I cannot believe you people! I go and bring you a debut one-shot in the Zootopia universe... And you beg for more! Unbelievable! I give you something and you demand MORE?! Why would you do this?!

XD Okay, I'm kidding around. If anything, I totally understand that feeling. I think it's the sign of something pretty good when it leaves you wanting more, in a good way. I felt that way with the movie proper! So, I decided to go ahead and give you all a little more to play with.

And to finally put the WildeHopps train into motion! :D


To a lot of folks, Judy's speech would've been nice, coming from a good place, if not a bit cheesy. Okay, pretty cheesy. But she's still right. For me though, as cheesy as I found it, I was really moved. It was like her own way of making up for what had happened during that one press conference. Hey, I still don't hold that over her head! I forgave her before I even saw her again after that.

But anyway, there I was, standing among the new recruits of the ZPD during the graduation shindig. Even I had to find it funny that I was this tiny little fox in comparison to the much bigger prey or predator animals! Heh, fun times. I stood there, having my drink (Hey, it's hot!) and wearing my shades.

Which I, of course, lifted up to wink at Judy. She looked amused for a moment, then looked right at me was she was finishing her speech. If I wasn't moved before, I was about ready to melt into a puddle of goo. But you know what? I didn't care. I was too happy and I think my smile was showing it.

On top of that, I was proud of her. There she was, making an inspiring speech, with all of the confidence she could muster. She wasn't just the butt of everyone's jokes for being a tiny bunny. No, she was Officer Judy Hopps, welcoming the graduating recruits to the force. One of them being me.

It was all totally worth it. The past six months at the academy were really tough at first. I was laughed at, made fun of, and didn't exactly have it easy with all the physical elements. I'd be falling over, tripping over my tail, collapsing from exhaustion, and just plain sucking at everything. Whenever we had to race, guess who ended up dead last? Me.

Hey, I may have been in good shape, but I was still not used to what they expected of me! But did I give up? No way! Judy sure didn't and I wasn't about to. Whenever I set myself to a task, I did all I could to make sure I'd get it done.

Besides, I had a lucky charm with me the whole time. Judy gave me her carrot pen as a little token of good luck. That little thing, plus the emails and calls from Judy, were what kept me going. All those nights and mornings that I felt I couldn't do it, for whatever reason, she motivated me to get back up. After that, all I needed to do was picture the disappointed look on her face when I'd tell her that I quit. Let me tell you, it was worse than the time that I figured out that she was afraid of me.

I couldn't do that to her and I couldn't do it to myself.

You'd be surprised about how quickly you can adjust. Did I ever! I took to all the physical training and exercises like a duck to water in no time. And when I wasn't out on the fields, I was reading the textbooks and studying my tail off.

Sometimes while doing push-ups, because that's just plain neat.

But, there was always one thing that was really tough.

You see, I kind of lied to Judy when I once told her that the hardest part about being at the academy was waking up in the morning. Okay, that was hard, but there was a much harder factor. It was the fact that I could barely see her, if at all. Her being busy as a cop and me training at the academy didn't exactly leave us enough quality time. Her phone calls, MuzzleTime sessions and emails were just about all we could squeeze in, save for an occasional meet-up for lunch once every few weeks.

Before my application was approved, I spent just about every waking minute of Judy's free time with her. We'd go out walking, maybe go get a bite, or just do whatever friends do. So you can imagine that it'd be kinda hard to get used to not seeing your best friend around.

Bottom line, it sucked. I missed her like crazy and felt so alone without her there. Hearing her voice or seeing her face on MuzzleTime was a huge relief, yet it reminded me how far we were from each other. But I couldn't let her know that, I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. I'd put on my best smile and told her everything was great. All's I did on occasion was say to her face that I looked forward to seeing her. At least it didn't drip with how much I truly missed her.

"And with that being said..." Judy went on, smiling even more at me. "It is my honour and privilege to invite the very rookie who's graduated top of his class... Nicholas Wilde!"

