Judy was about to question him for avoiding the topic but the smell of the food in front of her washed away her thoughts. Quickly, she filled up a fork full of leaves and dressing and chowed down.

"Mmmmmmm…" she sighed. The dressing alone was enough for her to quickly swallow and fill the fork again to keep the taste in her mouth.

"Ok chubby bunny, slow down. I know it's good, but you got to savor this stuff. I would've offered some food sooner if I've known you were starving." chuckled Nick. He watched in amazement as she ate three full forkfuls of food by the time it took him to finish one bite of the burger.

"Hrm? Oh..." she swallowed the food and then nervously laughed "Sorry, I blame my family for that one. If I didn't eat quick enough, my other siblings would try to steal what was on my plate and I wouldn't be able to get seconds if I wanted to. Old habit I guess…" she trailed off, old memories of the orderly chaos of dinnertime with the Hopp's.

"Don't worry, I won't try to steal your precious little leaves," he smiled staring at the flustered rabbit wash down the rest of her food with her carrot juice. "How many siblings did you say you had anyways?" He said, regrettably taking a bite out of his burger.

"Well, I have 275 brothers and sisters…" Nick started to choke on his food after hearing the outrageous number of family members she has.

"You alright?" He looked up and saw the concern in her eyes. It was nice to have someone who cared about him who wasn't his mother.

"Uh… Hyeh- Hrr-um... Yeah, never better. But could you repeat that? I'm not sure I heard you correctly." Nick said, finally swallowing the leftover food and washing it down with his blueberry smoothie, hurting his teeth in the process due to the quick switch from hot to cold.

"I have 275 brothers and sisters… I come from the 1st litter with my 7 other littermates."

"Uh-huh," was all the reply she got from Nick. This worried her, wondering if she said something wrong, because she was always trying to find a way to get him to shut up. But she chose not to comment on the matter and enjoyed her food. This time, at a reasonable speed.

"Soooo, how do you know this place? This food is amazing! It doesn't even look that popular, this should be all over the news with how good this stuff is." Judy said, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence that filled their booth.

"I know someone who works here. Helped me a lot when I was running my ehh… deals. Sweet guy, we should meet up with him sometime." Nick replied, while he reached into his pocket to pull out his signature sunglasses, popping them up on his head to hide his eyes from Judy.

"Oh, you really do know everybody." Judy nodded, remembering the time he told her those exact words. That was when he saw the world in a dark perspective until she came along and knocked those walls down. Pride swelled in her heart at the memory.

But she didn't pry for information. She knew better. Nick was trying to move on from his past and bringing up old memories certainly wouldn't help with that. If Nick wanted her to know, he'd tell her. But for now, she just stared in awe as he munched on his bugburger. Her sensitive ears picking up the crunching noises of the small lifeless critters being consumed.

"How can you eat that stuff?" Judy asked rhetorically. Crickets and other bugs were a necessity for predators to get a healthy source of protein without having to take a specially made protein pill. Nick noticed her disgust, a smile creeping on his face as he saw a perfect opportunity for him to get her to scrunch up her nose in the cutest way possible.

"Whuat, thish shtuff ish goohd. Youh dunnh knouw untish you try," Nick attempted to say while giving a full display of the crunchy critters in his mouth.

Bingo! Her nose recoiled and her eyes widened. Though she faked a gag, she smiled the whole time. "Nick! Finish what's in your mouth before talking! That's disgusting."

Nick gave a full-hearted belly laugh at her reaction once he swallowed a good portion of his food. This drew a few questionable eyebrows from other occupants of the diner because of the sudden outburst of laughter, but they didn't say anything.

After wiping a fake tear from his eye, he grabbed a cricket from his burger and offered it to her. "Seriously, you shouldn't judge by appearances, it's not as bad as it looks. It's actually really good!"

Judy recoiled at the presence of it near her and pushed his hand away. "Ew, no! I'm not going to try that!"

"Oh yeah? What makes you so sure?" Replied slyly.

"Because, I don't have to if I don't want to." She replied while crossing her arms in defiance.

"But you will when I graduate valedictorian. Easiest bet ever made." snickered Nick as he popped the cricket in his mouth. All while watching her reaction as her eyes grew even wider than before. One point for the dumb fox.

"Cheese and crackers!" She gasped. Her expression changed as a devious smile broke out across her face. "Are you sure? You have to run 1.5 miles within at least 11 minutes to even be considered valedictorian. You have to be fit for that but you aren't exactly eating healthy." Judy teased, eyeing his burger with a smug expression on her face.

