Foxlover91 : Don't take an appointment to the dentist just yet, there is more to come.

Robert Escher : Yeah, I was gritting my teeth having to delay it that much. It's the ship I wanted to write about the most.

I was grating some cheese over my fanfic, and I may have gotten a tad overboard. Goopd news is : I'm not even sorry.

Chapter 10 : A Wild Guess

Middle of July 2019

The bunny and fox were a bit early to work. Judy usually woke up sooner that the fox for her morning run. It was a habit she had fallen out of, after what she called her 'leg injury', and what Nick referred to as 'the reason he wasn't feeling guilty about shooting this damned lamb dead' in his mind. That morning, like sometimes, he had woken up at the same time and accompanied her. He usually ran in the evening. Having nocturnal tendencies, the morning exercise was kind of a torture. But sometimes, he went with her, simply to enjoy her company, and because he knew she enjoyed it too.

When they arrived at the ZPD, the first they saw was a slightly weary Clawhauser with a dreamy smile on his face.

They exchanged a surprised glance before approaching.

"Hey big guy. Seems you've recovered from yesterday."

"Nick, Judy ! Nice to see you so early !" It seemed he hadn't really registered Nick's sentence.

"Nice to see you too, Ben." The bunny was curious. "I'm really glad that you're feeling better today. But from where does this smile come from ?" She said pointing at his face.

The cat noticed the expression he was wearing and turned it in a more casual smile. "It's my usual smile." They didn't miss the slight nervousness in his tone.

"Is it ?" Asked the fox, with a slightly mischievous grin. The feline's smile faltered a bit.

"Yes. It is. Completely. Nothing strange in my smile." Still, the nervousness was here.

"If you say so..." Said the vulpine. "Anyway, glad you're doing better. See you later."

The bunny waved at the cheetah too and the couple went away.

"He's hiding something." Stated the bunny.

"Noticed it too, huh ? Any idea what ?"

"I don't know. But he'll probably end up telling us anyway. No point in pressing him." She stated. They entered the parking lot and the bunny climbed aboard the cruiser, on the driver side. "Ready to roll ?"

"Hit it."

...

They were driving while keeping an eye on the citizens. Two hours in their round, they made a pause to order a coffee in a nearby stagbuck and switched place in the cruiser. The bunny was staring at the fox over her cup of coffee. He gave her an interrogative glance.

"It's not going away." She remarked.

"What ?"

"The streak of white hair." She said pointing at the place the bullet had caught him, a five centimeter line of white hair, beginning from the middle of his right brow and pointing to the back of his skull. "The doc said the hairs' roots could heal. They aren't."

"Doesn't matter. It makes me look cool." He said with his trademark smug grin.

She had to admit that it made him look cool. But she wouldn't tell him, he was smug enough as it was. "Yeah, and girls dig scars."

"They do."

"Too bad most of them are bears." She said tauntingly.

"I could go for a bear." He answered in a conversational tone.

The bunny gave him a glare that he pretended he didn't see.

...

The morning had been pretty uneventful, and when lunchtime came they were kind of bored. They decided to take it on a terrace with the cruiser parked near, in case of emergency. He had chosen a bug-burger. The bunny couldn't understand how he could stand to eat bugs, even cooked and in steak form. She chose a simple tomato and mozzarella salad. She didn't eat a lot of dairy products, since as a herbivore she couldn't digest them very well, but she liked them a lot.

"So any theories on why Ben had that strange smile on his face ?" She asked between two bites.

Her partner was distractedly browsing the internet on his phone, his burger in his other paw. "No idea. I've already seen this kind of smile on his face though, but I can't put my finger on what occasion."

"You remember when ?"

He put the phone down to reflect on it. "Before the beginning of Lycus case. I'm sure of it." He took the phone back up. "Hey, want to see pictures of the concert ?

There are also clips, but the ones uploaded by users are always crappy."