Everyone started clapping and cheering, which definitely did a lot to stroke my ego. But for once, I didn't bask in it like a smug snake and I didn't swagger onto the stage. No, I had to be professional and take it gracefully. Nobody likes a poor winner, after all! So I just smiled, put my cup down, took off my sungrlasses, and went up there. I stood in front of Judy while she grinned at me, and opened up the little case in her paws.

Right in the case was my badge. It was beyond surreal and mind-blowing to see a police badge proudly bearing my name. But I was too happy to take it. She took it out and carefully placed it onto my uniform to complete the integration. Usually, this would've been the part where I'd say something fun or snarky, but there was no way I could ruin this moment. And for once, I didn't have any qualms about doing so.

Judy then smiled at me, giving me a salute. My heart melted all over again as I smiled more and saluted right back. I could hear my peers cheering from the seats, but I couldn't focus. All I could see was Judy, grinning at me with so much pride and adoration in her eyes. The very bunny who inspired me to become a cop in the first place was proud of me. I couldn't have imagined a better step into my new life.


Okay, so waking up bright and early was something I had to get used to. But that's what coffee's for, right? It didn't matter, I was excited for my first day on the job and I was going to make a good impression. For sure, Judy would be glad to see me showing up on time.

It still felt surreal to me, but boy was I ready. I walked in through the revolving doors of the station and felt like a new fox all over again. Across the way at the front desk, I spied that cheetah Ben Clawhauser eating some donuts while he was getting some paperwork prepped up. I grinned, remembering him from the morning I came into the station to hand in the application form. Whoever's idea it was for him to be at the front desk was a genius. We got along swimmingly and spent hours talking about the music we were into and other random stuff, that I didn't end up leaving until he had to take care of a dispatching call.

Striding over toward his desk, I raised my paw to wave at him, which he returned. "Hey there, Sprinkles. How's it hanging?"

"Hey, Nick!" Clawhauser greeted with a smile. "I'm doing pretty good for a Monday! Oh! Oh! And guess what? They came in today!" He slid a small envelope across the table to me.

"Awesome." I said, taking the envelope and tucking it away in my pocket. "Thanks for hooking me up with them, Sprinkles. Judy's gonna love it!"

"Anytime, Nick! And thank you for getting me the pass!" Clawhauser eagerly clapped his paws.

I winked at him, putting my shades into my front pocket. "Sure thing, Sprinkles. It definitely pays to have connections around here."

"That's true!" Clawhauser agreed with a nod. He looked over to one side, then waved toward someone walking by. "Oh, there she is!"

"There's who-"

I was cut off as a small blur of gray and black came right at me and before I knew it, Judy was hugging me tightly. I yipped (embarrassingly enough) and nearly fell over, but caught my balance.

At least, until she wrapped her legs around my waist and clung on to me tightly. Oh jeez, now my cheeks were getting hot. Great. My first day on the job and Judy was already sending me through a frenzy. Oh well, at least my tail wasn't-

It was wagging. Traitor.

"Carrots? Uh, what's all this-"

"Welcome to the ZPD, partner!" Judy said happily, grinning at me as she pulled her head back.

I tried to play it cool, I tried to calm down, but this was not helping any. Judy felt too good, too soft, too amazing against me. This was the most intimate hug we'd ever shared and I was about to die of blushing. Yep, this bunny was going to be the death of me.

My body continued to betray me as I hugged her back and lingered. Far too long, I might add. Something about holding her this way felt a mix of innocent and yet very suggestive. I don't know if she knew it or not, though. Either way, I decided to indulge and make it look like I was humouring her.

Wow, her fur was so soft!

Finally, I managed to actually regain myself and gently set Judy down. "Thanks, Carrots. So, what was that about?"

"What? I can't give my new partner a hug?" Judy pouted.

"Oh, you can! You just gotta watch out." I grinned, winking at her.

Judy snorted and put her paws on her hips. "Watch out for what?"

Lunging at her, I put my paws at her sides and started tickling her. "The tickle monster! Rar!"

"Niiiiick!" Judy squealed, laughing and squirming as she tried to get away from me.

"Carroooooots!" I mimicked her tone, then let her go. Oh, I know I'll regret this later, but I don't care. She's so fun to tease.

