The Dream I Lived Chapter 2: The Other Side of the Coin, a Naruto + Zootopia Crossover fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Naruto or Zootopia franchises. Comments/Criticism is fine as long as it isn't just hate or flaming.

Thanks for reading and please enjoy

The Dream I Lived

-Chapter 2-

Humming filled the air of Nick's apartment as the fox in question waltzed out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, his damp fur glistening in the morning sunshine and wisps of steam trailed after him. Nick gave himself a quick shake to help rid of any remaining moisture as he walked, tossing the cloth into a laundry hamper once he reached a dresser.

Pulling open the topmost drawer, he grabbed two different button up shirts, one a light green with darker green palm leaf designs and the other dark blue with white flowers. Looking them over with a thoughtful expression for a few moments, he ended up dropping the latter and slipping on the former, quickly doing the buttons with practiced ease.

This was soon followed by a pair of plain grey jeans that hung a bit loose and baggy around his legs and a long blue necktie with white and red stripes. Adjusting the tie around his neck in the mirror, the red fox looked himself over in approval before finger gunning his reflection with a click of his tongue. "You can never go wrong with the classics."

With that said he grabbed his wallet, keys, phone and a few other odds and ends off his nightstand, slipping each into their respective pockets whilst he made his way out of his bedroom and through his modest, and more than a tad messy, living room slash kitchen. Aside from a nice TV and a cozy looking couch there was a chair with a worktable sat in the corner that was covered in various kinds of art supplies, a glass coffee table almost buried in paperwork and files. Along with all this were dozens of little sticky notes that were slapped all over the place, with things ranging from simply reminders to specific dates to seemingly gibberish scribbled across them.

And Nick ignored all of this as he walked right through, only stopping long enough to pick up a large black briefcase that had been sitting by the fridge and a pair of aviators hanging from a hook on the wall on his way out the front door.

A few minutes later the fox emerged out the front of his apartment complex, the door slamming shut behind him loudly as he made his way down the steps and onto the sidewalk, passing by several other mammals going about their day as well. There were smaller critters like hamsters that occasionally flitted out from their safer small paths, ones closer to his own size like a few goats and a porcupine, and then there were the big ones like an elephant who made her way to her car with her children.

Stopping at the curb, Nick slipped on his sunglasses with a smirk as the sun flashed in his eyes and hummed a jaunty tune under his breath, twirling his briefcase in one hand as he patiently waited. What he was waiting for exactly was revealed barely a minute later when a limousine pulled to a stop right in front of him, the back door popping open by itself.

"Hey Manchas," The fox said as he stepped inside, grimacing slightly for a moment before shaking his head and settling into his seat. "Thanks for the lift."

"Of course Mr. Wilde, always happy to be of help." Manchas, a panther up in the driver's seat, stated with a respectful nod in the rearview mirror.

"Ah come on Manchas, still with this whole mister nonsense?" Nick asked rhetorically while rolling his eyes in mock exasperation. "How many times have I told you to just call me Nick?"

"I lost count somewhere around a hundred… Mr. Wilde." The driver stated with a small cheeky smirk on his lips before they both started chuckling.

"Ah well, maybe one of these days it'll finally stick." A comfortable silence filled the vehicle after that as Manchas focused on driving, carefully navigating the crowded city streets.

In the meantime, Nick watched out the city go by through the window, from the downtown district of Savanna Central that he lived in to a brief pass through the scorching hot Sahara Square district then into its freezing polar opposite of Tundratown. Even though it was a sight he had seen many times in his life already, it still marveled the fox on how two completely opposing biomes could exist in such close proximity thanks to the city's climate walls.

He did not envy the poor mammals that had to work night and day just to keep the damn things running properly all the time though. One summer part-time doing that was enough for him to know just how unforgiving that line of work was.

The red furred vulpine was snapped from his thoughts when the limo came to a stop just outside a large mansion that was half buried in snow and had several polar bears in tuxedos standing guard at various spots around it. One of said polar bears, the biggest and toughest looking of the bunch, made his way up to the side door as the window rolled down automatically.

"Nick." He stated, his voice gruff and stern with a heavy accent that made the single word sound far more intimidating than it should have been.

"Koslov," And yet Nick didn't even so much as flinch as he greeted the bear in kind while holding up the suitcase for the much larger mammal to take. "Here's Mr. Big's order, as requested."

Not saying a word, Koslov simply grabbed the case, flicked open the locks, and cracked it open enough to peer at the contents inside. After a minute or so he nodded his head in approval and closed it back up before pulling out a check from his tux that he handed the fox.

"Thanks," Nick said while carefully tucking the slip of paper into a pocket. "Tell Mr. Big the next one should be ready by the end of the week at the latest."

