Nick's POV
At two weeks into his leave Nick is ready to go back to his job. He isn't sure what to fill his days with anymore and, as time passes, the three months seem more and more impossible to wait for. He's been lying on his bed watching ZooTube for about an hour and decides to open his messaging app. His phone has actually been pretty dry ever since the court case, making him wonder what's keeping his coworkers and friends so busy. He thinks about texting the Fluff but decides against it, assuming she wants to be left alone. Nick and Judy used to text everyday, for hours sometimes, but now it's stopped. The only time she contacted him was when she made him promise not to scam during the leave. His response was, "Oh c'mon. What if I promise to file my taxes this time?" She didn't laugh and just reasserted her point. That was three days earlier and Judy never called again.
He looks to his left, remembering what it felt like to have her warm body resting next to his. Her scent already faded from the sheets and, while disappointing, it's for the best since she seemed to want to forget about the whole incident. If it meant nothing to her then why should it mean anything to him? Still, he would be lying to say that it felt meaningless. When she first kissed him, his only thought was: This is it. It wasn't all in my head. Apparently it was all in his head, though, because she made it crystal clear that they were just friends when she told him off last week. Nick squeezes his eyes shut to chase away the thoughts. He opens the contact for Finnick, hoping to find anything to take his mind off of her.
NICK: Hey what's up?
Finnick has always been a slow texter so Nick goes back to watching videos from online. Right after he switches apps, though, his phone buzzes three times with texts from Finnick.
FINNICK: BRO You gotta come out here it's insane.
FINNICK: It's down the street from you right outside of Henrietta's Grocery
FINNICK: Holy shit they called the cops lol. This kid is gonna get it! XD
Nick shrugs, gets up, and puts on a light jacket. "Nothing better to do," he sighs, striding out of his apartment. Once he steps out onto the cracked and battered sidewalk, a gust of humid air hits him. It was the kind of weather that makes the air smell of musky fur. The climate walls were compensating for the cold winter air and weren't doing a great job at it. From experience, Nick knows that everything will be stabilized in an hour or so.
As he walks closer and closer towards the store, Nick begins to feel a buzzing, nervous energy run through him. What if Judy was called over there and she sees him? Should he try to talk to her again or play it cool? Nick comes up with various scenarios for the situation and how he will handle every possibility. He breathes through his mouth as he passes a rather smelly mammal who didn't prepare for the weather.
Nick turns the corner and sees a small crowd of mammals, most of whom are Foxes, at the neighborhood grocery store. The grocery store is a part of a long strip of run-down shops, all of them being small businesses. His neighborhood isn't the nicest but the familiarity keeps him from moving away. He's greeted by at least ten mammals by the time he reaches the area and it makes him consider being outside more often as a pastime. Everyone is watching one of the ZPD officers arresting a Fox who looks to be in high school. One of his coworkers, Officer Mike Reyes, is patting down the Fox's clothes, probably as a precautionary measure. As Nick nears the area, he overhears mammals commenting on the scene before them.
"He got caught stealing."
"Why does it have to be a Fox again?"
"Preds are always causing trouble."
Nick ignores the comments and considers asking someone what happened. He scans the area searching for Finnick, and maybe a certain Bunny, but he sees neither of them. The teenage Fox yelps as they put cuffs on him. They must have found whatever was stolen. Nick shakes his head as the Fox begins to squirm and pull away. Officer Reyes tightens his grip, bringing another yelp out of the Fox. Nick moves closer, noticing the rising levels of frustration.
"OW! GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" The Fox yells the words in a way that makes Nick's body tense up. Nick can't hear the conversation between Reyes and his partner but he hopes they're planning the best way to handle the Fox.
"C'mon Reyes. Just follow protocol and put him in the car." Nick speaks the words under his breath, wondering if the Fox is just making a scene or if Reyes is really hurting him. As a wolf, Reyes is larger and stronger, but not so much that he can detain the kid as easily as a Tiger or a Bear could. That's the problem with being smaller. Arrests are rarely as easy as picking up a mammal if they're trying to get away. Half a year before, he and Judy had to use a lot of wit to arrest a Panda that didn't want to be detained, but they did it in the end. It was mostly Judy's idea that Nick just went along with. She's amazingly good at her job. Nick's shoulders sag when he realizes he's thinking about her again. For a moment he lets himself think about the kiss, the hooking up, and then the confrontation. He was such an idiot for hoping at all.
Nick is shaken out of his thoughts when he hears the familiar clicking noise and sees the muzzle being put on the Fox. The Fox roughly throws his head side to side to evade the muzzle but they get it on with some effort. Just seeing the damned thing reminds Nick of the first time he was met with the harsh realities of the world. Thankfully, after a year and a half of being in the ZPD no one had attempted at biting him, so he never had to use any. Nick doesn't remember the high school kid trying to bite anyone which is the level of aggression required for a muzzle to be used. He imagines himself in the kid's place, the muzzle forced on him with his paws locked behind his back, having no way to remove it. His tail straightens automatically as if he were being threatened.