After recovering, she playfully punched me on the arm and shook her head, "You big goofball. Come on, we have to get to orientation! It's going to be our first job together, so we better move it! See you later, Ben!"

"Right back at you, Judy!" Clawhauser said with a smile. "By the way, you two are adorable!"

Before I could answer, she took my paw and led me down the nearby corridor. Of course being on time was important to her, no duh. But I could tell by her tone that the fact we were officially working together made her really happy. Hey, it made me happy too! I could hardly wait. My first day on the job alongside my best friend was all kinds of awesome.

I just had to do my best not to blow it.

Wait.

Just what did Clawhauser mean by that, anyway?


After we caught Flash (and let him off with a warning), we were told to head back to the station to get started on paperwork. Given Judy's reaction, she didn't seem to like this idea very much. Who could blame her? That kind of thing was boring as heck. Even I wasn't looking forward to it.

But hey, it's part of the job. Call me out on my tax evasions all you want, but I can do paperwork like no one can!

Anyway, we were driving back to the station and it was pretty quiet between us again. You'd think we would have more to talk about, but I guess not! It didn't matter, at least we weren't awkward about it.

Still, I wanted to break the silence. Even just a little bit.

"Having fun, Carrots?" I quipped, lowering my shades to look at her.

Judy chuckled, stopping at a red light. "If by fun, you mean spending the next couple of hours until lunchtime sorting, organizing, and filing paperwork... Then yes, I know we'll be having a blast."

"Aw, come on. You know as well as I do that being a cop is nothing like those cop dramas make it out to be!" I told her, snickering a bit. "And this is from the rookie."

"Oh shut up, you." Judy smirked, then continued driving down the street once the light was green. "But seriously, how are you liking your first day so far?"

I smiled, leaning back in my seat, "Not what I expected, but it feels pretty darn good, Carrots."

"And why is that?"

"If I get too much into it, it's gonna be emotional, cheesy, and you'll laugh at me." I said, sticking my tongue out. Nonetheless, I looked at her again as I set my sunglasses on my forehead. "But I'm definitely glad to be a cop and to be your partner, Judy."

She looked at me with a big smile for a moment, then turned her attention back to the road. "I'm glad you are too, Nick. I've been looking forward to this for months and now that it's happening, it feels like a dream."

"It kinda does." I agreed, averting my gaze a bit. "You know what's nice about letting you drive?"

"What's that?" Judy asked.

I smirked at her, trying not to laugh, "I get to look at you."

This made Judy laugh, while also dusting her cheeks bright pink, "Oh, come on! Be serious!"

"Me? Not serious?" I said in mock affrontment, "Shameful, Officer Fluff! Telling lies like that! The nerve!"

"Very funny, Mr. Comedian." Judy rolled her eyes.

What can I say? It's fun to tease her.

Besides, I really was being serious. I never really had much of an attraction to bunnies before I met her, or even really thought much of them beyond the fact that they existed and had their own stereotypes. But boy, Judy was the poster child for how adorable bunnies could be. I'm willing to bet it's my attraction to her, so I'll go with that.

Also, I've been getting a little too flirtatious with her lately. I probably shouldn't be, but I can't help it. Her reactions were adorable and it was fun to just indulge. These days though, it was getting harder to hold back.

Still, maybe there was a safe way to figure out what I could do...

I adjusted my sunglasses before speaking up again, "Hey Carrots, I got a question."

"If your question has anything to do with how awesome you are, I'm going to save you the trouble by saying, yes, you're awesome." Judy said sarcastically, but was grinning.

Snorting, I rolled my eyes and shook my head, "Now who's the comedian? Nah, that's not what I was gonna say. I just wanted to know what you thought of interspecies relationships and stuff like that."

Judy looked at me with mild surprise, then gave a shrug, "Huh. I never really thought about it before! But I guess the best I could say is that I have no issues with it. Sure, it's definitely not what I'm used to seeing, but I doubt we're that backwards as a society. Besides, I think that if two consenting animals are happy together, who the heck am I to judge?"

