A/N: Even if I just turned in a big assignment for school and don't write so much anymore, I've had a tradition around Christmas about . I've written Christmas stories about Tangled, Frozen and How to Train you Dragon before and therefore with still clear obsession with Zootopia, I want to write one for that as well. This is like other Zootopia-story centre around our/my favourite mammals (Nick and Judy). This is a one shot story like my other Christmas stories. Nick and Judy aren't dating when the story starts.
It was just an ordinary day for Nick and Judy, or so they thought. They met up outside the ZPD headquarters, went in, greeted Clawhauser at the reception desk and walked to roll call waiting for Chief Bogo to arrive. It seemed though like it everything changed as Bogo showed up late for roll call for, what according to the longer employed officers, the first time ever. He didn't seem amused, yet he rarely did. It was almost two years ago since the Night Howler case and a bit less than a year since they started working as partners. Bogo sure did enter like he always did.
"Shut up and sit down everyone!" they did as they were told. Judy hoped for something very special before the holidays.
"I have a few extra things on the docket. Firstly, as we approach Christmas and the new mayor decided that he wants two officers down at the local Zootopia orphanage. He wants to get them some Christmas cheers for the kids and asked me to get two officers out for a few hours to talk and play with the kids" Judy knew he cared deep inside, he'd just never show it.
"Before we can do so, I need to make the shift plans for the holiday season. If there are any special requests from you, I need them on my desk the day after tomorrow the latest at noon. I also want to know why you need the time off and you'll be up on other holidays instead and everyone has to work there once through his or her career, so think about and get back. IS THAT CLEAR?" everyone saluted, even Nick.
When roll call was finished, all patrols were sent out on the street and Nick and Judy got to look into some stores in Tundra Town that had been plagued by robberies and finger prints had indicated it was the same type of mammal, but not identical, so it seemed like a group of the same kind of animal.
For now they had to find a pig. Judy also couldn't help thinking about Christmas. Her mom and dad had invited her home to Bunny Burrow for the holidays and even if she loved her job and loved protecting mammals in Zootopia, she also missed her family and loved their Christmas celebrations. As they drove around, she turned her attention towards Nick who didn't look like he was in the best of mood. She wondered what he'd be doing through Christmas. Who would he celebrate with?
"Nick, are you alright?" Judy asked with a slight hint of worry in her voice. Nick turned his attention from the window and towards his bunny partner trying to make his most convincing smile.
"No problems here Carrots. Just looking out for any suspicious pigs and such. Nothing to worry about fluff butt" Judy rolled her eyes and decided to leave that for now. Something about him just seemed to be different. They had been working together for some time now and shared a lot of their time outside of the force as well. It was just like she started to feel a bit different than normal. Was she maybe starting to feel something new towards her fox partner?
No, it'd be stupid. Interspecies relationships weren't something you saw very much in Zootopia. It wasn't illegal, but still not priced and she had a certain feeling Nick could never feel something like that towards her. She was just a dumb bunny ever hoping it could be possible.
Nick couldn't really concentrate on working today, as he knew Christmas came along and he could see Judy was up to something. He didn't know what was going on with him and her. Was he starting to feel different towards her than partnership/friendship? Why would she ever chose a fox when there was so many nice mammals in Zootopia who'd love to be with a wonderful bunny such as herself. Even if she was so nice to have him as her partner on the force and spend a lot of her time off with him, it could never be more than just that. Could it?
They drove near Tundra Street when a pig sprinted away and out of the store came a distressed horse and they knew they had found at least one of them. Nick turned on the lights and the sirens and the pig sprinted away from the car, but ended not looking where she was running and ending in a dead end.
Nick and Judy both jumped out with a tranquilizer gun and ordered the pig to get on her knees and put her hooves on her bag. She did as she was told as she knew she had lost and after Nick had her pawcuffed, she tried to struggle one last time and Nick took charge and made her understand that she had no way out of it as she saw Judy had her paw on her dart gun and decided to go peacefully and they smiled satisfied at each other as Nick took the radio and called Clawhauser.
"Officer Wilde to dispatch. We're coming one man extra or should I say one female pig extra. Over and out"
"Roger that Officer Wilde. Chief Bogo wants her to the interrogation room for hearing, dispatch over and out" and after that, they took the simple way back to the ZPD where they carried her inside. She was just about to run away when Nick along with a polar bear and tiger officer managed to get her on the ground and they offered to take her to the interrogation room where Chief Bogo was already waiting.
