Chapter 2:

.

AN: I'd like to thank my new proofreader, DancouMaryuu, for reading through this chapter. By all means check out his own fic, Zeeplabor. It's got a good few unique OC's, is lighthearted, great fun, has giant robots battling each other and includes great appearances by members of the regular Zootopia cast to boot. I'd also like to thank all my new readers who are tagging along.

In addition, I've got an announcement to make. For those who don't know, I've set up a separate one-shot collection for this fic, which will host all the non-canon one-shot ideas I come up with, etc. With so many different characters planned to arrive in this project, and with a tight and complex central plot, there's all sorts of interactions that could happen but won't fit in (and all sorts of silliness to boot too).

Now, bad news and good news for Aggretsuko fans. I'm taking my time to introduce the main players into this series. Acting out will be four chapters, about 25,000 words. Then there'll be a oneshot to introduce a pair of very special secondary characters, before we get to another four chapter/ 25,000 word fic to catch up with the Fantastic Mr Fox crew. The bad news is that (though there'll be cameos before) our favourite red panda arrives after all that. The good news is that the first one-shot is a Zootopia-Aggretsuko one.

Anyway, enough chat with me, back to the Zoot crew!

.

.

Nick tried to keep in mind all the things Dr Lupuleli had said the next day. After the success of the undercover mission a lot of paperwork needed to be filed, and that had easily carried on over from yesterday.

"To quote the immortal lines of Bun-Joey," Nick noted, as he brought another stack over. "Oooh… -We're halfway there!"

He looked over, spotting a little smile from Judy, just as she joined in. "Aaaahhhh Ah! Livin' on a prayer!"

The red fox smiled, before sitting down, a new sheet coming out. "I now regret not having a fruitbowl here," he joked. Happy jokes like this were still fine.

"Huh?"

"I could have upped my pun game by nibbling on a pear."

He watched slyly as Judy giggled some more, before she returned to the long slog of forms that needed to be filled in. Witness reports, statuses, protocols… All that. If there was one thing the fox missed about his hustling business, it was the relative lack of form filling that was required. Bar the minimum level of legal due diligence, of course.

Pen on paper, he was about to write a description of the mysterious fox who'd stepped in during his undercover mission, given that his identity and location were completely unknown, when he remembered something. Something else from his hustling days, and one of the few things that he wished to keep hold of some more from back then. Out came his phone and, scrolling down, he pressed a number and called.

"WHO IZ IT!"

Nick flinched back, despite being prepared for that, before smoothly talking back. "Is that how you really greet Papa, Finny?"

"Nick…!? What you doing here callin' me up at this hour?"

The red fox paused, checking the time and turning back. "Sorry. Forgot you take your afternoon nap in…"

"Cut to the biz already!? Or Scat!"

There was a sigh, before Nick carried on. "The little operation was a success, again..." There was a pause, and an enthusiastic smile. "The kits of Zootopia are safer than ever!"

"… Well, congrats I guess. You caught some child rutters. Big whoop!"

"And the civilian who provided my cover earned himself a nice little bit of money," Nick carried on. "Though, if it were a civilian posing as the bait, they'd be open to much more… The offer is still open you know, if you want it."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Finnick's voice burst out again. "Ah hell no! Just 'cause you're gettin' tired of being the baby this time! It was your idea, you do it!"

Nick's ears folded back a little. "I'm just looking out for a friend," he grunted. "It's honest work."

"I'm doing good," came the gruff reply. "So thanks but no thanks. I don't care how many bucks you think you can payz me with! I'm a grown mammal, and I ain't gonna make my living by letting you dress me up as a baby no-more!"

"Young child," Nick pointed out, closing his eyes as his paw went down over his heart. "I'm a fox of my word, and my word was always that your work would be pawpers free. It was in the hustling days, remember?"

There was a pause, then a hearty chuckle. "Nick. I knowz you too well! You'd say that, then find a way to hustle 'round it. So, I still say'z no! Got anything else to say?"

Nick sighed. "No."

"Then ciao, ex-partner!"

There was a click as the phone hung up, and Nick shook his head. "That's what you get for trying to help an old friend," he said. He couldn't help but remember how evident his former partner made his lack of faith in him clear. It was a cold blow of reality through his heart, and it made him remember his therapist's newest 'homework', trying to see what others thought of old Nick's personality and all. Well, there was Old Nick for you, and, on top of that, 'new' Nick as it was turning out! He'd been teasing Finnick at the start of that call, hadn't he? He'd just drifted naturally into it, without even realising.