Once more the polar bear nodded without saying a thing before silently stepping away as the window rolled back up and the limo took off again. Watching the car leave closely until it was out of sight, the white-furred mammal huffed softly and headed back towards the mansion to give his boss his package. Just as he was opening the door though, Koslov stopped mid-step, his brow furrowing as he lifted his snout and sniffed the air.

"…Hmmmm," A low grumble echoed in the back of the bear's throat before chuckling at something with a smirk. "Poor fool."

-Twenty Minutes Later, Downtown-

"Thanks again Manchas," Nick said as he hopped out of the limousine just on the outskirts of Little Rodentia, giving the driver a thumbs-up on his way out. "You mind picking me up again next week too?"

"Of course, it's always my pleasure to lend a hand… Mr. Wilde." Manchas said with a wave then quickly peeling off before the fox could remind him once again about calling him mister.

"I swear, one of these days…" Trailing off with a chuckle, Nick shook his head in amusement while heading towards a plain looking building that had a sign reading 'Zhu's Savings and Banking' stuck onto a window by the doorway. An electric chime rang out as he opened the door and stepped inside before coming back out just a few minutes later with a small stack of cash in hand.

Leisurely walking down the street as he counted the bills the red furred mammal's next stop was only a block away at a fast-food joint called WcCrickets. Instead of going inside though, he walked up to a sliding window on the side of the building where a Dingo was leaning against his paw with a tired expression, looking like he was about two seconds from falling asleep.

"Hey Jerry, how's it going? You look like you could use a nap." Nick stated, making the now named Jerry sigh.

"Are you kidding me? It's fricking Monday," He grumbled sourly while sitting up, his back popping loudly as he rolled his shoulders. "You know how bad the morning rush hour is on Mondays. Especially since I'm the only one who's willing work the fricking morning drive through shifts."

"Fair enough," The fox said with a nod while handing over a handful of bills. "I'll just take the usual and get out of your fur then."

"Works for me," Jerry didn't even bother to count the money as he stuffed it into the register before grabbing a foil covered burrito sitting on a chafing rack and tossing it to the fox. "One Breakfast Crunchit Wrap Supreme with extra fried roaches hold the ketchup."

Catching it in one paw, Nick pulled the cover open and gave the wrap a quick sniff, smiling at the delectable aroma that wafted through his nostrils. A soft crunching filled the air as he took a large bite, taking his time chewing to savor the taste as long as he could until he finally swallowed.

"Ah… that's just what the doctor ordered," He said with a satisfied sigh, taking another bite as he waltzed off once more. "Shee ya tomorrow Sherry."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say boss." Jerry grumbled half-heartedly before going back to his dozing, complete with a little snot bubble forming at the end of his snout and everything. Unable to help himself, Nick chuckled at the dingo's antics whilst continuing his way, enjoying his meal as he headed off towards his next destination.

The next few hours would flow by for Nick as he traveled all over Zootopia, making stops in various different shops and businesses in every single district. These included but weren't limited to an art dealership in the coastal side of Savana Central, a boat rental shop on Steam Street in the Canal District, and an Oasis themed Bar smack in the middle of Sahara Square.

He never stayed in one place very long either, only popping in for a few minutes at most in order to chat with the employees/customers, take a look around, check out merchandise, do some shopping, sign some paperwork, or some combination of these things. Twice he went back to his apartment during this, once to pick up some papers and another to drop off some groceries.

It wouldn't be until almost three in the afternoon that the red fox took a break from this constant skipping around at a cozy little restaurant called Café Tranquille. Taking a seat at one of the outdoor tables they had, he relaxed under the cooling shade of its umbrella and lifted his sunglasses up atop his head as he flagged down one a waitress.

"Howdy honey, what can I get for ya today?" Said waitress, a brown furred Flemish rabbit that stood a few inches taller than himself with a light southern accent named Freya based on her nametag, asked as she offered him a bright smile. Despite her apparent cheeriness though, a slight twitching of her ears and the way she repeatedly tapped her foot against the ground belied her nervousness. Whether it was from first day jitters, her uniform was far to crisp and she lacked the distinct coffee smell the other waiter had clinging to them, or just due to being near him a fox, IE a rabbit's natural enemy, he wasn't sure.

"I'll take a black coffee with two sugars and a chamomile tea with honey please," In either case he made his order, which the rabbit quickly jotted down. "Oh, and a blueberry muffin."

"Alrighty then, be right back honey-pie." Freya said cheerfully as she hurried off to the counter to deliver his order to the barista.

'First day jitters it is.' Nick thought while watching her leave before leaning into his seat with a sigh, idly flicking his sunglasses back over his eyes when the top of his head peaked out from the shade. Wrapping his arms behind his head, the fox let the sounds of the city washed through his ears and he drifted off for a bit.