"Hopps, Wilde. I want you to go on paperwork until this is finished. I'll come for you later" Nick and Judy saluted him before returning to their cubicles where they did as told and filled out the papers about what they've seen and what they did. It took about 15 minutes before Chief Bogo came out something as unusual as a smile telling them that he had managed to get every name and location out and he wanted them to get back and take in one of the others while the second one would be picked up by McHorn and Fangmeyer and the address they could find him was in Tundra Town too.
They took off and next thing, they found at the address and before he could run away as he tried, he was tranquilized and Judy pawcuffed him before they dragged him inside the back seat and returned him to the station for further interrogation as they saw McHorn and Fangmeyer coming up at the same time as them with the last one of them. They were put in isolation for now as they were about to clock out when Judy asked Nick if he wanted to come home to her for dinner.
Nick accepted gladly and they walked back to Judy's small apartment and got down settled as Judy laid down on her bed and Nick took the chair and leaned his feet onto the edge of the bed. Judy and Nick had decided to have a pizza delivery today, as they didn't feel like cooking anything fancy or so.
Half an hour later came a gazelle and knocked on the door.
"Pizza for Judy Hopps?" Judy took the money and gave him 10 dollars and told him to keep the change. They sat it down and Judy found a carrot juice for herself and for Nick, she had a beer. Nick sat and adored his bunny friend. She was truly an amazing mammal. He was indeed a very lucky fox to have a friend like her.
Judy turned her attention towards Nick and saw the smile he sent her and she couldn't help but blush a bit and smile back.
"Nick, I was wondering, what is your plans for Christmas?" Nick's smile turned into a frown as he had hoped to avoid to that question, but he and Judy had promised each other as partners to be honest with each other.
"I was just going to take one of the Christmas shifts. I don't celebrate, or not anymore" Judy was feeling a bit disappointed to say it the least. She had hoped to convince him to come with her to Bunny Burrow as she had already arranged it with her mom and dad who had met him on a trip to Zootopia where they picked her up after a shift. An interesting introduction to say it the least, but they still found out Nick was a good mammal towards their daughter and they ended getting quite along.
"I was hoping you'd join me in Bunny Burrow. Why don't you celebrate?" Judy asked worried. Nick raised himself and walked over to the open window and didn't look at Judy not wanting to her to see the frown on his face.
"It's quite some years since I stopped doing so. When I was on my own, my mom passed away and I ended up leaving the celebration to other mammals, just hustling like I did. As you know, I made 200 bucks a day every day since I was 12, and I meant that including days like on Christmas Eve" Judy walked over to him and hugged him from the side. Nick looked at her and smiled and sighed as he patted her head.
"Besides some has to take the shifts. It's not fair for them that someone with no family and such get the day off. I'll take it and let mammals with girlfriends; wives and children have the evening with their loved ones. You should go home and celebrate with your family. Besides it's probably too many fluff butts for me to fit my tail in without having it ripped off" Nick just had a weird sense of humour and it could show at the weirdest times and it always seemed to have an affect on her. Should she tell him or should she not? She felt conflicted as never before.
"Nick. Never mind" Judy turned attention away from the fox and now she knew that she'd be trapped by his sly mind soon. She needed to figure out something and that was fast.
"Hey, Judy. What is it and don't say it's nothing because I know you better than that" Judy tried to look away. Nick though spun her around as he caught her attention and she was surprised to see the seriousness reflecting in his eyes and onto his muzzle.
"Nick, one of the reasons I wanted you to come with me is because over the past month something has happened to me" Nick was about to interrupt her, but she held up a paw to tell him not to say anything at all. He kept quite and she kept on.
"I realized that my feelings towards you isn't the same. It feels like I want something more. I know I'm a bunny and you're, well, a fox. That still doesn't mean I can't feel the way I do. I want us to be more than we are" Judy finally told and turned around and ran towards the door to be beaten to the door by Nick.
"Did you just say what I think you said?" Nick knew he shouldn't push, but reality hadn't hit him yet and he needed to be sure this wasn't some cruel dream. Judy couldn't find work, but nodded just so slightly that Nick could still see it.
So many thoughts ran through Nick's mind that he couldn't keep track of them or so. Nick couldn't believe any of it. He got down on his knees so he was on height with Judy and cupped her cheeks so she couldn't turn away from him and gave a gentle smile.
"Listen Carrots. I know what your bunny brain is thinking at the moment. We're different species and prey and predator at the same time. We can't make it last and all sort of shit, but let me tell you. I love you and I'm so happy to know so, but you know it'll be too much with me at your family's farm. Just go and ask for time off and let's talk about us after all this hype is over" Judy's arms threw around Nick's neck and he returned the gesture and he kissed her ear and felt Judy tremble a little bit and before he could think if it was good or bad, she clutched herself tighter to him and he felt relief rush over him.