"Reyes!" Nick pushes past a few mammals before jogging towards his coworkers. The Wolf appears startled at first but recognizes Nick.
"Wilde? What are you doing?" Asks Reyes's partner, Kennedy.
Nick doesn't waste time. "Take it off," he orders, breathing heavily. "Take off the muzzle."
"Excuse me?" Reyes stares in confusion.
"He didn't bite you and shows no signs of rabies. There's no reasonable cause. I saw it myself." Nick musters up all the authority he can in his voice, though they were at the same ranking level.
The Wolf narrows his eyes. "I did what I saw fit. This thug is insane. He needs to be muzzled." Nick can't allow this to happen. It might be that Reyes refused, or his word choice of "thug," but Nick itched to take the muzzle off the kid and give Reyes a taste of his own medicine. His jaw stays tense and his eyes burn into Reyes but he holds it together. It's only a few moments before the partner speaks up.
"He's right, Reyes. Just take it off." Reyes mutters colorful phrases under his breath and moves to do it. The teenage Fox has stopped struggling and stares at Nick, wide-eyed in shock and wonder, as they remove the muzzle and walk him towards the police car. Nick can only hold his composure long enough for them to drive away, and then he lets his shaky reactions loose. He starts to walk, cursing under his breath, for almost losing control. It wasn't something he'd done since he was a kid, but with everything that happened, it must have all bubbled over into a raging mess. Nick moves into a defensive stance when a hard slap connects with his back.
"YOO! THAT WAS INSANE!" Finnick stands there, apparently oblivious to Nick's lack of excitement. Nick shakes his head and begins walking away, not wanting to participate in whatever celebration Finnick was trying to have. The crowd that he had to squeeze and struggle through moments earlier opens up a pathway for him to pass easily. As the senses of his surroundings come back to him, Nick suddenly realizes why Finnick yelled so loudly. The crowd is clapping and cheering. How long were they doing that for? All he knows is that he just wants to go home and sleep for the rest of the day. Finnick follows alongside him and Nick is too tired to object.
At Nick's apartment, Finnick takes every chance to retell the altercation from his more dramatic perspective. Nick musters a few smiles but can't shake off the unusual intensity that overcame him. At least it got his mind off of Judy.
Judy's POV
Judy knows she looks ridiculous carrying a large coffee cup that's almost half the size of her body, and meant for a Size B mammal, but it's worth the risk of being scalded. Today is the day she's going to get a case, and if that means sucking up to Bogo, then she'll do it. The first time she asked, Bogo replied with an outright "no," and closed the door in her face. The last time she asked, Bogo told her there was nothing available, but the response seemed rehearsed, like he was expecting it. Perhaps the reason was because she asked at least four times beforehand, but it could also be because he was hiding something. After the nighthowler case Bogo never seemed to underestimate her since she was even put on a many more cases over the past two years. Maybe if she could just make Bogo understand that she's ready to follow the rules he'd stop giving her busy work and speeding patrol. As much as she ignores it, she knows the reason she wants a case so badly is to get her mind off of Nick. Maybe the suspension isn't as great as Judy thought since his absence only makes her think of him more. She speeds her determined steps, causing the contents of the cup to slosh around threateningly close to the opening.
"Hey Judy!" Clawhauser greets her as she passes him.
Judy slows her steps. "Hey Claw. Do you know if the Chief is still in his office?"
"Yeah I saw him-"Clawhauser stops in realization and smiles widely. "Again? This is the third time this week! When are you gonna give up?"
Judy shakes her head. "I'll give up when he let's me have a case." Judy continues walking with her eyes glued onto Bogo's door.
"Or you could just wait to get on his good side again. He would have suspended most mammals after the ice-cream incident." Clawhauser says the last words in a teasing, sing-song voice. Judy wishes mammals would stop bringing it up. Almost two months ago, Judy and Nick discovered a secret drug smuggling organization disguised as an ice cream truck company. Right before catching them red-handed, Judy made a mistake that ended with the head of the cartel getting away and her shoulder dislocated. Bogo hasn't assigned her to a case since, and her cheeks redden under Clawhauser's teasing. Judy decides not to give Clawhauser more to gossip about and reaches Chief Bogo's door.
Her paw hovers at the wooden door as she tries to balance the oversized cup in her other paw. Before her paw connects, the door opens suddenly, making Judy almost lose her balance. Bogo's foot moves forward and her gasp draws his eyes down.
"Hopps. I'm busy. What is it?"
Judy feels a bit frazzled from almost being walked into with a huge, steaming cup of coffee in her paws, but she composes herself. "I thought you might like this."
Bogo bends down, takes the coffee, and then walks right past Judy. She speed walks to keep up.
"Um Sir? I just wanted to ask about-"
"The mysterious cases that you think I'm hiding from you. Yes I know. Believe it or not, Officer Hopps, but we need officers for services besides detective cases. The largest case we have right now is already being handled."