He wanted to get away from that. He wanted to change, and when he was focussing he could stay those bad mannerisms before they came out. But doing that all the time? It was hard. So hard… Before he knew it, he'd be acting like Old Nick all over again. Suffice to say, his attempts at changing himself were not going well. "Am I really that untrustworthy?" he asked, unable to stop the faint image of the paedofox from lingering guiltily in his mind. He looked at his partner and hoped for a reassuring answer.

She just looked back, not answering.

His ears drooped a bit, and he spoke out, his voice still trying to be humorous but poisoned by a grave inflection. "Hmmm. That silence doesn't bode well."

"Just thinking," the bunny replied. "Maybe he'd trust you more if you'd have chosen a better name for your plan."

Nick retreated, acting in complete faux outrage. "I'll have you know that operation Pacifierclip was a brilliant name. Right up there with all the others on the shortlist." He brought out the fingers on his paw, before counting them off. "M, i-l, K ultra; Case Gooo; Operation Ba-ba's-losta; the Tot offensive…"

He had to break off as Judy broke down giggling. He just stood there and watched her, captivated. She was crazy, happy, motivated and, as far as he could tell, perfect. Yet, for him at least, she was always too far out of his grasp. He looked away sighing, thinking about telling her his true feelings for her. That he loved her. That the world seemed more glorious when he could hear her voice and see her bright eyes. That she meant so much to him, bringing comfort and joy to him just from her memory alone…

But his throat began to hitch slightly, and he felt that mental muzzle clamp tight on his real one.

Despite the work he'd been doing with his therapist, despite the attempts made and major progress won in opening up about himself, he was still unable to get it out. That chance of her reacting poorly, or angrily, at his confession still rang through the back of his mind, ruling it out. In any case, hadn't he just been all sarcastic, jokey and deflectiony again? After he'd just seen where that could boil down too? After seeing a pure concentrated example of the thing he'd told himself he needed to move away from. Had to, if he was going to clean his act up. He had, hadn't he? Broken all the promises and slipped back to the very thing he was trying to get away from without a single thought.

He sucked, didn't he?

Forget about Judy accepting him. There was no way he even deserved her.

…

"You okay, Nick?"

"Not really…"

"Thinking of doing another bit of homework?" she asked, and he looked over to see her smile slightly. He smiled a bit too. She wasn't talking about his newest task from Dr Lupuleli, instead an older thing they'd been going through for quite some time now. It was a little exercise he'd been given in order to help him get used to opening up to different mammals and breaking his fear of rejection. Listing and ranking a number of different facts about himself in order of 'off-putting-ness', he'd been working up from the humdrum level ones towards the unspeakable level tens, recently reaching level seven.

There were only two level tens. The first was his previous little probing experiments and due diligence with Judy, which had confirmed that she was actually species unspecific when it came to romantic feelings. For instance, joking about a dapper wolf they'd met, who she'd said was handsome. Nick had led her on, and she'd said that she could see herself going out on a date with him, confirming that she had no problem with canids… Naturally, the only other level ten was that Nick secretly loved her. It was the one this whole exercise was building up to, so that he could finally reveal it.

"How about we try an Eight," he said, his voice just a bit unsteady.

Judy nodded, even jumping up and down a little on her toes. It was cute. She was excited. "Hit me, Slick!"

"That mission was not my first time playing a character of a different age, you know…"

There was a pause as Judy's ears rose, a curious look on her muzzle. "Interesting. Tell me more."

"Well," he began, breathing in and out as he did so. He'd got a good idea of a little story from his past, one that likely wouldn't offend Judy too much, for a level eight that was. He was about to carry on when he felt a paw on his and froze, turning to face her.

She just smiled, giving him a knowing nod, and he carried on. "Given that I'm a bit of a local expert on Zootopia," he began, smiling proudly a bit. "I had the idea of setting myself up as a kind of tour guide for those coming into the city. Particularly those whose grasp of the language, shall we say, wasn't for the better."

"Doesn't seem so bad," Judy replied. Nick looked at her nervously, before carrying on.

"I… may have done some 'self-marketing,' in the form of presenting myself as someone who, stereotypically, might appear to have an even greater level of experience of the city than I would."

She spoke softly. "You're deflecting again."

The fox sighed, bringing up a paw to scratch the back of his head. "I may have greyed my fur, dressed up as an old fox, and acted the part ."

Nick gulped, as a deadly serious expression grew across Judy's face. "You're going to drop that and not give a demonstration."

…

Relaxing again given her warm reaction, Nick, bowing, stood up and craned over her, wobbling like an old man before speaking out, his voice suddenly old and croaky and wavering.