"Sure." She scooted aside and leaned against him. His tail unconsciously went to wrap itself around her. He picked one and swiped left. Most of them were taken toward the scene, showing Gazelle and her backup dancer at different place. Sometimes they were carrying her, there was even a picture where she seemed to be flying, the tigers ready to catch her.

"I want to go to one of her concerts one day. Would you come with- wait, back up, back up ! What's this ?"

The fox swiped right a few times.

"This, here, near the spotlight." She exclaimed

"Seems like a loose cable, Fluff."

"Zoom in."

The fox shrugged and did it. It didn't really look like a loose cable.

"That, Nick, isn't a loose cable. It's a cheetah's tail. Notice the spots here ? They're hard to see because of the light but they're there."

"Thinks it's Ben ? The picture is over-exposed, there is no way to be sure."

"Do you want to bet on it ?"

The fox gave her a side-glance. "Nope, I'm pretty sure you'd win that one."

...

In the car, the bunny was back behind the wheel. The afternoon announced itself as boring as the afternoon.

"Say fluff, were you going to ask me to come to a Gazelle concert with you ?"

"Well, yes. I know you're not too fond of pop music, but it could be a nice date."

The fox chuckled.

"What ? I think it's a good idea."

"I'm not mocking you, Fluff. I was just thinking about the whole date thing."

"What about it ?"

"I've proposed to you, and you've accepted, but we never even went on a proper date."

The bunny's brow furrowed. Didn't they ? She was pretty sure they had at least once. "Are you sure ?"

"Certain. Patrols don't count, and neither does hanging out before we got together. I think we skipped a few steps."

The bunny sighed. "Hope we won't have to wait too long for it."

...

They had parked the car in the underground parking lot and had come back to ground level. The chief passed them and gave them a nod and then passed the front desk. The chubby feline gave him a little wave with a strange awkward smile. They couldn't see the chief's expression, but he answered with a wave instead of his usual nod.

The fox put an elbow on the desk and brought his phone up, looking for the picture from before while Judy asked. "Did you have a nice day Ben ?"

"Slow and a bit boring, but overall, yes."

"And what was that special assignment the chief had for you by the way ?" She asked on the same tone.

His expression changed to slightly startled. "It was um... Confidential."

"How confidential ?" Asked the fox with a mischievous smile, while sliding the phone on the desk toward him. The startled expression turned to mild panic. Nick pointed at the tail. "Concert security ?"

"Yes ?"

"Absolutely not a ploy to give you backstage access ?" Asked the bunny. It made sense though. She knew the cheetah was still struggling with the memories of the shooting. Maybe the chief had wanted to surprise him. It was awfully nice of him. And completely out of place. Not that she minded.

"Maybe a little. I actually got a signed photo, and selfie with her." He said in a giggly tone. "Please don't tell anyone. I know this wasn't really regular and I don't want the chief to have any problems." It was true, but it was not the only reason.

It explained the strange smile, thought the bunny. But to Nick, it was something else. He couldn't put the finger on it yet but he would find out. "Was the chief with you ? I remember you telling me he liked gazelle."

"Yes, he does." The strange smile was there again, slightly hidden. Nick scoffed with surprise, and the grin was back on his face. Dreamy smile, small wave from the chief. Somehow it made sense.

"What is it Nick ?" Asked the bunny while the cheetah's eyes slightly widen in fear that the fox had made some sort of unseemly deduction.

The vulpine leaned on the desk, his smile widening and showing teeth. Whispering so that the three mammals were the only one that could hear him he asked. "Say, Ben, what happened aside from the concert ?" There was a tinge of naughtiness in his teasing tone.

Ben's jaw opened slightly and then clapped shut. Judy gave a glance to the two predators before her eyes widened. "What ?" She asked in a strangled voice. "Nick, I see what you're implying, but that can't be..." She looked at the cheetah's expression switching from startled to dreamy and back to startled again. "Oh my gosh, it is." She was so stunned, there was nothing she could add.

"Guys, please, not a word to anyone ! It just... We just kissed. Tha-"

"You and the chief kissed !?" The bunny had place her paws on her mouth.

