"I'm telling you, we gotta look into the panther next door. He just happened to be out of town the same day as the murder? No way it's just coincidence." Judy rested her head in the palm of her paw, her violet eyes transfixed on the case file. Trying to find something to work off. Anything at all.
"It's a shady neighborhood, Fluff, you can't expect any of 'em to really come forward about what they were up to. Can you?" Nick was seated just a few feet to her right. The Chief had been gracious enough to put them in the same office cubicle, seeing as the two of them barely took up as much space as any of the other officers.
"Oh right. Let's not forget he slammed the door in my face when I wanted to ask him questions!" Judy rolled her eyes, one of her tall ears twitching with slight irritation while she aggressively scattered the case across her desk. She knew she was right, even if he didn't know it yet.
"We didn't have a warrant, he didn't have to tell us anything." The fox to her right was looking at the same file, but at one page at a time, carefully examining each detail.
"Yeah and both his neighbors just died and he just happens to be the only predator with a firearm permit?" She complained, after a moment over to Nick, who was giving her the look. She said something dumb again and she quickly rushed to make up.
"Well we know it was a predator! There was claw marks and the bloody prints were obviously feline. Why didn't we inspect him anyway?! That's reasonable cause!" She slapped her hands against the stack of evidence photos, some of them sliding beneath her paws. Nick turned his head back to his copy of the files and chuckled.
"And it might not be a good time to go accusing 'random' predators of being cold-hearted killers so soon. If we want to keep things peaceful and not start a riot, we're gonna need a warrant." Nick's voice was calm and smooth. As it always was, even when he was exhausted. His words flooded with a hint of humor and more sass and character anyone but Judy could find acceptable.
"Didn't need a warrant with the Nighthowler incident," the bunny mumbled. When she looked over to him again, she saw he was reading intensely, his mind completely dedicated to what they had before them. She was still amazed how focused he got. Not to say he ever lost that dumb grin of his, but he was completely into his work. Since he'd became an officer, she'd grown to understand how he was so successful on his own. She assumed he'd be a bit of a slacker, but he gave her a run for her money on 'hardest working officer in the station'.
"And it was a pretty impressive PR stunt to wipe every law we broke doing it off our records." Nick yawned before he stacked his papers and closed the manilla folder and locked the clip that kept it together. With a groan, he stretched his arms high above his head and shoved his legs out beneath his desk before he popped from his swivel chair. His bright orange tail giving a few quick twirls.
"Well… Fine! I'll go get a warrant then! Right now! He definitely needs to be investigated and I am one-hundred percent sure he knows something we don't!" Judy groaned and held the sides of her head, staring down at the, so far, useless case file that had been compiled. She hated the feeling she was getting from this, she wanted to solve it before the night ended, but she knew it was getting late if Nick was yawning.
"Loving your enthusiasm cottontail, but it's one in the morning. Let's pass the case downstairs and call it a night. We can get that warrant tomorrow and satisfy your thirst for justice against suspicious felines. Sound fair?" He rested his chin on her head right between her slack ears that hung to her shoulders. When she didn't give any reply besides a groan, he put on a snarky grin and lifted her ears up by the tips to stand them up straight. When she didn't reply to that, he put on his best worst impression of his partner.
"That's sounds great Nick! Then in the morning I'll buy you coffee and pay for your taxi home too, cause I'm such a great partner and you're so incredibly awesome!" Judy couldn't help but restrain a giggle before she batted away the fox. In doing so, she turned and caught her eye out of their cubicle, where a starry eyed Clawhauser was staring at them with a gaped mouth. He was dressed in his casual clothing, blue gym shorts and a T-shirt of a band called Twenty-One Marmots. When Judy stopped to stare at him, Nick followed suit and glanced over to be silently surprised by the large-sided Cheetah.
"Oh. Em. Goodness. You two are just… so adorable!" Clawhauser said quietly, retaining the glossy look upon his face. Judy quickly jumped up from her seat and assorted herself. Which included moving out of the way so she could stand in front. Her ears were straight up on her head, and a bright shade of pink glowed through the shallow fur.