Cars honked, mammals talked, phones beeped, so many noises all jumbled together into an endless cacophony that was oddly relaxing in a way. However, one sound in particular that got his attention was that of the chair across from him getting scooched back as someone took a seat, although he didn't show it outwardly.

"Well, well, looking a bit tuckered out aren't we Nickie?" A soft yet slightly hoarse sounding feminine voice filled with amusement asked rhetorically, getting the red furred mammal to crack open an eye.

What he was greeted with was that of a female snow leopard dressed in plain black tank-top and baggy grey sweatpants with long grey hair atop her head that reached to her shoulders in a messy blanket. The most eye-catching part of her though was the oxygen mask covering her snout with a thin air hose leading to a medicated air purifier strapped to her hip.

"Like you're one to talk Martha," He retorted as he sat back up, his lips curled into a playful grin. "You look like you just rolled out of bed."

"Touché Nickie, touché…" Snickering under her breath, Martha adjusted her mask a bit so she could rest her chin against the palm of her paw. "But seriously, what has got you all worn down? Have to pull an all-nighter or something?"

"Actually I got a call from Cudsy this morning," Nick said with a sigh, making Martha's brow quirk up. "He said he was having some issues again, so I've been doing my usual rounds a bit earlier than planned."

"Ah, that makes more sense, he does love bumping off his problems on you." The leopard said as another giggle slipped from her lips.

"I wouldn't say that, Cudsy just knows that I enjoy a good challenge thrown my way every once in a while." Chuckling as well, Nick shook his head with a wave of his paw before reaching into his pants to dig out his wallet

"Order up honey," The reason for this was made clear when the waitress came back with his order on a tray, setting it onto the table with the same bright smile on her face. "Now that'll be-"

"Here, keep the change for your tip." Nick cut her off as he placed a single bill in her hand before she could finish. While baffled at first by the fox's abruptness, that was nothing compared to when the bunny took one look at the numbers on the cash she was given.

"Oh my, t-thank you," She said happily, her smile becoming less rehearsed and more genuine as she scurried back to work once more. "Just give me a call if you need anything else honey."

"…Hmph, the new girl is cute," Martha said with an appreciative whistle as she watched Freya moving about, quickly moving from one table to the next. "And she's pretty skilled for a newbie, I'll have to keep an eye on her."

"Already thinking of poaching her for your own place? I mean by the looks of it she just started today, have you no shame?" Nick asked with a raised brow… before the both of them burst into fits of laughter.

"Ah man, I needed that one Nickie," Once she managed to get her laughter under control the leopard swiped the tea from the tray, lifting her mask up a bit so she could take a sip. "Although speaking of business, I had some trouble this morning as well."

"Oh really?" Nabbing the coffee and muffin for himself, Nick's brow rose again only this time in genuine curiosity as he chomped on the latter. "Anything I should be worried about?"

"Nah, just another customer that got a little too nosy with one of the waitresses again," Martha waved off his concern. "Things got a little hairy but security was able to throw them out the back before things could get too out of hand."

"So just another Monday then?" Nick asked jokingly, chuckling softly as he took a long swill of his coffee. "Some things never change."

"No, no they do not," The masked feline sighed contently with a nod while nursing her drink, her voice slowly losing its haggard edge with each sip. Suddenly though, a smirk formed on her lips and she leaned in closer with a playful purr. "Although some things can change a lot, isn't that right Nickie?"

As she spoke, Nick's amusement dropped as his smile turned into a wry look of annoyance. "If you're hinting at what I think your hinting at you can stop right now."

"Ah come on Nickie, I know the last time didn't go so well but I'm sure it won't be that bad again."

"For the last time Martha, I am not doing another one of your speed dating specials." The fox stated adamantly, making his companion pout with her arms crossed.

"Party pooper." She said while sticking her tongue out at Nick childishly before swiping the rest of his muffin, lifting her mask up just enough to toss the whole thing in her mouth.

"Sue me for not getting interested in being pranced around from one mammal to the next every thirty seconds for dates," Nick said with an eyeroll, holding up his hands to add air quotes when he said 'dates'. "I'll stick with the good old-fashioned methods of romance."

A sputtering laugh escaped Martha's lips mid-sip, spraying tea all over the inside of her mask as she double over. Setting her cup down, she pulled out a small box of wipes and used one to wipe up the mess, all while still giggling wildly. "Who are you trying to kid Nick? If I left things to you then the only Mrs. Wilde the future will ever have is your mother, and you know how sad she'd be if she never got any adorable little grandchildren to spoil rotten."

"Ouch, pulling out the mother card Marth? Now that's just playing dirty." The canine said with a faux offended look, holding a paw over his chest while sighing in an overdramatic manner.

"It may be dirty," Martha started as she slipped her mask back on and taking a few deep breaths, letting the purified oxygen fill her lungs. "But it's also the truth Mr. Workaholic."