"Leave my eating habits alone, Fluff! And I'm pretty sure that I can run that time without even breaking a sweat." Nick said, waving to the deer waiter for the check.

Judy chose not to reply, only acknowledgment she gave showing that she heard him was a shake of her head in disbelief.

"Hey, uh, Carrots? I forgot my wallet back at the apartment. Would you mind taking this? I'll pay you back!" Nick said with an easy smile, hopping out of the booth and already heading towards the door.

"Nick!" At that, the fox sprinted out of the diner.

After they finished eating and Judy paid the bill, she quickly caught up with Nick as they casually strolled the streets of Zootopia. Judy tried to stay mad at Nick after the scheme he pulled but couldn't for long. Nick's jokes brought a smile to her face easily. They talked about various topics ranging from politics to Judy's co-workers at Precinct 1.

Along the lines of them talking, Judy promised to call Nick every night while at the academy. Often to just give words of encouragement or to talk so he could relieve some stress. She knew how tough it would be for Nick and wanted to support him the whole way. Even though Nick insisted that she didn't need to do it, he was glad she offered her support. Of course, when she gave him the big bunny eyes, floppy ears, and twitchy nose; he just couldn't say no.

Somehow during the conversation, Nick's eating habits were brought back up. No matter how hard Nick tried to change the subject, Judy persisted on complaining about how unfit he was and offered a solution. The solution was simple, he could join Judy in her early morning jogs. With laziness dripping in his voice, he said 'no thank you'.

Eventually, the day got late and they split up to their respective dens. Nick, to his basement apartment and Judy to her shoebox. When Judy resigned during the Night Howler case, she left her apartment complex behind. But when she returned, even with the lack of a kitchen or even a bathroom, she still insisted on keeping her place, much to Nick's amusement.

Nick eventually found his way back home and quickly stuffed his face in the couch. After all the walking he did with Judy, he was exhausted. A sense of dread built up in Nick as the realization hit him. If he couldn't stand a simple walk in the park, how could he stand the 1.5-mile run? Judy's early morning runs didn't sound that bad now.

The thought of her expression when he got onto that stage with the title valedictorian was too much. Grumbling, he shuffled to sit upright and brought his phone out from his pocket to send a quick text to Judy.

Nick: Hey Carrots, I think I might take you up on that offer about jogging. Might help me get used to waking up so early in the morning. Doesn't hurt to try, unlike some-bunny…

Rereading the text, he clicked 'send' and pocketed the phone, not expecting her to reply right away. He wondered what her expression was when she read that text. The image of a wide-eyed bunny with her mouth hanging opened caused him to snicker. But his thoughts were quickly interrupted by a vibrating phone.

Judy: What's a matter dumb fox? Afraid to lose our bet?

Nick: Not at all, I saw it as a perfect opportunity to tease you more, that's all.

Judy: Sure, I'll see you at 5 in the morning. Night Nick!

Nick groaned while thinking. Why 5 in the morning? That's at least 4 hours of sleep I'll be missing out on… but kept his complaints to himself. He sent a quick text to Judy wishing a good night with a couple of thumbs up emojis.

After he finished plugging in his phone on the charger and taking off his shirt, he shuffled to his bed and fell asleep upon contact.

"Nick."

…

"Nick!"

...

"NICK!"

"It was Finnick, I swear!" At the sudden outburst of a familiar sound, he quickly shot up and put his paws in the air as to surrender.

A sudden burst of laughter caused Nick to give a confused look around his room. After quite a bit of searching (He wasn't exactly awake), he pinpointed the source to one hyperactive bunny. He rubbed his eyes in vain to stay awake and to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

"Not cool Fluff…" Nick said while giving her a very unamused look. The same look he gave her when she confronted him on his evasion of taxes.

"Yo-you… should've seen… your FACE!" replied Judy, all the while trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably.

Groaning, Nick flopped back onto the bed and stuffed his muzzle into a pillow. "Why are you here at…" He lifted his head to view his bedside clock, "5:17am, seriously what's the deal?"

Wiping a tear off her overjoyed face, she finally calmed down to talk in a clear tone, "I told you I would be here at 5 in the morning."

Just like that, the memories of last night hit him. He stuffed his muzzle in his pillow once again. He started to regret sending that text in the first place. "Five more minutes, please…" Nick pleaded, while getting comfy in the cozy bed of his once again.

