Inspired by one of my favourite songs that is, coincidentally, also from Disney. Published on AO3 as well!

In all his thirty-three years alive, Nicholas Piberius Wilde never thought, let alone considered the notion that he would fall in love. He's had crushes, sure. The sort of puppy- er, cub love that was essentially just infatuation. The kind one cringes thinking back on. But that was hardly the issue here. Not even close.

He had, however, considered that the feelings were temporary. Nothing more than the inevitable result of two, attractive mammals spending more than a healthy amount of time together. But if that were true, he was certain he would have fallen for Finnick for even his own mother had prodded him once on that issue; gently inquiring if he had a preference for the masculine variety. Not that he was going to flat-out deny it as he liked to think himself open-minded. But...Finnick. Really?

He's had lovers before, sure. But vixens had their own image to keep up as temptresses, homewreckers and heartbreakers. And boy, did he have his heart – whatever was left of it; scratched, chewed and trampled on. With her, things were different. So different. He hated the cliché of it all. She made him feel like a hero. Sure, they had their little 'break-up' where she had left him feeling terrible. But what made that so profound to him was how much that had hurt. She was hardly the first to profile him, unintentionally or no. But the pain and heartbreak was infinitely greater when it came from her. He'd obsessed over that day for the several weeks they were apart. Finnick had to drag him by the tail back to their old job but after the third attempt, he gave up and told the smaller fox that his hustling needed a break.

She invaded his thoughts from the moment he slept to the second he woke. His heart, which he hadn't known to still exist till the first time she touched his arm, would melt to putty whenever she would look up at him with those sickeningly adorable eyes of hers. Just bursting with confidence and affection for him.

He was a love sick moron, right down to the sighs, baby eyes and sleepless nights.

In all honesty, he was in complete denial of making goo-goo eyes. It was not until he had caught Clawhauser making that idiotic, knowing fan-cub face, raising his eyebrows suggestively and eyeing the young, beautiful bunny who'd always be blissfully oblivious. Nick's deadpan gaze only seemed to amuse and encourage the chubby cheetah who'd followed him around for weeks humming a tune Nick vaguely recognized.

"No chance, no way. I won't say it no, no."

"What the hell Spots?"

"Oh nothing. Just a little number from Bearcules. So...When are you going to ask her out?"

"Never, because I do not have a reason to-."

"Face it like a grown-up, when ya gonna own up?"

And at that moment, Officer Woolson decided to pitch in.

"That ya got, got, got it baaad."

And yet, there he was; working for the Zootopia Police Department of all places. He had followed after that cute, fuzzy-wuzzy little tail of hers like an infatuated little cub. Nick groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He reached for his coffee cup, sighing in exasperation at the realization it was empty.

"Nick!"

He hated how his ears betrayed him as they perked up excitedly at the familiar, sweet voice. He was supposed to cool, calm and collected dammit.

"You seemed tired today, so I went out to get you more coffee!"

Nick couldn't help but smile down at her. He accepted the cup, steeling his nerves and ignoring the electric sparks on his fur as their paws briefly touched.

"Thanks, sweetheart."

She gave him one of her wide, big smiles. Ones that did a world of a better job in energizing him than any caffeine kick could as much as he hated to admit and returned it with his classic one-sided smirks. Admittedly, more forced than he was used to. He still had an image to maintain.

"So…um."

He raised his brow, taking a sip of the cup and sighing in ecstasy. Double shot espresso, a pinch of spice and one sugar. Exactly how he liked it.

"There's this wedding I have to go to…"

"Mmhm?"

He turned his eyes to his paperwork lest he find himself tracing her curves in his head again. Another thing that made him so confused. Sure, there were a handful of curvy vixens. But foxes were genetically predisposed to be slender. Wouldn't that mean he should have an instinctual inclination to those were tall, slender and elegant? Not adorable, short and curves that made polar bear priests sweat. Weddings were hardly a rare occurrence. He'd attended several weddings of Judy's siblings. So much so, he'd pretty much became a permanent fixture in the family portraits.

"Well…In Bunny Burrow, summer weddings are also a time where parents set their bunnies up with other single bunnies."

Nick nearly choked on his coffee as a sudden realization dawned upon him. She can never be his.

"I've tried telling my parents that I don't have any mind for marriage, but you know what they're like. Besides, I'm sure I'm pretty unattractive to the average country bunny. I mean, big city cop doesn't exactly spell farmer's wife material heh…"

She fiddled with her tool belt, looking a little nervous.

"So, um, I was wondering…if we could…well, you know."

Nick was so lost in his thoughts that he had neglected listening to her. His eyes were glossed over and his mind wandered to a wedding. Watching Judy's back walking down an aisle and away from him. Taking the paws of a muzzle-less male bunny. It tore him up.