I smiled and leaned back in my seat, "Pretty astute there, Carrots. But I'll definitely agree with you on that. I'm no expert, but I've seen my share of interspecies couples with some of the folks I've worked with."

"Oh yeah?" She said, sounding curious. "Do tell."

"Well, off the top of my head... I've seen a lion and a tiger..." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "A horse and a giraffe... Oh! I've also seen a rhino and an alligator."

Judy laughed at this, "Wow! I think picturing that last one is pretty funny!"

"It can be," I replied, chuckling. "So it's nothing new for me. But sometimes people can get a bit iffy about a predator and a prey being together."

Cringing, Judy pulled up to the station and proceeded to park the car. "I guess I can see why, but that's not fair."

"Of course it's not fair, Carrots. But that's the world we live in here in Zootopia," I said with a sigh, taking off my sunglasses. "We take tons of steps forward, buuuuut, we also take a step or two back."

"I guess that's true." Judy replied. "So... why do you ask, anyway? What's bringing this on?"

"Just curious." I said with a cool shrug. "Especially since I heard that Buffalo-Butt is married to a hyena and everything!"

This made Judy snort, then she parked the car into the appropriate space. Satisfied with the placement, she shifted into park and killed the ignition. "Yes, yes he is. His wife is Janine and she's a very nice lady. They've been together for about... twelve or thirteen years now."

We jumped out of the car, shut our doors, and headed into the station. I had a good feeling that Judy was at least open-minded, so I didn't have too much to worry about. But I still needed to know more. Just to see where her preferences lay.

Luckily, I knew how to get that kind of information without it seeming like I was looking for it in the first place...

I stretched my arms out, following alongside Judy in perfect stride. "Hey, good for him. Love is love, that's what they always say."

"You got it, partner." Judy smiled at me. "Well, what about you? Are you... seeing anyone?"

Huh. That was easy. Jackpot!

"Nope." I smiled, winking at her. "How about you?"

"Please. Ever since I got to Zootopia, I've been working my tail off." Judy snorted, rolling her eyes playfully. "So, you can imagine I haven't had much time for that whole relationship angle."

"Heh, with a bunny as cute as you, I find that hard to believe." I snickered. "As for me, well, let's just say I'm not attached. Haven't been for a long time."

"Oh..." Judy's ears drooped as she looked at me sadly. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay, Carrots. Besides, being a con artist doesn't really spell a promising relationship." I waved it off. "The only time it worked out is if I were with another vixen who was either a criminal or into doing cons herself. Unfortunately, that never ended well. But I'll get into that some other time! Anyway, I've been kinda looking since I got myself on track."

Okay, that was a lie. I wasn't looking for anybody at the moment. My crush on Judy was getting a little too persistent, but I guess that's to be expected. I'll live though, as long as Judy's in my life in some way, that's cool by me. Even if my persistent daydreams of snuggling with her and giving her love didn't help.

"That's nice to hear." Judy said, giving me a smile. "I'm not really looking for anybody at the moment, but then again, life really is full of surprises."

"You can say that again, Carrots." I chuckled, giving her a sidelong glance. "But going back to interspecies relationships, I can tell you that I'm totally open at the idea."

Judy looked surprised, "Wow, really? I mean, not that I thought otherwise! No, I just mean, well, it's... well..."

"Not what you expected," I finished for her, snickering. "Well, what can I say, I don't think I should limit myself to just one species."

"I... can see what you mean," Judy nodding, wringing her paws together as we walked. "Well, going back to what I said earlier, I never thought about it. I guess I wouldn't actively try, but I wouldn't stop it from happening, either!"

Awesome! So there is a little chance. I almost wanted to jump in joy, but I held it back. "Fair enough. I guess some things do have to measure up to you bunnies, anyway!"

"Oh shut up, you!"

"Make me."

Judy poked my nose and giggled, "Oh, I will. But for now, let's just get the paperwork done, shall we?"

"You're the boss." I smirked.