"Nick, I really want you to come to Bunny Burrow with me. Mom and dad have already said that I could bring you along. Please" Judy tried with her puppy eyes that she used when she wanted something badly from Nick and needed him to agree and he still hadn't stood up that look. She could see on Nick that he really hated that look.
"I'll think about it. You'll know tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Now this fox needs to get home and get some shut eye" Judy saw her clock said 11.51 pm, meaning they were to meet in less than 8 hours and knowing how much Nick hated morning, she went with him to the door. She jumped into his arms and hugged him when he left and wished him goodnight. He'd defiantly some extra coffee before work tomorrow. Good thing was he only had 10 minutes of walk home from her place, so it wouldn't be long until he could get some sleep. Now Judy decided to go to sleep herself and get some rest. Tomorrow was the day to turn in wishes for Christmas and Judy waited for Nick to show up wondering if he had decided if he wanted to go with her or not.
More she wondered what would happen to her and Nick's friendship. She just admitted her feelings for her partner last night and she couldn't help but wonder what could happen. Best and worst scenarios. It was not long after that she spotted Nick and saw a smile widen. Her own smile widened as they hugged and walked over to the ZPD.
When they arrived, they went in and greeted Clawhauser and moved on to roll call. Nick then excused her and said he forgot something back at the front desk and walked off. He didn't return until a few minutes after.
The day went on and before Judy could get hold of Nick, he was gone and when he went out of the ZPD, he hurried out as he had to get some stuff done and such before he was called in again by Bogo for a special job. Clawhauser told Judy that Bogo had a special one-man job for him and he didn't know anything about it and Bogo had asked him to tell her to get her stuff and get home for the day.
The day went on without Nick answering any of her calls and when she went to his place, he wasn't home. What was that fox up to? And what assignment would he get to do alone?
The next morning, Nick texted her and said he'd meet her at the station. She went there and expected him to be at roll call. She waited and waited, but still no sign of Nick anywhere. Bogo then entered and had everyone sit down.
"Wilde turned in sick today, so Hopps, you'll be on paperwork today. Remember to check your shift plans for the end of this month. You'll all have to have some work through the month and if something doesn't fit, then solve it with each other. That's all for now"
"Bogo? Sir?" Bogo turned around to see Judy approach him
"What is it, Hopps?"
"What's going on? Nick said nothing when he left last night, Clawhauser said something about a special case and now he text me to meet him here at the station to find out he has turned in sick. Do you know what's going on?" the chief shook his head.
"I don't know if I care what's going on, but I know Wilde called to turn himself in sick and that's all for now Hopps" with those words he left the room and returned to his office to finish the last things for the shift plan and whatsoever.
The day seemed to go by slower than a sloth at the DMV. When her shift ended, Judy was relieved. She got up and checked out the plans for Christmas and saw she had gotten 5 days off to head to Bunny Burrow and Nick there was none. Her ears drooped in disappointment and she got her things to go back home and prepare for the next days before Christmas. She had hoped to celebrate it with Nick, but then again. It was his decision and all, but she felt a bit sorry.
On the way home, she saw Nick, but before she could get to him, he got into a taxi and went off. Now she felt a bit betrayed knowing he wasn't sick at all and left her for that boring paperwork. Not her favourite part of being an officer of the law. He was up to something. She could feel it. She just didn't know what.
The day before Christmas, she had all her stuff packed up and ready to go, but she still had her shift to go to before she could get to her train back to Bunny Burrow.
Nick was back on work that day and she tried to question him out on what he had been up to, but he kept on avoiding it by changing the subject or talk about an observations or something else stupid. Judy felt it was hopeless and they ended up having a very quiet and uneventful day.
She got out of her uniform and wished all her female colleagues a Merry Christmas and headed out to jump onto Clawhauser's desk to hug the big cheetah and wish him a Merry Christmas before she left the building. Nick had promised to take her to the station and bid her goodbye since he had decided to take the duty to give mammals like her a chance to celebrate with her family.
They waited about half an hour approximately as the train finally arrived and Nick got down to her height and hugged her. She kissed his cheek and ran onto the train as it closed its doors and looked back towards Nick waving her paw eagerly at him as he returned the gesture.
Her train ride was long and also a bit lonely without Nick. She just hoped he'd have a nice holiday even if he were on duty. She was going to miss him, she already did.
A few hours later, she arrived at the train station of her hometown and was received by so many bunnies and acknowledgements throughout the city. Even Gideon Grey had left his bakery to come greet her. She felt overwhelmed by the greetings. It was nice to be home again.