"Heeeey Benny! How are you? Good? Good! We were uh… Just going! For coffee! Right Nick? Coffee!" She gave Nick's hip a jab, which gave him enough clue to reply.
"Yep, coffee at one in the morning. That is exactly what we're fixing to do." He glanced down to the bunny, who's face was spread in a large, exaggerated smile. The smile she gives when she's trying to hide something. He raised an eyebrow before he looked back to the desk-Cheetah and gave a shrug.
"Ooookay Jude. You two be sure to have fun with your… One o'clock coffee." Clawhauser put up his hands to make air quotes before he headed off. Not before, of course, he gave them both a wink and thumbs up combo. Which drew another groan from Judy. Her blushed ears flopped down to cover her face before she hopped back onto her chair and flattened her face onto the desk. Nick wasn't sure what to make of her, but he leaned against the back of her chair and rested his chin on his arms.
"What was that about, Carrots? Never seen you so flustered," Nick inhaled deeply, gaining a contented look before his attention was drawn back to her voice.
"He called us adorable, Nick! He said we are adorable! Not you or me, both of us! Collectively! As a group!" She groaned, her head raising enough to see him while she pulled on her ears in some kind of exasperation.
"I don't see your point," he said with a deadpan stare. But when she seemed to get more frustrated and began to thunk her head against the table, making it rumble with each impact. He decided to keep talking, before she hurt herself.
"Carrots, It's Clawhauser. He's like that. Remember when the chief got picked up by his girlfriend? I thought I was gonna bust an eardrum with how high-pitch his fangirling got!" Nick couldn't help but muse at the memory of Chief Bogo being picked up in a sports car by some sultry buffalo gal in a red dress. The Chief had, of course, given a lecture the following day on explicitly not talking about that. Which everyone promptly did the moment he left the room. Clawhauser especially.
"Yeah but… It's us! We're… We're…" before she had much time to think on the rest of her sentence, Nick quickly interrupted her.
"The best darn cops in Zootopia? Yeah, we are!" Nick smiled down to her and ruffled the fur between her ears.
"And hey, if he thinks we're cute or whatever, more power to 'em. He has good taste!." The fox gave her a wide grin and gently tapped her shoulder with the back of his paw, which even without his dumb joke, would've broken her composure. She gave a short laugh and waved her paw at him with minimal effort.
"Now, let's put this day to rest and get some sleep. I'm expecting a coffee on my desk when I come in tomorrow, or you're getting grumpy fox all day!" He straightened himself out and popped his back before he headed out of the cubicle and down the hall, grabbing his shades from the hatrack as he left. His tail vanishing around the corner with a casual swish.
She knew she'd have to bring him coffee, he wasn't likely going to bring it himself, and she knew not to keep that fox from his morning caffeine. She made the mistake of rushing him to work too early and was graced with the presence of the grumpiest Nick she had ever encountered for half the day. She was pretty sure that fox ran on coffee until at least three.
After another second staring at the case file, she decided to follow Nick's lead and close up shop. Gathering into her small arms both their copies of the case before she rushed downstairs to catch up with him. Leaving the Manila folders in the drop off bin by the main desk. Clawhauser would get them in the morning.
"Wait up Nick!" She shouted off to the now casually dressed fox. He had his gear kept in a dufflebag he had slung over his shoulder. When he heard her call, he turned and raised a paw to wave.
"Thought you'd be up there at least another hour," he mused when she caught up. She gave him a light punch against his forearm before they began walking again.
"Hey, I'm stubborn, not stupid. Not gonna stay up all night on a case we just got today. And besides, I'm not gonna work on our case without my partner! " she tilted her eyes up to him and couldn't help but smile too. He was clearly tired, his eyes were drooping and every short while, a yawn escaped his muzzle. But despite that, he always keeps that sly grin that always makes him look like he's up to something. Which, for most, makes it hard to tell when he actually is up to something.
"I'm flattered, Carrots, that you stay up late for me." He said. She tilted her head, curious to his reasoning.
"Why would I not? If it's for work, it's definitely worth a sleepless night or two. We're helping people!" she beamed up to him, her usual energy toward the topic glowing through.