Yep, paperwork was pretty darn boring. But it's nothing I can't handle, so I didn't really have many complaints. Poor Judy though, she was getting restless, since she was thumping her foot a lot of the time. D'aww, it's always adorable when she does that.

In fact, it gave me a perfect idea.

While I was casually looking over some papers and then grouping them, I turned over to Judy with a grin. "Hey Carrots, would you get me the stapler over there?"

In response, Judy nodded and smiled back. "Sure thing!" She set some papers down and went over across the room to the desk.

Perfect. While her back was turned, I quickly took the tickets out of my pocket and placed them on top of the pile. Right in plain sight by the time she'd come back. I was originally just going to give them to her at lunch time, but surprising her was a much better idea. The smile on her face was gonna be worth it.

Okay, now I had to act casual. Like they were there all along. Good thing I was good at that sort of thing!

"Here you go!" Judy said as she came back over, holding the stapler out to me.

"Thanks, Carrots." I winked, taking the stapler.

"You're welcome Ni-oh my gosh!" Judy jumped back a foot or two, her eyes trained on the tickets on top of the paperwork pile. She blinked a few times, then inspected them closer, before reaching out and taking them into her paws. Not a word came from her for a few moments as she stared at them, as if they were pieces of long-lost treasure rediscovered. It was so adorable, but hard not to laugh at. Finally, she looked at me, her paws tightly clutching the tickets. "...Nick? Did you...?"

"Surprise, Carrots!" I said with a grin, stapling the papers and putting them aside. "I know you love Gazelle's music, so I figured you'd want to go to her concert this weekend."

"Nick...! You... You...! Oh, wow! This is amazing!" Judy squealed, bouncing excitedly as a grin spread across her face. "My gosh, I can't believe it! I can finally see Gazelle in concert! Wow! You... Oh, Nick! Thank you so much! Thank you thank you thank you thank you! You're the best!"

I was laughing by now, but then I could see that she was getting a little closer to me. Then again, I had a feeling about what she wanted to do. Her sublty-moving arms were all the indication I needed.

Rolling my eyes playfully, I turned around to face her and opened my arms up, "Okay, get in here."

Judy smiled all the more and then wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. She even leaned her head into my chest, a lot like the first time we hugged. I hugged her back and patted her head, chuckling.

"Thank you so much, Nick... I appreciate it, I really do." Judy murmured into my uniform, her paws clutching me tightly.

"Don't mention it, Carrots." I said, patting her ears and smiling more. "I just wanted to give you something, that's all."

"I know, and I'm so happy!" Judy looked up at me, her eyes hopeful. "You're... coming with me, right?"

It seemed like the obvious answer, but I had still wanted to at least give her the option to go with anybody else. "Really?" I said, blinking. "You want me to go with you?"

"Of course I do!" Judy replied, grinning more. "Nick, it'd be great if we could do something like that together. You're... You're my best friend, and I can't think of anyone I would share this with than you."

Not gonna lie, that did touch me a lot. Sure, Gazelle wasn't exactly my top favourite artist, but I liked her music okay. So it wouldn't be a bad time, but that wasn't what I was thinking. The fact that Judy wanted me there with her filled my entire being with a warm fuzzy. No wonder, I felt the exact same way about sharing things with her too.

Chuckling, I smiled and stroked one of her ears, "Sure, I'll go with you, Carrots. I don't have any plans, anyway."

"Yay!" Judy giggled with glee. Her cheeks turned pink before she averted her gaze. Gee, when did she get to be so blushy? Not that I'm complaining, it's freaking adorable.

"Heh, blushy." I teased, poking her nose.

"I am not! I'm just warm, that's all!" Judy puffed her cheeks in half-hearted annoyance. Reminds me of a chipmunk when she does that, so it's both funny and adorable.

I laughed and released her so that we could get back to work. It was comfortably quiet while we did, although she did hip-bump me playfully every now and again. Not that I minded, it was fun, especially since I did it right back. Even my tail got in on the action by flicking her on the back of the legs. After a while, she was humming to herself, usually tunes I didn't quite recognize.

Doing paperwork was tedious, but we were making great progress. At least doing it with someone else made it all the more easier to bear.