"Oh, no you don't. Once you fall asleep you won't want to get back up. So come on!" Judy said.

"Noooooo... Sleep… hmmm…" He started to fall back asleep but was quickly brought back to reality when he left a breeze of cold.

His blanket has been taken.

"Come on sleepy head, stop acting like a kit," Judy said before noticing Nick's state of appearance and turning her head away with a blush.

Nick raised his head to snap but couldn't bring himself to do it seeing the look of embarrassment on her face. Looking down, he realized why she was so flustered.

It was her first time seeing Nick without a shirt.

Chuckling to himself and letting out a yawn, he sat up from the bed trying to wake himself up. "Is the poor little wabbit embarrassed?" Nick said, wiggling his eyebrows in the process.

"Just get ready! I'll meet you in the lobby, don't take too long!" Judy said while walking out of his apartment, closing the door behind her with a slam.

Now Nick was all alone in his thoughts, wondering how Judy got in his apartment in the first place. But he quickly solved that mystery when he remembered giving her his spare key in case of emergencies.

Obediently, he got up and changed into his new gym clothes and headed out the door to go meet Judy in the lobby.

"Carrots!" Nick wheezed.

"Judy! Slow... *puff* down!" Currently, Nick and Judy lightly jogged around Zootopia's main park. They've only been doing it for 15 minutes, but it seemed like an eternity for Nick.

"Come on Nick, we're hardly even jogging," Judy said, looking back at the fox struggling to keep up with her. He started to stumble and tripped over his tail. With a yelp, he face-planted into the dirt.

Concern washed over her face as she watched her friend fall. She quickly ran back over to him and offered her assistance, leading him over to the nearest park bench, conveniently situated right next to where Nick fell.

"You alright?" She said, staring at Nick as his tongue dangled out of his mouth in an attempt to expel unwanted heat. She handed him her water bottle that she always took with her, which he accepted gratefully.

After a few minutes of recovery, Nick was finally able to reply. "That's one way to wake up..." Nick chuckled.

A flood of relief, as well as a smile fell upon her face. Even after tasting dirt, stepping on his tail, and squishing his muzzle, he still found ways to joke.

A few more moments of silence fell upon the duo, listening to the morning bugs sing. The bunny was the first one to break this silence.

"I'm sorry…"

"For what?" Nick asked, quickly flipping his face around to face Judy. This time, his face covered in concern.

She looked at the ground in guilt, avoiding his gaze. "I shouldn't push you so hard..."

"Don't beat yourself up fluff. If anything, I should be the one to apologize." Nick said, facing his head back toward the scenery before them.

Confused by his statement, she looked at Nick. The morning sun shined upon his red fur brilliantly. She kept quiet waiting for him to clarify. Eventually, he did.

"We haven't been running that long and I was already out of breath. You're right, I am out of shape." Nick chuckled, then faced Judy again, where their eyes locked. "Just try and let me get used to this first, alright?"

Relief flooded her. There had been a nagging fear infecting her thoughts during the silence. She was afraid that Nick wasn't going to continue with her in her morning jogs because of the previous event. Instead, he regarded the whole morning as if it had never happened.

Realizing she probably looked like a deer frozen in headlights (she didn't want to offend any deer), Judy responded with a nod and waited until Nick was ready to continue on their jog.

Days seemed to fly by quickly. During the month, they developed a comfortable routine. The routine consisted of Judy waking Nick up, getting him to get up, and then going out into the park and jogging for an hour. Then they would go their separate ways; Nick, back to his apartment in an attempt to get more sleep. While Judy headed back to her apartment to get prepared for a day making the world a better place.

When Nick eventually woke back up, he took a cool shower and studied the police manual Judy gave him like a good little school kit. He was determined to win that bet.

Over the time, Nick had been getting better at waking up so early in the morning, along with improving his stamina. Two weeks into the jogging journey and Nick was able to keep up with Judy's 'slow' pace. Three weeks and they were jogging at her normal pace. And during the last and final week, she was able to go her fast pace without him stopping every ten minutes.

Even though he would never admit it, he was grateful for his time spent jogging with Judy. He knew that the experience would help dramatically during the police training.

But now, it was time to cut their routine short. The predator and prey currently sat on a public bench at the Zootopia Train Station, waiting for the correct train to take Nick away for a good 6 months of his life.

"Do you have your gym clothes?"

"Yes."

"What about your brush, don't want to have fur sticking out all over the place."

"Of course, Carrots."

"Phone and charger?"