"Did he kiss you or did you kiss him ?" Asked the fox.

"It kind of was a mutual thing." Answered the cheetah, his face completely red under his fur.

The bunny barely muffled the squealed that came out of her mouth.

The cat waved his paws. "Guys, we haven't talked about it yet. I don't even know what 'it' is. Please keep it to yourselves."

The fox put a paw on his forearm. "Ben, you kept your mouth shut about Judy and me. I'm not going to say anything about you and him to anyone, you can rest easy. But you'll have to tell us about it later."

The cheetah nodded and turned to the bunny. "Ben, you know me. I won't say anything." She reassured.

"Thanks guys." He sighed in relief. "I don't know what I would've done. I promise to tell you everything about this later, but-"

They both smiled. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with us." Said the bunny before giving him a little wave. "Time for us to head home. Have a nice evening."

"You too."

"How did you know about the whole kiss thing ?" Asked Judy as they left the precinct.

"I didn't know, His smile was just the same than the one he had when he went out with that tiger a few months back." He smiled. "And I've seen him after a Gazelle concert before. His attitude didn't match."

"So, it was guess ?"

"An educated guess, but yeah pretty much. Why do you think Fangmeyer stopped inviting me to the poker nights ? I'm very good at educated guesses."

...

The cheetah had had the whole night and day to think about the situation between him and the chief. Thinking about it, he could put aside a few things. First, it wasn't a spur of the moment coming from the buffalo. He didn't do spur of the moment. Even the 'surprise' assignment, had been carefully planned. And knowing him, he must have weighed his decision a long time before taking it.

The chief was his superior, he was the chief of Precinct One, and even if the cheetah technically didn't work directly under him, it could lead to all sort of problems, and mainly for the buffalo. Oh, as the chief, he could easily put the blame on the cheetah if any problem arose, but he believed the buffalo wouldn't make him take the fall.
But that hadn't been the main thing in his mind.

He wondered if anything could really happen between them. If was to be honest with himself, he'd have to admit he had a crush on the chief for a really long time, maybe since he had met him. But having a crush was not a guarantee that anything good would come out of a relationship. Then again, there was no guarantee in any relationships.

There was another thing that weighed on his mind, like a big ball of strange anxiety. He saw the chief as something big, not in the physical sense, like some sort of hero, or idol. And he knew it was not a good thing to see his potential partner like that. He'd have to take the chief down from this pedestal, and he didn't know if he would be able to.

It was in that state of mind that he left his desk at the end of the date and directed himself toward the chief's office.

The feeling was strange. His feet weighed tons, and his stomach was filled with butterflies.

"Come in !" Came the voice just after the cheetah had knocked on the door. He stepped in the office, and found himself facing the chief who was consulting a file. He pulled his glass down to look at the newcomer and greeted him with smile. A genuine smile, which sent the cheetah's heart in a looping. "I brought the day's report, chief." He said, putting it in the bin on the desk."I thought that maybe, we could... Um, talk. A bit. If that's okay with you chief."
The buffalo looked at his watch. "As of twenty seconds ago, we both are off duty."

"If that's okay with you, A-Adrian."

"I'm okay with it. I too think we should talk." They both awkwardly stared at eachother for a bit, not really knowing where to begin. "Maybe you have questions ?"
How the chief could maintain his composure, the cheetah didn't know but he found it quite impressive. "Yeah, I do... Sorry if this is a bit blunt, but what is it ? Us... We... I don't really know what is happening... I'm a bit lost. I mean, what do you want ?"

The chief took down his glasses and put them back in their box. "I don't know what this is, yet. This is new to me. Or really old, depends how you see things." The chief took an inspiration. He knew talking about past relationship could be like walking on eggs, but it was important to make his point. And he had faith that Clawhauser would be comprehensive. "Did you know that I had been married before ? To a female buffalo if this is of any importance."

"I think I heard about it." Answered the feline, wondering where the chief was going with this.