"WHEN I WAS JUST A KIT THIS HERE ALL USED TO BE LITTLE HOUSES! Houses you see, for the horses and the larger mammals, so I guess they were big houses. But little houses to the 'Orses. They were needed in the docks and the industries you see. Great big lobby the old 'Orses had, all the unions and so many politicians. They say Beaven created the welfare state on the common vote, but it was the 'Orses you see. The 'Orses and their unions, 'cause the Orses were all on the left side. Bunch of commie sympathisers, you ask me! Pah! Bolshy scum! But the 'orses and the zebra's, -'cause the Zebra's were in this too mind you! Both have solid hooves and no fingers. Try balling your fists and eating and living and working like that! I had to do that as a kit you know, solidarity law! Every month you'd 'ave your paws sealed in plaster, so you were in solidarity with the 'Orses. That and walk to school for two hours a day, up one hill, then up another going back. They even turned the new climate system in tundra town on, all over the city, when we did that. So it was always a blizzard, every day! Builds character you see. No complaints to the receptionist when you got in late, or your spankings would be doubled!"

"-Anyway, after steam shovels and excavators, docking was the last big manual thing the 'Orses could do. You could pay them less, as they were less dexterous you see, and then they would work your docks. Then they formed their unions and got earning more, can't blame them I suppose. I used to sing the red flag with them mind you. Workers of the world unite! Really put the common mammal first! The working mammal's life reached its peak in nineteen-forty-five and ever since the great Antlerlee was usurped in the nineteen-fifty by the elite, those monsters at the top have been warring on us, and I'm one of the good few commies left! The greedy fat cats, though very few are fat cats actually. Have to remember not to be speciesist anymore! Can't have that, can you? Oh, this infernal political correctness! Damn it, we need a mammal in charge who says it like they mean it!

"Hmmm… -Like that Dawn sheep, oh they slandered her name and framed her when she started doing the things those wishy-washy liberals hated. But I tell you what, her common sense was once common sense, and every joe in the pub would be happy to say it! 'Cause it's the truth you here. The same truth that let proud Zootopia win the war, all by herself, with four guns and an old biplane against the fascists! Grrr, I hate those monsters. My generation fought to get rid of them, and now they're back. Pah! We're wasted on you lot. 'Oooooh whoooo -do you think, you are kidding mister Knitler, when you think old Zootopia's done…! I am the fox who will stop your little game! I have a skulk who will make you think again!' Anyway, what with container ships, all the 'Orses lost their jobs in the seventies, got dispersed out to the meadowlands where the land was cheaper and what not, and the whole place was knocked down and remodelled. Mainly to help with the shortages of homes for even bigger mammals… -Anyway, that's that street, now over 'ere… -and GET OFF MY LAWN!"

.

Whatever Nick was about to say trailed off as Judy, who'd been giggling and then laughing throughout all of it, finally keeled over. "ENOUGH!" she begged, still laughing. "Enough… Are you trying to kill me Nick? I…" Whatever she was about to say was cut off by a loud hiccup, which only made her giggle a bit more.

"Oh sweet mother Marian," Nick commented, looking over. "Where do I press you to do a restart?"

Judy, wobbly on her feet, slowly got up, still hiccupping. "That's amazing," she giggled, shaking her head. "What's embarrassing about that? As long as you told the truth and made them laugh a bit as much as I di…-HIC!"

"Well…" Nick said, looking up and running his fingers along the desk. "One of those times, I may have experimented on whether the gender of my OAM made much of a difference…. -And now I really need to find your restart button, Fluff."

…

"Carrots?"

Finally stepping up again, Judy looked at him, still giggling slightly. "Nick… You were acting," she said, smiling. "And sweet cheese and crackers, why hasn't your acting made you famous? I mean -hic- you aced a little cub yesterday. There's all the other -hic-… times you acted out. You're so good at it!"

The fox shrugged but couldn't help but smile. "I guess, I mean getting into a role is as easy as slipping on a glove. I just live it. As for getting famous…" He paused, relaxing. This was a completely unembarrassing story, but one he hadn't really had a chance to tell her yet. "I did actually look into that and did a few auditions for a laugh. Some agents even referred me on."

Judy looked on, fascinating. "How far did that go?"

Nick shrugged. "I may have once successfully auditioned for a role in a pilot TV show, about this son of a former billionaire trying to keep his crazy family together after his Pop's illicit deals landed him in jail and his business is ruined… But even if the production company hadn't folded and the pilot had aired, it probably wouldn't have gone anywhere." He paused, smiling, before looking up and sticking a lecturing finger up too. A universal sign for, 'here's an interesting fact worth contemplating'. "-In fact, it's currently in an oddly ironic state given its proposed title."