"…Nick?"

The sudden softness to her voice broke his train of thought and he finally looked over at her.

"Sorry, was…was thinking about something."

He groaned internally. When did it become so difficult to be his normal, suave self? He was close to blubbering like the teenage cub he was in high school. He watched concern flood every inch of her body and sighed as soon as her ears drooped.

"Is something wrong, Nick? Anything I can do?"

What did he do to deserve her? How in the hell did she walk-hop into his life and make herself comfortable there? It was so typical of her to put the needs of others above her own.

"Nothing to worry your cute little noggin, Carrots. Now, tell me what you need and daddy will deliver."

He watched in bemusement and felt himself relax as her eyes narrowed and her nose twitched in mild annoyance.

"Well, Slick Nick. What I've been meaning to say is…"

She bit her lip, looking a little worried and hesitant and Nick felt a smidge of guilt for not listening better to his bunny.

"I…I need someone to pose as a…boyfriend."

She mumbled the last word so incoherently that Nick was sure that he had imagined it himself.

"To keep the, um, suitors away. Country bunnies are pretty territorial. So, they'd lay off me if I was already...claimed."

She cringed at the word and decided then to never use it again. He must have looked stupefied for Judy seemed to have this look of regret.

"You know what? That's a bad idea. They'd never buy- "

"Why wouldn't they buy it? I've been your date for all 127 weddings."

"Technically 52, but yeah. I see your point. But there is still the issue of…"

"Me being a fox and you, a bunny."

She sighed and look up at him.

"Nic-"

"Look here Carrots, I'm the adult of the two of us."

He paused to appreciate Judy's exasperated look. Another cliché to add to his growing list of symptoms – the 'She's So Cute When She's Angry'.

"And because I'm the adult, I know what parents want for their daughter. A respectable, young gentlebunny that would treat their daughter right and give her kits. I can do all of that except for being a bunny. And giving you handsome kits. Though technically, that may be possible."

He gave her a suggestive wink and smirked as she returned it with a stony glare. He wasn't going to tell her that he had been secretly following news breakthroughs of a procedure that allowed inter-species couples to have their own kits. He did not like to think he was harbouring the hope of one day having a family with a certain bunny because that was not the Nick Wilde he knew. The Nick Wilde he knew scoffed at the thought of domesticity and had no interest in having his sexy bushy tail chained. Except maybe to a pretty fluffy cottontail.

"We're established as friends, so it wouldn't seem unnatural that we'd progress on to something more. I mean, if I were a jackrabbit, you'd be all over me."

Judy punched him lightly in the shoulder and Nick winced, rubbing his arm with a mock forlorn look. She did seem a little more hopeful now, but there was still doubt in her expression.

"But it won't stop them from freaking out. Subtly or not."

"Carrots, even if I were a bunny, they'd still be freaking out. They're your parents. Every time we go back together, it's clear as day that they miss you like crazy. They're probably hoping a husband will have you coming back home more."

Judy paused to mull over that. He smiled down at her and tilted her chin up to face him. "But then she meets this big city boy who'd inevitably have her set her roots in the city instead." Judy's nose twitched lightly and he had to hold back the urge to boop it.

Booping. Heavens, help him.

"You can tell them that it's just a temporary thing. No commitments yet. We do eat dinner together and I do spend more time than acceptable in your apartment, young lady."

"So…you'll promise you won't do anything to make them think we're acting? I hate to think that we're deceiving them."

"Darlin', by the end of it, you'll be doubting your feelings for me."

He delivered that line flawlessly with a wink and smirked through her usual eye-rolling to his antics. Slick Nick was back, good. He breathed a sigh of relief after she left his cubicle. What they had was good enough. He was selfish to want more. She was focused on her career and he had no other place in her life other than being her best friend and aiding her in her goals.

"Oh, Nick?"

He tensed and turned to see her little head peeking from the corner of his cubicle. He raised his eyebrow, trying hard to pull his unaffected Nick Look™.

"Thank you. Lunch is on me! I love you."

She gave him a sweet smile and bounded off, fluffy tail wiggling happily.

"…Fuck."

There it is. My very late contribution to what is, officially, my favourite Disney movie of all time. (It'll have to share that spot with Mulan though, I have no intention of dethroning my childhood obsession) I am also, un-officially, WildeHopps trash and proud. Whether they become canon or not, I'd just be excited there would even be a sequel to Zootopia.

Hope you have enjoyed and haven't cringed yourself a facial cramp. I do have ideas to continue this but for that, I'd need motivation. So please do leave some comments! Ciao!