"So you probably guessed that it ended. It didn't end good, or bad. It just did. I thought I had everything figured out. I had a plan, I had expectations, and it just didn't work out." The chief scratched the bridge between his eyes. He got up from his desk and went to the cheetah who stood up in turn. "What I want to say is, I don't know what this is. And I don't know where this is going. I had no other plan than to declare and hope for the best." The cheetah had to fight to not let his mouth fall agape. The chief always tried to plan ahead, to prepare for the worst. This was so... Unusual. "So, for what I want. I want to try to have something with you. Something genuine." Even in this, the buffalo was direct and blunt. Most guys the cat had dated were direct too, but Bogo was on a whole different level.
The feline noticed he had been holding his breath for the whole duration of the chief's speech and gasped for air.

"What about you Ben ?"

"I... I'm not much of a planner in my private life... You have to know, I've had a crush on your for a long time." He couldn't hold the chief's gaze while saying those words, but he struggled and looked back for the nexts. "I want to try something too. Not just some one-time thing." He finished with a hopeful smile which the buffalo mirrored. "And I kind of want you to kiss me no-"

He didn't have the time to finish the sentence, the buffalo's right hoof running on his cheek and his left arm coming and supporting his back while the cheetah bended back. Their lips collided in a soft kiss. The cheetah rose his paws and gripped the chief's collar with one while brushing his neck with the other. Heaven smelled and tasted like buffalo musc.

The paw on the collar had slightly slid down on the chief's chest and when the kiss broke the feline bit his lips and put the paw away. "Sorry." He said in a meek voice as he was only half-sorry.

"That's okay." Answered the buffalo with a kind smile. The cheetah put his paw back with a wide smile and chief chuckled. He helped the cheetah straighten up and scratched his neck with annoyed look.

"Chi- Adrian, is everything okay ?"

"I was going to ask you to have dinner somewhere with me but... It wouldn't be really prudent or wise to do that. If people began to have the right idea..."

The cheetah sighed. "I'm beginning to understand how NIc and Judy feel. Well at least they live together." The cat noticed what he had just said. "Not that I want to live with... Or that I don't... I mean, it's a bit soon, and..." He decided to shut his mouth, not wanting to embarrass himself further.
The chief gave a chuckle. "I understood what you meant... We could go have dinner somewhere, but we can't really look like a couple."

"We could do that but, it wouldn't really be... How to explain."

"It wouldn't really be as nice as a date." Stated the buffalo.

"Yeah. I'd invite you home and cook, but with Wolford and MacHorn, it's not really an option either."

The buffalo scratched his chin reflectively. "I'd invite you at mine, but I don't know how to cook. I mean, aside from the simple stuff."

It put a slight dent in the perfect bachelor image the pudgy feline had of the chief but also made him smile. "I could cook for you. I mean if you want to."

"I don't want to make you work."

"Cooking isn't working. Is your kitchen furnished ?"

The chief looked slightly embarrassed… Well one of his brows rose slightly. "What exactly do you mean by that ?"
As an answer the cat giggled. "I'll bring stuff then ! If you give me your address I'll arrive around 6:30." The chief did and cheetah wrote it in his phone. It was a place south of Downtown, in a nice neighborhood. The cat left in a bouncy step while the chief wondered if a monster had just awaken. Shrugging, he put his stuff in order and left the precinct in turn.

...

The good thing about spending so little time a his place was that it was always tidy. The place wasn't big, not for a buffalo anyway, but it was enough. The chief didn't live an ascetic life, but he didn't need much to go by. At least, the little he owned, he made it a point to be resilient and of good quality. For instance, though he rarely used his kitchen, the stove and oven were the best one could find, his large TV that he had bought a decade earlier, and maybe turned on two times, was still on par with the current technology standards, and the convertible sofa that was in front of it, which was also his bed, was one of the most comfortable thing one could find to sit or sleep on.

He took a bit of time to sweep the place clean, since he didn't always think about dusting, and sat on the sofa. He usually would stay at the precinct until around eight or nine, checking on everything his subordinates did. The half-hour of respite he had before the feline arrived were unusual.