"Hey..." Judy spoke up then, not quite looking at me, "I was curious about something."

"What's that?" I asked, glancing at her.

"Well, going back to our previous conversation about relationships, I was wondering if maybe, well, you know..." Judy chuckled nervously. "Were you ever in love?"

I blinked with surprise, wondering what brought on such a question. Not that I had anything to hide, let alone share, it was just interesting. "Huh, no one's ever asked me that before." I admitted, then smiled. "Nah, I never felt that strongly toward anyone. Sure, I had crushes, and my share of, well, certain escapades I shouldn't get into graphic detail about!"

"Yeah..." Judy blushed, looking away from me.

Snickering, I piled up some more papers and put them into the filing cabinet near the desk. "Why do you ask, anyway?"

"Oh, you know! I mean, you're... what, thirty-three?" Judy looked at me expectantly.

"Thirty-two." I corrected with a grin.

Snapping her fingers, Judy smiled again. "Right! I was one number off based on your information. Yeah, so, you've been around the block enough times, I was just wondering." Judy kicked her foot against the floor, bringing her hands behind her back.

As adorable as it was seeing her take a demure pose, it did still leave me wondering what she was thinking about. Something about the entire basis of relationships, it seemed. Was she looking for someone? As hopeful as I felt, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to assume. Not yet, anyway.

"You're cute when you're trying to be subtle." I teased, winking at her as I closed the filing cabinet.

"Stop calling me cute!" Judy pouted.

"Stop being cute and I will." I leaned against the filing cabinet, smirking at her.

"I hate you." Judy crossed her arms.

Snickering, I winked at her again. "You love me."

"Of course I do, you dumb fox." Judy pouted, looking away as she went back to work.

If only. Not that I doubted it, but of course she meant it platonically. But no reason I couldn't have a little fun with that, right?

I went up behind her, placing my paws on her shoulders and leaning over to one of her ears. "And I love you too, Judy." I whispered sultrily.

Judy stiffened and tensed up, her back and her ears going ramrod straight. I held back laugh and let her go, getting back to work as well. Oh yeah, totally worth it. Her reactions were just priceless with or without blushing.

"Blushy!" I pointed out, giving a snicker.

"Shut up!" Judy whined, putting some papers aside all the while pouting. Then she considered for a few moments, before turning to me. "Nick?"

"Yes, Carrots?" I replied with a smirk, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, since we're going to the concert on Saturday... I was wondering something. Maybe we could go get something to eat afterwards? I imagine we'll be hungry!" Judy laughed a bit nervously.

Some part of me was thinking that this could've been a date. But of course I knew better. It was just something for two friends to do together, which I was perfectly fine with, of course.

"Sounds good to me, Carrots." I nodded in approval. "Where to?"

"Well, um... Hold on." She took out her phone and started to scroll through it a little. After a minute or so, she smiled. "There's a couple of restaurants just down the street from the concert hall! Quackdonald's, Bear King, and Walt Fishney's bar and grille."

My mouth practically watered at the latter of the three, considering it was a place I liked going to from time to time. "Let's go to Walt Fishney's, it's great! Don't worry Carrots, they have prey-friendly food too."

Judy smiled with relief and nodded, putting her phone away. "Great! Then that's what we'll do. A fun concert and a little late dinner at Walt Fishney's! It'll be our first real night out, won't it?"

"You got it." I winked at her, stapling a few papers together and then handing them to her to be filed. "It's about time you got a little taste of the urban nightlife, anyway."

"I guess so," Judy shrugged a little. "I mean, I don't want to be a party animal, but I guess there's no harm in going on outings like this."

Snorting, I shook my head, "Puh-lease, Carrots. That kind of lifestyle only ends badly, anyway."

"So, you weren't a party animal in your hay day?" Judy smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, for one night." I said, turning from the desk to look at her. "When I was old enough to drink, I went straight to one of the clubs near the downtown core. I think it was called Savage Beat, if I'm not mistaken. But anyway, so I go in there, get rip-roaring drunk and just dance around with all kinds of other ladies. The next morning, I woke up in someone's apartment with a nasty headache, no recollection of what happened the night before, and my tail was shaved."

