The ZPD had received a tip from the Federal Law Enforcement Agency about an international arms dealer coming into their city. For once, the information wasn't sparing, as they were given photographs, profiles, audio files, even a scrap of cloth in a hermetically sealed case with his scent. The only thing they hadn't been given was his name. All anyone had on that front was his self-styled nom-de-guerre: Le Chasseur, the Hunter.

Or, as Officer Nicholas Wilde had taken to calling him...

"Chase better not be a no-show tonight."

It was the third night of staking out the high-end restaurant, and Nick absently sipped his 'Scotch-and-water, with extra water' while sitting at the bar. He let his eyes roam the reflection of the patrons in the restaurant.

His partner, Judy Hopps, grunted noncommittally as she alternated between gnawing on a seed covered artisanal breadstick, and shifting uncomfortably in her stool next to him.

Nick spared her a glance and a grin. "Careful there, darlin," he emphasized the endearment, trying to sell their cover as a couple out for a fancy date night. "You're gonna ruin your dress, and I'm pretty sure it's worth more than either of us make in a month."

"I don't see how," she ground out while fighting with the bodice of her 'Little Black Dress'. "I have bathing suits that are more substantial than this rape-bait rag! How can something this minimalistic be so restrictive?"

"It's a Vera Fang, not a rag." Nick returned his attention to the mirror behind the bar. "That dress was all the rage ten years ago. This," he gestured to his own suit, "is a rag. Only the finest Labrador Day, Two-for-One Coat-Rack special for this fox." He picked up one of the breadsticks and bit it in two. "If my dad saw me wearing this, he'd disown me on the spot."

-Knock it off you two- Chief Bogo's voice came over both of their Blu-Fang ear-pieces. -You are supposed to be on a date, not bickering in your patrol car!-

Nick gamely fought back the urge to roll his eyes, while Judy dug her phone out of her clutch. "Hold on a second sweety," she put enough saccharin in her tone to ruin a pot of black coffee, "the office gossip-monger is calling for an update." She tapped the screen for effect, while hiding it from mammal eyes. "Yes Bea, what do you want?"

-Hopps, what do you think you are--

"Hey, you were the one who insisted we go on this date. We're on the date, so stop bugging us or nothing will happen. Bye!" They both ignored Bogo's indignant sputtering as Judy put her phone away. "I swear, they're worse than the Rents about interrupting." She pointedly ignored Bogo's continuing rant through her earpiece.

Nick huffed and playfully flicked one of her ears, earning him a light toe kick. "They probably have a spy here to make sure we're being schmaltzy enough."

Judy looked up at the mirror at Nick's code word. Sure enough, their target had just walked into the restaurant. She flopped one of her ears to let Nick know she'd seen him. "Well, that would be easier if you were more of a romantic, Slick."

"Hey now," Nick turned to face her fully, while keeping the wolf in his peripheral vision, "I'll have you know I'm the very soul of romance."

Now Judy turned to face Nick. "Oh really? Prove it, Zor-Romeo."

They both caught a glimpse of Le Chasseur glancing their way. They had both discussed the wolf's profile, and had come to the same conclusion very early on: both the ZPD and FLEA were going about getting close to him all wrong. A flick of an ear and a twitch of the tail was all they needed between the two of them to say, Just a little bit more.

Nick leaned forward. "You asked for it darlin. First you start with a smokey look."

Almost as soon as he started to gaze at her, Judy started to giggle. "Oh my God, stop that!"

Nick sat up straight and pouted. "What?"

"You don't look smokey, you looked like you've smoked something. The last time I saw somebody look like that, my nephew Edwin had gotten into Aunt Starlite's 'Space Brownies'."

Nick arched an eyebrow and leaned back, watching the wolf out of the corner of his eye. "I suppose you can do better?"

Judy's ears came up as she leaned forward. "Well, rabbits are good at multiplying, so I think we have a handle on romance. You just," she drew in a breath, puffing her chest out, "look deeply into your partner's eyes..."

As she leaned farther forward, Nick started to lean farther back. "Yeeaahh, you can stop that now."