"Well what is it?"
"That's not your concern. If you had a job would you want me make you share it with every other detective that asks?"
Judy sighs. "No but-"
Bogo stops at the entrance to the office area and turns to Judy. "Officer Hopps. Every angle of that case is being analyzed by someone already. "
She isn't ready to accept defeat. "Well there has to be something."
""Don't push me, Hopps. You've already proven your worth here but you need more time handling other duties." Bogo walks into the hallway, leaving Judy hopeless.
BUZZ BUZZ, Judy jumps, then reaches into her pocket for her phone.
8034567332:Hey I'm almost at Snarlbucks.
JUDY: Who's this?
8034567332: Whoops! I forgot to tell you that hah. This is Stephanie. You answered my ad about getting a roommate?
JUDY: Oh! Right hold on...
JUDY: I'll just go on my break. I should be at Snarlbucks in 10 mins. See you then! :)
STEPHANIE (POSSIBLE NEW ROOMMATE): K :)
Judy leaves the ZPD, happy to have something to do besides patrolling or paperwork or begging for a more demanding job. When she first got the news about having to move out, finding a new place seemed like a minor inconvenience, but she was quickly proven wrong. Most places in Zootopia are too expensive or too far from the ZPD. Two places looked promising, but they ended as disasters. One spot was for a Size B mammal ten times the size of Judy. The other place looked like a natural disaster flew around the property and it smelled like someone died in there. Judy grew up in a messy home with all of her siblings but that mess was too much, even by her standards. The experience was enough to convince her that she should save up to buy a house so that she'd never have to go through this again. The best way to do that is to split the costs with roommates until she gets enough money for a down payment. Now, when looking for places, she makes sure the possible roommates are relatively clean and are in their size class.
Once she reaches for the glass door of Snarlbucks, she recognizes Stephanie, a dark furred Beaver, from the pictures in the ad. Judy walks over with a slight hop in her step. The coffee shop is quaint with honey wood floors and mint green walls which are filled with the low murmur of small mammals socializing at various tables and counters. Judy silently begs for the Beaver not to have bad qualities so that she can have one good thing happen this week.
"Hi Judy! I'm Stephanie but everyone calls me Steffie" The cheery female slides off of her chair and shakes Judy's paw. "I got you a latte. I hope you like vanilla bean."
"Oh, wow. You didn't have to do that," Judy replies awkwardly, sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the table.
"I know but I just thought I would. Gosh! You're so pretty! What kind of brush do you use?" Steffie gushes. Her voice reminds Judy of a preppy cheerleader who jumps and squeals at the smallest of victories. Her name and colorful, girly clothes match this observation.
Judy's cheeks get hot as they usually do when she is, on the rare occurrence, complimented. "Oh." She glances down touching the fur at her cheek. "My mother made mine. It's nothing special but thank you."
"Really? That's so cool! Is that what she does for a living? Make brushes?"
"No. My parents are carrot farmers. She just makes them for me and my siblings. We usually have to share them but I got my own when I moved out." Judy smiles and thinks of a compliment to return.
"I love your dress," Judy says. Its collar and the bow tied at the waist really does look adorable.
"Omigosh, really? I made it myself. That's why I asked about your mom. I love making crafts and clothes and all that." Judy makes a sound of acknowledgement and they sit quietly for a moment.
"So!" Steffie begins. "We're both looking for a roommate."
Judy nods and takes a sip of the latte. It's a bit too sweet for her taste, but tolerable. "Yeah. So what price were you thinking of?"
"Huh. People don't usually ask me about the rent price that I want."
"Really?" Judy wonders if some rule changed in the past two years about who first decided the price.
The Beaver giggles. "Hey, If I'm naming the price could I just pay you in hugs and encouraging words?"
Judy puts her coffee down. "Pay me? Wait, what?"
"Oh, no. I was just kidding. It was a joke. I just really need a place to stay. I could pay-"
"You need a place? I thought you were looking for a roommate to live with you?" Judy interrupts, then closes her eyes. "I'm sorry. I think we had a misunderstanding." Just when she thinks her luck will turn up, it sinks back down.
"Wait don't tell me you're also looking for a room! Shoot. This is the third time this has happened!"
Steffie sees Judy's distress and covers her mouth. "Omigosh! Are you ok?" Judy opens her eyes and lets out her frustration in a long breath.
"I just- I need to move within the next week and a half and I didn't realize how difficult it would be." Judy drags her paw down her face and holds back an irritated groan.
The look of horror on the Beavers face reminds Judy that it really was an honest mistake, and she calms slightly. Steffie stutters out her words and puts her baby blue purse on. "I'm so sorry! I- I'll just go. I'm sorry for wasting your time, Judy!"
Before Steffie escapes, Judy speaks. "This is just a suggestion but maybe you should make your ad a bit clearer." With a brief nod, and another apology, the Beaver leaves the shop. "What am I going to do?" Judy asks herself.