"Oh, cheese and crackers!" Judy raised her paws to her mouth in shock. "That's... That's terrible. I can't imagine what that was like."

I waved it off, trying to hide that I was flattered by her concern. "It's okay, Carrots. It was a long time ago and I've long since got over it. I realized that the wild party lifestyle just wasn't for me. Besides, I had other things to take care of!"

Now Judy smiled, leaning toward me a bit, "Liiiike... your felony tax evasion and con artist schemes?"

All things considered, I laughed and patted her head. That was practically gift-wrapped for her and I can't say I'm not glad she took it. "Heh, you got me there."

"Yes! Score one for me!" Judy cheered, pumping a fist into the air. She calmed down after a few seconds and giggled a bit, "Come on, let's get back to work."

"You're the boss." I said, winking at her.


At the end of the day, I was feeling pretty exhilarated. Who would've thought after my first day, it would leave me wanting more? I guess that's part of what the academy tries to do, weeding out those who think being a cop is all fun and games, but then go running after the first day. Well, not me! I wasn't going to fall into that trap.

This was something in my life that I never realized I wanted until now. For the first time since I was twelve, I felt accomplished in a way that being a con never brought. I was tired, sure, but a good kind of tired. The tiredness of a job well done and a productive day.

I stretched my arms a bit as I walked over to Clawhauser's desk, seeing that he was also preparing to leave for the day. I went over, giving him a wave and then leaned against the desk.

"Hey Sprinkles, I just punched out." I said, lifting my shades onto my forehead. "Where are you off to?"

"Oh, I think I'm going to do a little shopping before I head home!" Clawhauser smiled, turning to me. "How about you, Nick? How's it feel after your first day?"

I shrugged, keeping myself nonchalant as I examined my claws. "Pretty good, it went better than I thought. Sure, it got a little boring with all that paperwork, but so what. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

"Ha! That's a good way of looking at it." Clawhauser chuckled. He scratched at his fur a little bit, "So, how was it being Judy's partner?"

Right then, I couldn't help smiling a bit. Being a cop was great, but being Judy's partner was the absolute best. "I like working with Carrots, she's a real peach. She just gets me, you know?"

"That's awesome, Nick! I just love the way you two interact, it's funny and cute!" Clawhauser chuckled. He brushed some crumbs off his uniform, "I mean, it can be tough working with your girlfriend, but I bet you can do it!"

"You said it, I can-huh?" I just caught on to what he'd said. As much as I wanted it to be true, I knew I had to dial it back. "Whoa, hey! Careful there, Sprinkles. Judy and I aren't dating, we're just friends."

"You're not? Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry!" Clawhauser exclaimed with guilt, recoiling a little bit. "I just thought, well, the way you two act and talk with each other... And the way you two were hugging! It's just-aw, I'm sorry, Nick."

Well, he wasn't too wrong. Anyone could've mistaken our banter for flirting, our physical contact as lovey dovey, and everything in between. I wouldn't be surprised if people did think we were a couple just by looking at us. My crush on her probably wasn't helping any, either.

I shook off the feeling, giving Clawhauser a smile. "Hey, come on! Don't worry about it, Sprinkles. It's not a bad thing to think about, anyway."

Clawhauser looked relieved, then he laughed a little bit. "Yeah, I guess so. Still, I just can't help it, you two are so cute together."

Not gonna lie, that was a nice thought. It made me smile, but I had to play it cool. "What can I say, a cute bunny and a devilishly handsome fox? Whoo, someone turn down the heat!"

This made him laugh more, even slapping the desk with his paw. "You're too much, Nick!"

"Thank you, thank you, I'm here all week." I snickered, giving a playful bow of acceptance.

"There you are!" Judy's voice sounded from nearby, to which I turned and saw her coming toward me. "Are you ready? I can drive you home."

I nearly froze on the spot at her offer. I hadn't expected that, let alone for her to come find me after quitting time. Sure shows what I know! "Uh... you sure about that, Carrots? I'm shooting the breeze with Sprinkles over here, and it could take a while!"