"When would I leave without that?"

"What about…"

"Yes. Relax Carrots, I'll be fine. It's only six months." Nick interrupted her with a chuckle. Judy had been pestering Nick like his mom had for his first day of school. He appreciated that she cared, but he really didn't need her to worry.

"Sorry, I'm just so excited! In six months, you're going to become a police officer!" She was practically glowing in her seat as she hopped up and down in excitement. Of course, the over energetic bunny drew a few questioning eyebrows from pedestrians going about their day, but after making eye contact with the fox next to her, they ignored her.

"Calm down Carrots, I thought I was supposed to be excited, not you. How do you even know I'll make it anyways?" Nick trailed off, his usual pessimism showing itself.

"What? Of course you'll make it! I have no doubt about that. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. The only question now is, will you make valedictorian or not?" Judy said, trying to repair the atmosphere that was dampened by Nick's comment.

"Of course I'll make valedictorian, I want to see your face when you taste those crunchy, tasty critters," Nick said turning his head to face Judy, watching for her reaction as he licked his chops in the process.

As predicted, her eyes widened and her nose scrunched up just the way he liked it. Judy quickly averted her gaze from him and looked out across the train station.

Dozens of mammals of all species walked across the public station, going about their daily lives. They paid no mind to their surroundings, only to their task at hand. Trains were departing and arriving. A train horn brought both the mammals out of their thoughts as they looked around to find the source.

The source of the noise was an incoming train due to depart to another region of Zootopia that was closest to the academy. The train Nick needed to board.

Nick's heartbeat quickened and his blood pumped with adrenaline. This is it, this is where it begins.

"Relax Nick, you'll be fine. I'll call you every night if you need somebody to talk too." Judy reassured Nick. He didn't realize that he had begun to breathe hard but quickly calmed down at the voice of his best friend giving him comfort.

"Thanks. So this is goodbye, huh?" Nick asked, as they both got up from their seats and walked ever so slowly towards the train, not wanting to leave.

"Yup, I guess it is. Next time I see you, I expect to see you as an officer." Judy smiled.

"That you will…" Nick said, watching as mammals of all kinds departed from the train, clearing space for others to enter. He tore his gaze from the train to look down at the bunny standing next to him.

"Alright I know you want to, so come here," Nick smiled, he dropped his travel bag to the ground and held out his arms, hoping that a certain bunny would embrace him.

Not two seconds later, he was hit by a ball of gray fur, hugging him in the tightest hug possible. This almost caused him to fall over and tripping over his stuff but he recovered. Even if it was only for 5 seconds, it felt like an eternity for the duo, who would both cherish the moment the whole day.

Just as Nick was turning around with his bag in paw, Judy shouted: "Oh! I almost forgot! Here!" She said, running up to him and handing him an orange object.

To others, it may not seem much, but for Nick and Judy, especially the fox, it was a treasure. The object was the carrot pen. It meant a lot to the two because it had been the thing that had brought them together, twice. First, when Judy confronted him about her case. The second, under the bridge. It was a sign of their unbreakable bond. A sign to show that the other would be there when they needed them the most.

A genuine and positive smile broke out across his face, as he looked at the small symbol of friendship. But he was broken from his trance when Judy began to push him towards inside the train, sending him into uncharted waters.

"Good luck!" Was all the reply she said as the doors of the train began to close, physically cutting him off from changing his mind. There's no going back now… Nick thought as he watched his favorite bunny wave frantically at him as the train departed from the station.

Nick gave a two-finger salute out the window before the train moved out of the station and began its journey towards the unknown.

Removing his eyes from the outside world, he looked into his paw with curiosity, wondering why she would give him such an object. Clicking the side of the pen to replay messages, he soon found out why.

'You can do it, I know it.'

Hey! For those of you who ignore this message, I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

And for those who read every word, thank you for spending your time to read my first ever fan fiction of Zootopia. It means a lot! Honestly, I never expected me to do it. But there was a nagging story plot stuck in my head that I just had to get into physical words. I have a lot planned for this story and I hope you enjoy! Please leave a comment if you have time to tell me how I did or what I could do to improve. Afterall, this is my first time creating a story, so I'm not exactly sure if it's what the reader wants.

Anyways, thank you for reading. Follow if you would like to see more. I plan on writing at least 5k-7k words every chapter. This might take time but the next chapter should be uploaded in the next couple of days.

Until next time! Peace!

Edited by NickelAz and Startreker243! Big thanks!