"Ha!" Judy beamed while sitting up. "Admitting defeat?"

"No, I just thought you were going to burst a blood vessel there for a moment."

Her cheeks puffed out as she tried to tap her foot in annoyance until...

"Excuse-moi, but I couldn't help but overhear your predicament."

The fox and rabbit looked over as if just realising the wolf had approached them. "What?"

Le Chasseur's ears perked up at the near synchronous question. "You two seem so perfect for each other." He flashed a winning, if fang-filled smile at the two.

Judy slumped her shoulders and hung her head. "Oh, not you too. Even complete strangers think it!"

The wolf looked at Nick, who gave a pained smile. "One of our coworkers once saw us looking at each other for more than two seconds, and decided we 'must be in love'! Like we were characters in one of his rom-coms," he huffed a laugh. "It's been a continuous struggle to be taken seriously ever since."

"And were you? Looking at each other for more than two seconds? It is the rule, non?" The wolf waggled his eyebrows conspiratorially.

"Absolutely!" The fox and rabbit said simultaneously, as Judy thumped her fist on her thigh. "First one to blink, pays for the meal!" Her head then snapped around, as she and Nick locked eyes with one another.

The staring contest was interrupted as the wolf began laughing and settled into a seat next to them. "Mon dieu! You are a pair." He extended a paw to the two smaller mammals. "My friends call me Le Chasseur. And you are?"

...

Bogo stared dumbfounded, alongside the FLEA agents sent to collect their evidence: paw prints from both Nick's and Judy's phones, multiple very candid selfies of the officers and Le Chasseur, even a phone contact number for, 'the next time I am in Zootopia'. Though the pièces de résistance was a name.

"And you're sure he said 'Kaban'?" the snow white vixen looked up from the table of evidence.

"Monsieur Kaban, but yes," Judy remained at almost parade ground attention. "The boar did not seem happy about our mutual friend introducing us, so that's when we took our leave."

The black striped hare with the vixen frowned slightly. "And you didn't even try to stick around to secure more evidence, even though you obviously recognized the importance of that meeting?"

Nick huffed slightly from his partner's side. "In the immortal words of Kenny Roargers, 'you gotta know when to hold'em, know when to fold'em'. Chase might be a gun-runner, but the Russian was a killer. It was time to run, so we did."

The vixen laid a paw on her partner's shoulder, then looked at the other pair. "You are quite right, of course. You were already serving above and beyond by going undercover like that. Though I am surprised," her ears perked as she glanced between the pair, "why did you change the plan? Our psych profile on Le Chasseur is very complete, including his obsession with romance."

Nick held up a digit and grinned at the other mammals. "Relationships, Agent Frost, not romance."

Judy relaxed her shoulders and took on an almost pedantic aire. "We both reviewed the files, and in our opinion as the on site officers, determined that there was a basic flaw in the psych profile: the assumption that it was romance which was a driver for his behavior."

"I've been surviving for decades by judging mammals," Nick smiled indulgently, "and someone doesn't go into a violent trade like arms dealing if you have any romantic notions. Salesmamship does require a certain understanding of mammal relations; interpersonal in particular, since that's how you find the pressure points to make your sale."

"Yes, we know that," the hare gestured between himself and the vixen. "It takes a nuanced reading of the profile, but it's still there in black and white. What we want to know is why you deviated from the plan?"

Judy and Nick looked slightly crestfallen at not having 'discovered' a flaw in the profile. Still, they did owe their superiors, so Judy squared her shoulders and nodded. "We knew we couldn't sell a romantic relationship to our target, so we just doubled down on the relationship we do have."

"That's what we were trying to take advantage of," the hare gestured to the two officers, "your natural chemistry, your clear compassion towards one another, dare I say your charm even."

Nick and Judy looked at one another, then back at the assembled mammals. "Well, yeah; we're friends," Judy pointed between herself and Nick. "Friends are like that."

Bogo and the two FLEA agents blinked at the two small officers. "You mean, you aren't dating?"

Judy's eyes bugged out slightly as Nick rolled his head back and pawed his muzzle. "Oh God, Chief; not you too?"