Judy nodded, before sitting down at her desk and carry on her work. "That's a shame," she said, looking up fondly. "You're a good actor… I guess life forced you to be that to survive."

"I guess so," he added, returning to his.

"You acted in some way ever since you were eight, since the Junior Ranger Scouts…" she mused. "It would have been nice if that had worked out, and it gave you a good life. But then again, I guess you'd have never met me."

"No," Nick replied. He felt the same way but, as he turned back to his own work, his mind froze. The strange little squawk of the carrot pen rewinding played out in his mind, and Judy's words began to repeat like a broken record; 'But you acted ever since you were eight.'

'But you acted ever since you were eight.'

'But you acted ever since you were eight…'

"Carrots…" he began to say, looking over. Suddenly a lot of things made sense. He was even feeling better about himself already. This explained everything! It wasn't him! He wasn't contaminated. His old Nick persona wasn't himself, it was just an act he got lost in and he needed to learn to let go of. He could work out how to release himself from it, rather than focus on the little things, and kill the problem at its core. He wasn't unsalvageable after all! His smile grew as he carried on speaking to the bunny. "You're just…."

He was cut off as her radio squawked. She quickly pulled it up to her ear, nodded a few times, before speaking. "It was my partner. Call it off… Yes, I'm sure."

Putting the radio down, her nose twitched a few times nervously. "That was from Trunkaby."

"Right…"

"Warning us about an 11-73 she heard somewhere inside…"

Nick gulped, immediately adopting his 'oh crap' voice. "That's our 'crazy old person' code… -right?"

The bunny nodded, as Nick's palm had a sudden meeting with his face.

.

.

.

By the time he met up with his therapist again, Judy in tow, Nick was feeling a lot better. He happily explained his previous concerns to his work partner, even feeling a bit of a boost as Dr Lupuleli noted that he was opening up a lot by saying these things. He just replied that now he understood them, it was easy. Now that he understood that he'd acted this way as a defence since he was a kit and just got lost in it, and that it wasn't who he really was, he felt so much better. He wasn't tainted, he didn't have that blackness at heart. He just needed to learn how to give up the act, and then just be…

He finished off smiling, only for that smile to fade as he saw the concerned look on a certain bunny's face.

"Carrots?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

There was a cold silence as she just sat there, a slightly confused and almost pitying look on her face.

"Carrots..?"

She stepped forwards, and to Nick's surprise she went straight for one of his paws, holding it tenderly. Her thumb ran along his knuckles, stroking them, before she looked up into his eyes. "I didn't know he knocked you that badly," she said. "It explains why you've been acting strange this week." There was a soft pause, before she carried on. "It's okay though, Nick. I see nothing of him in you."

Nick's ears rose ever so slightly. "Really? Promise?"

She gave him a big grin. "Bunny Scout's honour, I promise."

Nick felt a surge of relief wash through him. "Good… Heh… -Important to know you still see me as top fox," he said.

"Don't flatter yourself," she joked back, pausing though as she heard the hollow laugh Nick gave in return. He was looking away slightly.

"I… Yeah, still a lot of work to do with this whole new me thing," he noted seriously.

Judy blinked a few times, and looked at him, shaking her head slightly. "Nick," she began, "You don't need to change the real you."

"But it isn't the real me I'm talking about," the fox replied. "It's this act I got lost in. It's about dumping that old hustler and going back to being that little ranger scout. You know, the one who peeks through sometimes that you like. The one that stood up for you. The one that didn't leave you at the museum…" He trailed off, looking at her as he took a steadying breath. "I've got to try," he said, a little grin growing on his muzzle. "And I know someone here who made a very nice speech about trying."

Judy glanced up at Dr Lupuleli, trying to gauge anything but seeing nothing of use, before returning to her fox. "If this is something you seriously feel you have to do," she said, "I'll be there to help."

"Thank you," he said. "And I believe it really is," he carried on, turning to the binturong beside them. "Don't you agree?"

"I'm here to help you on your own path," she said. "I don't give you an endpoint, or give you a map, I…"

"It's going to be a no, doc, isn't it?" Nick deadpanned.

Amy nodded. "It is, though I don't feel like I can convince you of that here and now," she said. There was a pause as she thought, before she carried on speaking. "I can try and give you some tests that you could do. Exposing yourself, and either dispelling or confirming this thesis of yours. Does that sound reasonable?"