For the rest of the night they talked to catch up on all she had been missing during her life in Zootopia.
Meanwhile, Nick was down at the orphanage spreading some Christmas cheers and happiness to the many cubs of all kinds of mammals. After a few hours of entertainment and getting the kids tired, Nick went back to the headquarters with McHorn, Higgins and Fangmeyer. They all returned to their houses and Nick smashed himself onto his bed looking forward to the upcoming day.
It was a few hours before Christmas Eve and the Hopps family was getting everything ready for the big night where they'd be hundreds of bunnies, so they needed to get lots of food and gifts in order. Judy helped keeping the gifts away from the smallest of kids who had no patience when it came to presents.
They were just about to start dinner when Judy looked out of the window towards the train station and saw the last train on that day roll off to Zootopia and made her wonder how all her friends were doing and she decided to text Nick to wish him Merry Christmas.
It wasn't more than an hour later and she still haven't received any answer and her mom called the entire house to the kitchen to fetch some dinner for the big holiday. After two hours of getting everyone their dinner, there was a knock on the door and everyone stood in wonder as one of the eldest siblings went out to see who it could be. She was very surprised to see a fox at the door.
"What can I help you with, sir?"
"Is this the house of the Hopps family?" the fox before her asked politely. The bunny nodded as she saw a smile cross his face.
"I'm looking for Judy Hopps" she looked inside and called for Judy to come as someone outside asked for her. Stu and Bonnie looked at each other, wondering who this could be at this time of the night.
When Judy arrived at the door, she got herself a very big surprise. She stood wide-eyed, uncertain if she had seen correct or if it was just a vision she had. She stepped forward to inspect and held out her paw towards the mammal in front of her.
"Nick?" was all Judy could get out. She was not expecting this at all. Nick then suddenly felt two bunny arms around his waist and looked down to see Judy embrace him.
"Hey Carrots, don't get all emotional on me. It's not proper for a family bunny like yourself" Nick teased and as they stood there, they found out that they were now being watched by a bunch of small bunnies. Judy felt a slight blush reach her cheeks as they surrounded Nick in curiosity. He was bombarded with question before he knew it.
"Who are you? What are you doing here? Are you and Judy dating? Why is your tail so fluffy?" Nick chuckled as two bigger rabbits came up to them and he presumed they were her parents as he remembered them from some pictures on her table at her apartment.
"Who are you my good sir?"
"The name's Wilde. Nick Wilde, sir. I'm Judy's partner at the ZPD. I forgot to give her a small gift, so I just took the train from Zootopia and dropped by to wish her happy holidays" Nick offered Stu his hand that he wasn't sure if he'd accept, but he shook it powerful for a bunny.
"I'm Stu Hopps and this is Bonnie Hopps. We're Judy's parents. Nice to meet you Mr Wilde."
"Nick's alright, sir." Nick shook her mom's hand as well and handed Judy her present.
"Wouldn't you like to come in Mr Wilde, I mean Nick?" Stu offered hm. He was careful towards foxes, but knowing he was Judy's partner at the ZPD as she had told so many great things about and him being here without other acknowledgements and with the last train left.
"If it's not too much trouble. I can always find a hotel or a cab back to Zo-" Judy grabbed his paw and let him in before he could say more.
The night went on with a few introductions and such. Nick was offered some food. Blueberry pie for dessert and he could see why she loved her family so much. They were very kind indeed.
Later that night when Judy had opened her present to find a framed picture of her and him from a simple day on the force in their uniforms, cheeks pressed against each other and happy smiles, it was so great. She sat outside with Nick alone. It was nice to be alone with him for a while, especially with everything that had been going on.
"Thanks Nick" Nick kissed her cheek and rubbed it gently as she leaned into his side.
"No problem, Carrots. It's very nice here and I've been thinking about it all. I was wondering if you'd make this the best Christmas for the past 25 years for me and become my girlfriend? You're a great woman, Judy, and you've changed so many things. I just didn't know if you wanted a relationship with a predator and us being partners, I-" Nick was cut off when bunny lips smashed onto his muzzle. He wasn't' long to give into it, and what they didn't know was that they were being watched all along, but Stu and Bonnie just smiled seeing how happy their daughter were. It may had to take a while to get use to, but they were already working with a fox, so what would another one close to them to?
"Yes, I will Nick. Merry Christmas" she hugged him tightly. It felt so great.
"Merry Christmas, Judy. I love you" she kissed him again.
"I love you too Nick"
This is my longest story ever. I hope you guys liked it and have a Merry Christmas and all. Take care of yourselves and hope you have a wonderful time with your friends and family. Sincerely your Danish friend, MrAndersIversen.