Judy chuckled, waving it off. "Take your time! I can go wait in the car. I'll be out front when you're ready."

Wow. She was going to drive me home and she was willing to wait for me. She was way, way too good to me. Jeez, now my legs were going to give out! No, I had to keep it could keep it all in. I didn't want to look stupid and I sure as heck didn't want to put Judy in a difficult position.

I managed a smile as best I could, leaning against the desk a bit more to keep my balance. "Okay then! So you, you know, go on out there... sit in the car, and I'll be right there! Won't be long!"

"Whatever you say, Nick. See you in a bit!" Judy giggled at me, then waved at Clawhauser. "See you tomorrow, Ben!"

"Bye, Judy! Have a good evening!" Clawhauser waved back at her.

"Right back at you!" Judy grinned, then turned and headed to the revolving doors.

Of course my attention was immediately grabbed by her slightly-swaying hips, her adorable fluffy tail, and the way her ears were perked right up. I felt my face getting hot, so I looked away as quick as I could. When I did, I looked up to see Clawhauser grinning widely at me.

"...What?" I dared ask.

"Oh my gosh, it all makes sense now!" Clawhauser said excitedly, bringing his paws to his cheeks. "You keep acting flustered around her and I see the way you look at her... Wow Nick, you have a crush on her! That's so adorable!"

My entire body went rigid, I felt my fur stand on end and my tail stiffened. It couldn't have been that obvious, could it? Apparently it was if Clawhauser picked up on it. I averted my gaze, feeling my ears flatten and my cheeks grow hotter.

"Was it that obvious?" I asked, feeling there was no point in denying it now.

Clawhauser nodded, "Yeah, especially since you seem to flirt with her all the time! At first I thought you were just teasing her and being you, but I was beginning to think something was up!"

Wow, so it was obvious. I seriously had to dial it back. Still, I couldn't help feeling slightly relieved. Up until now, I hadn't told anyone that I had a crush on her. Who could I tell, anyway? It wasn't exactly something they taught you at the academy, that's for sure.

I took a deep breath, kept my cool, and managed to laugh it off. "Guess my charms were really on their A-game if it made you think that! But okay, I'll admit I've got a thing for her."

"Aww, you two would be adorable together!" Clawhauser giggled, then he looked concerned. "But I guess you're not sure about telling her, are you?"

"You can say that." I said, nodding a little. "But don't worry about it, Sprinkles. It's just a little crush and I bet it'll go away after a while!"

"I don't know Nick, this kind of thing doesn't exactly have an on or off switch." Clawhauser said, biting his lip. "I mean, sometimes it does, but something about you and Judy feels more real, you know?"

He had a point there. Maybe it wouldn't go away so easily. Still, I had to dial it back a little and make sure I didn't scare her off. Ruining our friendship was the last thing I wanted to do.

"And you know, it might help to just tell her." Clawhauser went on, then gave a smile. "I know it sounds crazy, but I guess if there's one thing my mother taught me, it's better to get that kind of thing out. Back when I was in high school, I had the biggest crush on one of my friends. I was freaked out and not sure what to do, so I asked my mom, and she gave me that advice. So... the next day, I told Harley how I felt. Well... she didn't feel the same way."

"Oh." I said, hissing slightly. "I'm sorry, Ben. That really stinks."

"It's okay!" Clawhauser smiled again, chuckling. "It was a long time ago and I'm over it. Besides, she still wanted to be friends and was really glad I was honest with her. If nothing else, I felt a whole lot better now that I knew where we stood, you know?"

Made sense. Getting something off your chest in some way definitely helped. Especially with someone who you trusted, who mattered to you and you to them. Maybe that's what I had to do, find some way to be honest with Judy about how I felt. I just had to find out how, where, and when.

Easier said than done, of course.

"Well Sprinkles, you got a point." I said with a smirk, then turned and headed to the door, "I'll work it out from here. Catch you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Nick! Good luck!" Clawhauser called after me.

Oh yeah, I was gonna need it.