"I mean I guess," Nick replied, before he shook his head. "But I feel so certain about this, so it'll probably be a waste of time. In any case, I'm trying to improve myself, aren't I? Bring the old me back. What's wrong with that?"

"You're trying to change yourself," the therapist pointed out. "Might as well confirm that a change is needed and will actually be good."

Nick looked at her, his tail giving a few casual swishes, before he gave a defeated shrug and spoke. "I don't feel like I can convince you of this here and now," he said, smirking slightly. "But I'll do these things, whatever they are, to keep you happy."

"Thank you," she said, an ever so slight look of relief washing over her face. "As for what you'll be doing… -You brought up the idea of acting a lot. Have any of you done any amateur acting?"

Nick chuckled, waving a dismissive pawn "Please, professional abandoned TV pilot veteran in the room."

"University theatre club musical actress in the room," Judy chirped up too, her paw springing up.

Nick's eyes widened, and he leant forwards, curious. "I didn't know you were in a musical."

She chuckled back, shaking her head. "Ever since I was a little kit, I loved acting. It was my backup career for the police force for most of my life! In fact, I first became interested in both things for the same reason."

"Now this I've got to hear," Nick said. "I mean, I always thought that you became a cop after seeing some terrible injustice that needed fixing! Or that someone was in peril and you saved them…" He closed his eyes, drumming his fingers along his muzzle as he thought. "Or maybe some embarrassing failure at basic Bunny 101 or something; a flop so bad it made you want to try your hardest at something completely different, or it was such a worry for you that you ran away, only to be returned by an inspiring officer of the law. Screwing up at a harvest, or being worse than useless with young kits, either way getting very messy and shell shocked and…"

"Nick, not everyone has a tragic backstory," Judy pointed out, matter-of-factly. Pointing a finger at herself, she boasted out proudly. "In my case, I was inspired by officers Humps and Spitz, from TV's fuzzy justice!"

Nick paused for a moment.

"Can we swap backstories?" he asked at last. "I didn't know cute and happy and being too young to get the 'that makes my hump rock hard' joke was an option."

"...Aaaaannnnnd... that's my childhood ruined," Judy said, ever chippy. "Thanks Nick!"

"My pleasure," he said, taking a bow.

Judy looked on for a few seconds, before pushing forwards. "Anyway, I did drama all through my school years, and at university. I was actually good friends with the head of Bunnyburrow States's drama society and played a starring role in our Pirates of Pawzance performance."

Nick froze, his mouth hanging open. "Sweet mother Marian," he gasped.

"What?"

"Judy-Hopps-doing-modern-major-general! Judy-Hopps-doing-modern-major-general! Judy-Hopps-Doing-Modern-Major-General!"

She burst out laughing. "Almost, but not quite." She stood up, clearing her throat, before pausing to think and remember. Finally, dropping her voice an octave or two for good measure, she began singing:

"When a felon's not engaged in his employment! his employment.

Or maturing his felonious little plans, little plans.

His capacity for innocent enjoyment, -cent employment.

Is just as great as any honest Mam's, honest Mam's"

...

"My life is now complete," Nick stated solemly. "There is nothing left for me, for I hath seen Judy Hopps singing the third most known song from the world's favourite satiric pirate opera… -and is it me, or do you smell popcorn?"

"That's your therapist," Judy deadpanned, "binturongs smell like that.'

"No…" Nick said, trailing off as he took a few additional sniffs. "I think I smell actual popcorn."

Crunch...

Both Nick and Judy turned to face Dr Lupleli. There was a brief pause, before she pulled up an opened packet of popcorn and swallowed. "Want any?"

They both shrugged and took a pawfull. "That was all interesting," she stated as they ate. "Officer Hopps, did you ever find any actors who got lost in their roles?"

She thought for a moment or two. "Well, there was the leader of the theatre club who… -let's just say he got very involved with his roles."

"Is he nearby? Still acting?"

Judy's eyes widened. "He actually works at a theatre in the city!" She said, turning to Nick. "We could visit him."

"Sure," Nick said with a shrug. "It could be fun."

Dr Lupleli nodded, before grabbing a bit of paper. She wrote something down on it, before looking up to Nick. "Could you let Judy and I talk for a second. In private?"

Nick nodded and left the room. They weren't in there for long, and he was very curious, something turned right to up eleven when Judy came out. "I am bound by silence," she announced, handing him a letter. He glanced at it, spotting 'open in case of existential crisis' written on the front.

"Very reassuring," he noted, slipping the letter into a pocket and then scolding himself a little for his old-Nick-ness. "Now what?"

"Now," Judy said, beginning to hop up and down with excitement. "I'm going to take you to meet Jack Savage!"