Everything seemed unusual.

While he was in his bedroom, he chose an outfit, staying uniform wouldn't do. He noticed that aside from his workout clothes, he really didn't have much to put on. He chose a simple pair of trouser with a plain shirt, hoping it would be enough.

For a few seconds he wondered what he was doing. The whole thing looked like a terrible idea. An invite to chaos. Then again, Hopps and Wilde were chaos magnets, and they were parts of the best things that city had. Maybe chaos was good from time to time. Until that point, his life had been a well arranged straight line, and this time, he had taken an impulsive decision. A well and long thought decision that had taken a fair amount of self-convincing, but impulsive nonetheless.
It didn't make any sense and fitted nowhere in the square scheme that was his life, but it was the first time in a very long time he had wanted something as much and with such selfishness.

The buffalo didn't consider himself selfless, or good. He mostly didn't give himself much hoped that jolt of selfishness wouldn't send him astray. One would argue he had the right to have someone, to not be alone, but the chief simply didn't think like that. Was it a mistake ? Was it a fling ? Was he doing something stupid ? He didn't know yet, and wouldn't figure it out tonight, since the doorbell rang and he went to open the door.

"Hello chie- Adrian. Sorry, I can't say it spontaneously yet." Greeted the cat. He was holding a large sportsbag, which the chief took. The thing was slightly more heavy than it looked.

The feline was wearing a pair of blue long shorts with a white shirt which fitted him well.

"You'll get there." Reassured the buffalo. "Come, I'll give you a tour." First he showed him the kitchen. It wasn't big, but the necessary was there. The only complain the cat could make was that the stove worked on electricity and not gaz. Next, a large bedroom which doubled as a living room. Aside from the couch, TV and a desk with his laptop on it, it contained a benchpress and that was it. The last thing to see was the bathroom which had one of the largest bathtub the cat had ever seen. It was logical since the whole place was buffalo-sized.

They went back to the kitchen and the cheetah began unpacking what he had brought. There were mostly vegetables, and a lot of cooking herbs the chief couldn't identify. "I've taken the liberty to bring my own utensils, since I didn't know if you had anything." The buffalo opened a cupboard. The only thing that was worth using there was the cutting board which the cat took and set on the table, taking one of his cooking knife from his bag. He began dicing an onion while the chief leaned back on the table and watched him work.

"Can I do anything ?"

The cat stopped mid-move and glanced at the chief. He wasn't used to let people help when he was cooking, aside from his sister, which was walking disaster with a knife in her paw, despite her eagerness to help. "You could put the pan on the stove, low heat. Do you have some butter ?" The chief did what the feline had asked and took the butter out of the fridge. "Could you put some oil in the pan with a bit of butter ? Just a bit more. Perfect." He then threw the onion in and began cutting other things.

The chief leaned over the cat shoulder which slightly shivered at how close he was. "What are we having ?"

"Don't know yet. I'm mostly winging it. Is there anything you don't like ?"

"Not big on tomatoes and potatoes. And cumin. Can't stand it. Else, I eat anything, aside from meat of course. Tried it, not that bad, but I can't digest it." The buffalo left the feline's back and went to his room, leaving Clawhauser to his work who could suddenly breathe a little easier. He was beginning to have some ideas and stirred the onions while they were taking form. A few seconds later, Gazelle started playing in the other room and the chief reappeared with a smile. The cheetah giggled and the buffalo went to place himself near him. He had to admire the dexterity which he was showing while working the knife. He didn't know much about cooking, but the smooth movement seemed almost perfect. There was something in how the feline was moving in the kitchen, it wasn't just joy or happiness, there was something else. The chief approached from behind and leaned, careful to not do it while Clawhauser was using the knife, and brushed his neck with his lips. The cat instantly froze with a purr and slightly turned his head left. The chief reiterated his action and the cat leaned back, putting his back against the chief's pectoral muscles with a satisfied huff.

"I hope I'm not bothering you in your cooking."