"Well I'd love a sleepless night or two with you off duty," he said with a light chuckle to his voice. When the chuckle faded, he looked to her and took a deep breath. Something about her look set his ears flat and his eyes wide. The same look he gave her when she first blackmailed him.
"Huh? What's wrong Nick?" she decided to ask. She was put off by his sudden shyness, and what he said started a gear in her gut that she wasn't sure what to make of, but she pushed it off to the side as Nick's casual humor.
"Nothing, Carrots. Just uh…" His voice trailed, she knew he was thinking of an excuse, and he found it when they walked in front of her apartment.
"Oh hey! You're home! Well I'll see you tomorrow, same time as always, right here!" he said hastily, rushing the words out before he gave her a quick, awkward hug. Which only lasted a moment before he speed-walked his way down the street and around the corner. His tail swishing quickly after him was all she got a chance to yell bye to, but she doubted he heard her. She hadn't seen him that skittish in a long time, so this sudden case of it set her mind turning. She was tempted to rush after him, to catch up and make him tell her what bothered him. But she knew Nick, he would tell her when he was ready, but she hoped it wasn't anything bad.
Dumb fox, dumb fox, dumb fox. Don't say things like that to her. She's your best friend, your partner. Not to mention she's a bunny! A very serious bunny. No naughty thinking Nick, straight and narrow! Nick was mentally beating himself up as he rushed down the street. He lived a good eight blocks from her but that didn't stop him from walking the whole way at a hot-heeled pace. His ears were flat and his pupils were small, if not for the street lights, he'd be practically blind then.
After five blocks into his panicked stroll, his pace finally began to slow, either from exhaustion or his nerves settling, he wasn't sure which. He pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at the screen. It was the same lock screen as Judy's. A selfie she took with him on the side of the road during one particularly busy day of traffic. The rest of his way home was filled with unlocking the screen, tabbing to the text app, only to close it all and start over. But when he reached his front door, he took a deep, slow breath and pushed into the apartments.
From the outside, the place was utterly decrepit. How anyone could live in this place, let alone comfortably, was beyond any who saw it. But once he got into his own room, it became quite apparent. Judy had never seen his place, but he hadn't exaggerated his financial figures when they met. His room was the opposite of the external. That wasn't to say it's structure didn't match the rest of the apartment; Pipes were hanging low, paint was peeling, wood was chipping. The entire one bedroom apartment was a health inspectors nightmare, but he could afford it, and it was his.
Because he couldn't repair the apartment without boosting the rent, he made sure to make it feel like the apartment was lived in by someone at least slightly respectable, should he ever have company besides Finnick. A massive High Definition television nearly covered the entirety of one wall, with an entertainment stand below it that was sufficiently stocked with a variety of entertainment. Mostly games he'd never played, movies he'd never watched, and cable he never turned used.
Across from the TV was an equally expensive couch, loveseat, and recliner. The only one that was ever used though was the recliner. Either by Finnick when he fell asleep after watching sitcoms late into the night at Nick's place, or by Nick any time he was home.
Nick let out a long sigh, he was home. He had no need to stress now, he can worry about it tomorrow. He tossed his cell onto the recliner and dropped off the dufflebag by the door before he walked his way to the bathroom. In the mirror, he looked like a mess. His fur was matted and his favorite shirt was drenched from his sweat. Not to mention the bags under his eyes made him look like he was wearing a pound of eyeliner.
"I'd love to spend a few sleepless nights with you off duty," he mocked himself in the mirror.
"What, am I living in one of Finnick's dumb soap opera's now?" he thumped his head down against the sink and groaned loudly, the sound echoing into the basin. Soon his paws went up to the back of his head and scratched roughly through the fur, messing it up even more. And when he looked back to the mirror, he realized he had, to his own annoyance, accidentally inverting one of his ears, which he soon flipped back.
With his confidence and fur thoroughly roughed up, he locked eyes with himself and forced a large, toothy smile.
Don't let them see that they get to you. Don't let her see what she does to you.
He thought to himself while holding the smile, pushing it through his emotional walls before he gave up and grabbed his toothbrush.
