The night air nipped at the fox's skin. He frantically rubbed his paws together, trying to create a form of warmth against the chill of the night. It didn't help that he was only wearing his uniform, at Midnight, with no extra layers. He cursed quietly, he knew he should have grabbed his coat before leaving his apartment.
He took another glance at his wristwatch, 00:20, flashed the red numbers. The fox sighed, he was late! Honestly, he shouldn't have been surprised, time was not what his friend was known for. He gazed at the road, no cars came down flashing their headlights, and no animals walked by the fox on the empty sidewalk. Even the stars seemed to be missing from the night sky, leaving it as a blank canvas without any trace of paint.
Another gust of air made the fox hug his arms close to his body, his teeth were chattering slightly, the light tapping being the only sound that filled the empty street. He sighed and turned to make his way back to his cruiser, his friend obviously wasn't coming anytime soon. With a frustrated groan Nicholas Wilde began to walk towards the only sign of warmth in the street, his car.
Then he heard the distant growl of an engine. And the foreign rap music that blasted into the silence.
Nick turned and made out the vans headlights become clearer, the yellow glows illuminating against the pitch black buildings. The groan of the engine intensified as the van slowly came to a stop on the road stop against Nick's form.
Nick faced the side of the van, his night vision making the black, flamed, paintjob of the vehicle much clearer to him. The driver's window slowly rolled down giving Nick full view of the animal inside glaring hatefully at him.
"Miss me, Finn?" asked Nick, his trademark grin on his face.
"What do you want, Wilde?" scoffed the deep voice of the Fennec fox.
Nick smirked, "What? I can't say hi to my former business partner?" he asked innocently.
Finnick's glare darkened, "Not at fucking midnight, no!" he exclaimed, his brow furrowed in annoyance.
Nick chuckled and made his way to the passenger side of the van. He climbed in, making Finnick give out a primitive growl.
"I didn't say you could come in!" Finnick barked, his teeth baring furiously at the other fox's behaviour.
"Didn't think I needed permission." Nick said, shutting the door, "We're not strangers, are we?"
Finnick's eyes averted away from Nick, his face unreadable, "I don't know, are we?"
Nick groaned, "Come on man, don't be like that!"
The fennec didn't reply, his eyes still stuck on his dashboard. His fists tightly clenched onto his steering wheel. His arms began to shake violently as he spat out more poisonous words.
"Look, why did you call me out here?" The small fox demanded.
Nick exhaled sharply, putting out a paw to touch the fennec's shoulder, "I just want to talk."
Fennec quickly shifted away from Nick's arm, his eyes burning with malice, "About what?" he yelled, "Your job? I don't want to hear about your experiences with the fuzz!"
"Dude, calm down." Nick warned, his eyes hardening at Finnick's attitude, "I just want-"
"Don't you tell me to calm down Copper!" Finnick screamed, his fangs gleaming threateningly at Nick's shocked face.
Nick put up his paws in an attempt to calm the atmosphere. "Okay," he murmured, backing away slightly from the furious fennec, "Look, I just want to get things between us back on track. Tell me about what's going on in your life." Nick urged, smiling softly.
Finnick groaned, his shoulders dropping in frustration, "Wilde, I can't-"
"Please."
The fennec sighed, sinking back into his seat, "Just… business as usual. Acting like a lost kid and stealing wallets while they look for my 'mommy'."
Nick grinned, "So, just like before we teamed up, eh?" he said, nudging Finnick with his elbow playfully.
Finnick growled, he was growing tired of Nick wasting his time, "Wilde, Why. Did. You. Call. Me. Here?!" He barked, his eyes whirling at Nick, red hot fury burning inside.
Nick, himself, began growling in irritation, "Because I wanted to see how my partner was doing!"
Finnick's eyes rolled, "Ex-partner, you mean?!" Nick heard the fennec's teeth grind, "Your partner is that bunny chick, remember?" He spat.
"Her name is Judy."
"I don't give a fuck about what her damn name is!" The fennec roared, venomous words spitting out of his lips.
Nick could feel his lips curl into a grimace, his fangs becoming visible, "Jesus, dude!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms over his head dramatically, "I just wanted things to be normal again, I don't know why you're being such a… brat!"
Finnick's head whirled at Nick, a look of angry disbelief on his face, "Normal? This is normal Copper!" he yelled, pointing a harsh finger at himself, and then at Nick.
"What are you talking about?"
Finnick stood up on his seat screaming straight in Nick's face, "You're a cop! I'm a criminal! We're not on the same side anymore!"
Nick froze, his mouth dropped in a small gape, his eyes filling with realization. Finnick was right, he was a cop, and the fennec was a criminal. Opposite sides of the law. He should be arresting Finnick right now, not trying to mend their fractured friendship.
"Finnick… I-"
His breath caught when he saw a tear roll down the fennec's cheek. He wiped his eyes furiously, letting out a small, sorrowful, growl.
"Nick… I want everything to be back to how it was, really I do!" the fennec chocked, his words muffled by his arm, "But it can't. If other animals from the street found out I was buddies with a cop, they'd come after both you and me. You know that!"
Nick didn't reply, he had nothing to say. Finnick was right, again. A criminal being in connection with a police member was seen as one of the most serious crimes among gang members. If he and Finnick stayed in touch, it would affect both their lives.
"I-I'm sorry Finnick." It was all Nick could say.
The small fox removed his face from his arm and turned to Nick, his eyes red from crying, "What I don't understand is why Nick?" his voice was raw with his concealed emotions, "Why join them? You're not the type of guy to take orders from those pigs! So why become one of them?"
Nick's eyes laid down on the floor. His mouth laid in a thin hard line. He didn't want to tell Finnick the truth because… it proved how Nick had betrayed him, replaced him, forgot him.
Luckily Finnick answered his own question.
"It's her. Isn't it?" he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
Nick gulped, and let out a shaky breath. Finnick sighed, this confirmed his answer.
"Can't even look me in the eye to answer, ey?" he growled, the tears building up again.
Nick didn't, couldn't, answer.
The poisonous silence continued for a few more minutes, both foxes silent as they controlled their emotions from spilling out.
"Get. Out." Finnick said, his voice deadpan.
Nick felt a tear slip out his eye, "Finnick… I-"
"GET. OUT!" the small fox screamed, refusing to look Nick in the eye.
Nick chocked back a sob. Slowly he exited the van, walking into the cold street, rain pouring down from the night sky. He walked back to the spot where he started, staring into Finnick's window. That window began to roll up, the sound tearing at Nick's heart, knowing that he would possibly never see the fennec again.
"I'm sorry Finnick, but I have to be there for… her," Nick sniffed, as more tears began to flow down his fur, "She's my friend."
The window stopped rolling. Nick looked up hopefully, meeting the eyes of the fennec once again. Nick internally gasped. Finnick's eyes, they were so… dead. Only sorrow and regret shined in the fox's white orbs, devoid of the playful anger and annoyance Nick had known them to shine with.
"…So was I, Wilde." The fennec said, his voice as dead as his eyes, "So was I…"
The window rolled up, and the face of Nick's former friend disappeared behind the black glass. The van sped away, its engine roaring in the distance. Nick didn't take his sight of it until it had disappeared into the night.
The fox exhaled deeply, and made his way back to his car. Wiping the tears from his cheeks.
Unknown that a few miles away, a fennec fox was screaming at the loss of his only friend.
Whew, that's another idea gone.
I just want to say thanks to all the people who have read my previous stories, you're the people who keep me here. All the positive feedback has been great, and has really been surprising. I do hope you enjoyed this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Zootopia or its characters. (Sorry Wilde-Hopps shippers!)