"Not at all." A bit reluctantly, the feline unstuck himself from the warm and firm chest of the chief and went back to his vegetables. Half-dancing to the beat of the music, the cat took a zucchini and grated them in long stripes. He had sauteed a bunch of other stuff after the onions had finished cooking, and he added the stripes to the mix.

"It's going to be a bit of an experimentation. Hope you like Parmesan." He added the cheese with a touch of cream to make it all more liquid. A few minute later it was ready. "You may want to add pesto."

"I don't have any."

"But I do." He said, taking it from the bag.

The two mammals set themselves on the couch in front of the TV. The music was from a concert recording that they watched while eating.

"So you don't have any plan for anything ?"

"No. I'm winging it." Smiled the buffalo. "Let's hope it will end up being as good as your cooking."

The plates had been put aside on the headstand and the cat leaned against the buffalo, his head ending on his lap, while he was lying on his back.

"Let's hope yeah. Sorry if it's a sensible topic, but, um..."

"Go ahead, I understand that you can have questions."

The cat took an inspiration. "Have you chosen to do all this thing that way because of how your marriage ended ? You know, with no plan or no idea what was coming..."

The bovine gave a grim chuckle. "No, at least I don't think so. Even if I wanted to plan ahead, and I did try, I'm afraid I've absolutely no idea how this will go. I just don't want to screw it up or put you in a bad situation."

"Me neither. Since we're on sensible topics, can I ask another question."

The chief's hoof had begun stroking the cat's head. "Sure."

"Your ex wife is, well... A female, and I'm a male. So..."

"So you want to know about my sexual orientation ?"

"Yeah."

The chief kept stroking, lingering on the base of the cat's ears, which made him twitch with bliss. "I don't know. You're actually the second mammal I've ever been attracted to. The first one was my ex wife. So I can't really answer, I'm attracted to whom I'm attracted to. I hope it's enough of an answer."

"Yeah." Answered the cat who could barely focus on what the buffalo was saying with the stroking. It put a smile on the chief's face. He extended an arm that he brought under the cat's shoulder pulling him up, as he leaned. They ended up lying down face to face, the cheetah slightly over his partner, all according to the buffalo's plan. He had chosen that position because he couldn't really lie on his side with his horns in the way. The right arm went around the cheetah's back, pushing him up and against the buffalo's large chest. It seemed the chief had pulled Clawhauser into a hug, which the feline had trouble realizing. A hoof crept up and resumed the stroking, which made the cheetah go completely limp and put on an expression of complete bliss. After a few seconds, he inadvertently started purring and immediately tensed up, looking up at the chief with embarrassment. He answered with a kiss, not stopping his movement. The blissful expression came back and he could relax again.

The buffalo had to admit, he was perfectly serene. He had feared the physical interaction wouldn't feel natural. Even with the amount of research he had done, something that he would never talk about. Simply having the feline against him and hearing him purr was enough to make him smile.
With digestion and the stroking, the purr slowly turned into a light snoring and the chief put an arm under his head to get comfortable. Though he could have woken the feline, he was in no hurry to see him go, and he felt especially good. At this instant, seeing him sleep with this contempt expression, he was certain he had made the right choice.

...

The cat blinked a few times, awaking to a gentle face. "I fell asleep." The face nodded, and he crawled up to kiss it. The slumber slowly left him, and his mind cleared in the kiss. "Is it late ?"

"Around 11PM." It actually was late.

The feline's face heated up in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have fallen asleep. But with the digestion... And you were so comfortable."

"You were, too."

Clawhauser felt his face heat up even more and a few thoughts came to mind, some of which were exciting, but also too embarrassing to share, at least that soon. "I should go, I shouldn't spend the night here... I mean, not yet..." He noticed that he was way more awkward with the chief than with any of the mammals he had dated before. He mostly knew why, and hoped he would get past those barriers.

"It's a bit soon for that, yes. I'll drive you home."

"Oh you really don't have to." He said, waving his paws.

"I want to." And the chief did. It meant spending a bit more time with the cheetah, which he had come to realise he couldn't really get enough of.