After handling his hygiene, Nick stepped over to the shower and stripped himself down. Pulling off his shirt, the tan slacks and the boxers underneath until he was left in just his orange fur. After moving his clothing to a drying rack, he turned on the water and waited impatiently for it to reach a temperature he could tolerate. But his impatience got the best of him and he got a quick soak in icey water before he scrambled to a corner of the marble basin and waited for it to warm up with a newfound sense of patience.
When the water was heated after what seemed like a frozen eternity, he stood himself underneath the steaming downpour. He enjoyed the feeling, the subtle burn of the shower's heat, the steam cleaning out his pours, the water cleaning away the troubles of that day that collected on his fur and washed them down the drain. It was poetically soothing to him.
After he shampooed himself and rinsed all the way through his fur, he turned off the water and stepped out onto the drying pad. The hot air radiating from beneath him and blasting the water from his fur. Leaving him particularly fluffy. He moved back in front of the mirror and grabbed his brush and began to, at a slow pace, bring his fur back down. Flattening it all how he liked it. He then slipped back into the boxers he left on the floor and moved back out into the living room.
He slipped onto the fine upholstery of the reclining chair and pulls his knees up to his chest. With his phone in hand, he had the first internal debate he'd had in a long time. He was usually sure footed. He knew exactly what he planned to next, but now?
Fortunately for him, Judy made the decision for him.
When his phone started blaring Gazelle at a volume he wasn't prepared for, he yelped and lost his grip on it. Losing it into the air before he flipped forward in his seat and grabbed it from the floor. Despite being face down in a chair with his chin on the ground, he tapped the answer icon and put the call on speaker.
"Heeey Carrot-top! Why the late call?" he said with a forced level of excitement and energy. Which he quickly resented himself for.
I was tired just a minute ago, why would I sound energetic now?!
"You rushed off pretty quick earlier… didn't even give me a chance to say bye, is something bugging you, Nick?" her voice rang out from the speakers, the smooth tone she has when she's worried about him always soothed his nerves. Enough this time that he forgot to reply, but a quick "Hello?" from her pulled him back to reality.
"Oh! Uhh… Yeah I'm fine! Fine and dandy, like always! just remembered Finnick was stopping by to get something!"
"At nearly two in the morning?" He loved the snarky sound of her voice when she doubted him.
"Yep, two o'clock on the dot! Picking up a uhh…" His eyes quickly scanned the room until he saw something to mention. "A stuffed elephant! Don't tell him I told you, but he really does love elephants. Oh hey, he's here now! Gotta go Carrots, talk to you tomorrow!" he rushed his way through the conversation, but before he could hang up, her soft voice cascaded on his ears once more.
"Nick, you know I don't like it when you lie. I won't press but… You don't have to hide anything from me. I'm your best friend, right Nick?" He sighed softly and covered his face with his paws before he gave his quiet, muffled reply.
"Right, goodnight. Get some sleep, dumb bunny."
"You too, Nick. You... sound like you need it." he stared at the phone, his thumb still hovered over the red icon. He wanted to tell her everything. He could feel it swelling up in his throat, but before he could muster the courage, her soft voice came through. Barely audible over his own thoughts.
"Bye,"
Click.
he tapped the red icon and stared at the post call screen. The silly picture of Judy he took of her when she had tripped in the office was front and center with the name 'Dumb Bunny' below it. He wondered what his name was in her phone now, he changed it that morning so he would be her 'Sly Fox', but she probably would change it.
"You don't know what you do to me, carrots…" he mumbled to his phone before he clicked it off completely and set it to the side. He would've moved from the floor, but he couldn't muster the energy to do so, so he pulled his legs from the recliner and curled up where he was and lost himself in his thoughts.
Some thirty minutes later, he debated calling her again, to confess about everything. For having lied to her, for how he felt about her, what he wanted to do to her, with her. But because of what he feared it could do to them, to her, he decided against it. Instead, with a groan, he turned his forehead to the ground and thumped it hard against the thin, matted carpet. Bringing the sheep who lived below him into a loud and energized rant at him to keep quiet. Halfway through a particularly rude barrage of insults, Nick had already fallen asleep.