And Clawhauser and Pandahaughton reach out to Vincent to get to know him really well...

Chapter 20: Getting to Know Vincent

At Jumbeaux Cafe, it was me, Pandahaughton and Clawhauser all out getting some ice cream and it was a really strange transition to go from working on the job to actually sitting down and just talking with your co-workers off the job, but at the same time...it's a good thing to do so because we can unwind after a very huge stressful day at work and after going through the case, a break sounds pretty good right now as we ate some ice cream pops while Clawhauser has some ice cream cake special for under $5, in which he's really happy to do so.

I ate a few bites and it felt like my taste buds just sent me on a ride for permanent bliss and perfection because I did not expect this to taste this good and I said, "How long have you known this place?"

Clawhauser looked at me as he was eating and replied, "I've been coming here for as long as I can remember. I would always come here when I'm off duty or if I have someone bring me some for lunch, even though I'm clearly a doughnut person. But I love sweets!"

"I don't blame you, man. I love sweets too! I try to cut back, but obviously...you can tell from my ginormous belly that I can't resist all kinds of food." Pandahaughton replied, patting his big belly.

Clawhauser definitely feels the same way too and he puts his cheetah belly as well and said, "Who knew we have something in common?"

"I know, right? I just need a break from all of this cyber crime thing. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do because I'm more tech-savvy to catch criminals really quickly, but sometimes I just need a little breather because what it requires is sitting on your butt most of the day and night. It's enough to get butt cramps or burns just from sitting." Pandahaughton stated.

"I agree. Being both a radio dispatcher and a receptionist are the two jobs that all you do is sit, but you're not exactly not doing anything." Clawhauser agreed.

I was kinda just listening in on the conversation as I swirled my bowl around with my spoon and it didn't take long before Clawhauser looked back at me and he asked, "Hey, Vincent. You wanna talk about this now?"

I almost forgot that this was the whole purpose of coming by so that we can get to know each other better and I answered, "Sure."

"Well, when you left the ZPD, you seemed kinda sad about something and I thought maybe you could tell me about it tomorrow, but when Mikey seemed concerned about you, we figured that we didn't want to wait, so...and also to get to know our new recruits better. I had already brought Tigro and Casey over here yesterday and now you and Mikey. So...you wanna tell us what's bothering you?" Clawhauser asked, twiddling his thumbs.

I sighed heavily knowing that this will be the hardest subject to even put into words, so I took a deep breath and answered, "This whole case. I mean...I'm glad that we're getting closer to our guy, but the effects of this case is getting too much for me to handle."

"What do you mean?" asked Pandahaughton.

"I never told anyone this, but almost this past year...my little sister had been through a voliatile relationship with a boyfriend and when she broke up with him, he didn't take it well and she had become his victim since then; stalking, harrassing her, following her, trying to control her, beat her down and even holding her hostage. I was completely protective of her because his vibe was just off. One night, he held her and several other girls hostage at his house and she was the only person that didn't survive, even after she fought him back. I watched her die in front of my eyes and for a police officer, it's the worst thing you would ever witness...especially if it's your blood relative. I had never been the same since then and I had always kicked myself for not doing enough to save her and blamed myself for letting this happen. I was in serious depression mode and I resigned from my job after just 9 years of being an officer at Bunga Town and just felt like I had failed at the very thing I had sworn to do; protect and serve. Even doing this case brought me back painful memories of watching my sister get hurt. It just all felt too real...way too real for me." I added, almsot getting teary-eyed.

Clawhauser blinked a few times and the look on his face was one of feeling sorry for me and he reached out and said, "I'm so sorry that happened."

"Sometimes you're not ready to hear what happened to your loved one in a situation like this. It's hard to accept that sometimes you can't help everyone. It's a hard pill to swallow." Pandahaughton agreed.

"Who has been your support system through this?" asked Clawhauser.

I pulled out a picture on my phone of my boyfriend Gilbert and showed a few pics of us to Pandahaughton and Clawhauser where we took selfies of each other and some of us kissing together and Clawhauser responded with a purry 'Aww' and Pandahaughton smiled at this and he asked, "That's your boyfriend?"

"We've been together for 10 years. I came out when I was 18 because I just didn't really feel like I was the same as everyone else. Even when I'm a police officer, I was always nervous about being prejudiced about this sort of thing and just hoped that they would focus more on what I bring to the table rather than who I love." I answered.

"I feel the same way. I'm a single panda waiting for some guy to be the one for me and likes the same things I like the most. It's hard finding someone who's your match." Pandahaugton agreed, eating his ice cream.

Clawhauser perked his ears a little bit and as he saw Pandahaughton eating, it caught his eye right away that he's got a match for himself and he looked at Pandahaughton's wrist and gasped in shock and asked, "You got a Gazelle wristband?"

"Golden wristband." Pandahaughton answered.

Clawhauser squeals in delight at this and he said, "I have it at home! I have everything Gazelle!"

"Even Gazelle underwear?" asked Pandahaughton.

"I'm wearing one right now!" Clawhauser said, giggling.

I looked at these two and just hearing them so enthusiastic with each other reminds me of my relationship with me and Gilbert where we are enthusiastic over almost everything, but for different reasons. Clawhauser and Pandahaughton are like the two people that I would hang out with on my off-days and just chill after a long day of work.

"Hey, Vince...I know that this is a new environment for you and that you had been through so much stuff, but it's gonna get better. Just stick it out and remember what you're doing can help so many young girls out there. You're gonna make your little sister proud." Clawhauser stated.

Pandahaughton agreed with that and he said, "Just imagine saving an innocent girl's life from anyone trying to hurt her. It'll be the best and rewarding thing you'd do to take something personal and difficult for you and turn it into something positive and it'll open the door to prevent this from happening to any other girl and a life will be saved."

I nodded in agreement because those victims did absoultely nothing wrong to deserve this and the best thing they can do is report it to the police or someone they trust. In many ways, it helped pull me back into what made me a cop in the first place. Just talking about it really helps a lot and as I opened up more, I got to know Clawhauser and Pandahaughton's personalities even more and they're just like my new family now...loyal, understanding, selfless and fun to be around.

Pandahaughton then said to me, "It's cool if you have a boyfriend. I've always had crushes on guys on my past precinct, but never found the one that catches my eye."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find one someday." Clawhauser said, eating some ice cream.

"I think I might've already found it." Pandahaughton said, softly while sipping on some soda.

"Maybe when this case is over, we may show you other parts of Zootopia...not just for police purposes, but just for fun." Clawhauser added.

I smiled at this and nothing would make me happier to let my fur down and just let loose for a while and I said, "I'd love that."

"You feel better?" asked Pandahaugton.

"I do now." I answered, eating some ice cream.

Not long afterwards, in comes Nick and Judy coming in and they saw us sitting at the table eating some ice cream and talking and they joined us on our seat and it turns out that they needed to unwind after some very stressful police work today and this feels like the only time to just let our guards down and be ourselves. We all had gotten to know each other and our backgrounds and why we wanted to be a police officer in the first place. It was all that I needed; to surround myself with good friends that I consider a part of my family now. So it was a good feeling to just be regular guys...that is until the next day comes along.

I kinda made Pandahaughton have a crush on Clawhauser, thinking 'what if...?' because they're both big. It's good that they're all good friends outside the ZPD. Stick around for more!