"Now you're just exaggerating, when have I ever been a-" A musical tone cut Nick off, causing him to blink in surprise and rifle around in his pocket until he found his cellphone. Flicking on the screen to find that he got a text, his lips almost immediately curled into a frown when he read the message on his screen.

[Package ready for pickup, meet in 15 min, don't be late]

Grunting in annoyance, he stuffed the device back into his pocket and pinched the bridge of his snout. "I've got to go."

"Let me guess, work related?" The leopard asked rhetorically with a cheeky smirk which only grew when the fox gave her a flipped finger in response. "I'll take that as a yes. Want to finish that sentence still?"

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Nick grumbled sourly, quickly chugging down the rest of his beverage as he got up from his seat.

"Oh I most certainly will Nickie." True to her word Martha was giggling up a storm for the dozenth time, with her tail flicking in amusement and eyes twinkling mischievously.

Her good mood would soon prove infectious too as Nick couldn't help but smile again too after just a few moments, patting his friend on the shoulder on the way by. "Later Martha, same time tomorrow?"

"Nah, got to see the good doc tomorrow about getting a new POC, this old gal's about ready to retire for good," The leopard said while patting the oxygen machine on her hip. "But the day after should be good."

"Sounds good to me then." With that said Nick was off, idly waving to a still very happy Freya on the way by while she continued to wait tables.

As Martha was watching him going though, her gaze flickered away briefly and her smirk slowly turned into a more bemused smile. "Hmmm… seems I need to double check my calendar, could have sworn opposite day wasn't until next month."

-Ten Minutes Later-

Nick whistled a jaunty tune as he made his way down a back-alley, an old dolly in tow that clinked noisily across the cracked concrete.

Along the way he kicked a half-crumpled soda can and sent it skittering across the ground a few feet ahead, then doing so again once he caught up to it. Turning it into a sort of game to pass the time, he aimed the next kick so it bounce off the walls, seeing how many times he could make it ricochet consecutively.

Sadly his little game came to an abrupt end when, right after getting a six going on seven bounce combo, a cloven hoof suddenly came down on the aluminum container, crushing it flat. Meanwhile, the owner of said foot, a short teenage boar with a noticeably rotund gut (Even by his species standards) and dressed up in generic looking punk clothes, cracked his knuckles dramatically as he leaned against a wooden crate. "About time you got here you stupid fox, was starting to get bored."

"It's delightful to see you again too Jensen," One could almost see the sarcasm dripping from Nick's mouth as he spoke. "So where's Ramone?"

Scoffing, Jensen shoved off the crate and dusted his hands off. "My old man ain't here, he sent me to do his stupid work for him. Told me it'd 'teach me some responsibility' or some bull crap like that."

"Great… well in that case, here's what I owe your father," Pulling out his wallet, Nick fished out a handful of cash and handed it to the young boar, before going past him. "Now if you'll excuse me."

Walking over to the crate, he started to load it up on his dolly…

"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast fox," However, he wasn't even able to get it off the ground before Jensen suddenly shoved him aside. The overweight bovine had a malicious grin on his lips while waving around the stack of cash he'd been handed. "I went out of my way to get you your precious package and you don't even give me a 'tip'? That's quite rude of you, so how about you cough up another hundred for me?"

"Seriously Jensen, trying to fenagle me for more cash again?" Nick muttered with a deadpan, pinching the bridge of his snout in exasperation as the teen just kept smirking at him and held out a hand expectantly. "Didn't the last hundred failed attempts teach you anything?"

"Oh it taught me something alright, taught me how much I'll enjoy getting even with you," Jensen snorted smugly, his eyes flickering to the side for a moment… before he started cowering in fear? "Help! Police! Someone! Help!"

"…Seriously Jensen?" The deadpan on Nick's face grew even deeper as the boar curled up and whimpered pathetically, literally squealing like a pig as loud as he could.

"What's going on here?" A new voice called out suddenly, causing the fox to snap his gaze to the side to see a newcomer approaching. Said newcomer was a grey furred rabbit dressed in a police uniform, a kevlar vest that had her badge tacked to the front over a neoprene bodysuit and a utility belt hanging around her waist that held various pouches and a dart gun.

"Officer! Thank god you're here!" Not even a second after her arrival, Jensen scrambled away over to the rabbit officer and frantically pointed at Nick. "You have to help please! This vile fox was trying to rob me blind!"

'Ah… so that's his plan.' Nick thought as he watched the boar rambling on and on about him trying to steal his stuff, along with throwing in more than a few speciel slurs for good measure. It didn't exactly take a genius to figure out that Jensen was expecting the cop would take his side solely on the fact she was a rabbit and Nick was a fox.

However, had he actually bothered to pay attention, the pot-bellied bovine might have seen the clear disbelief written all over his would-be 'savior's' face which only grew the more he spoke. In fact, he was so caught up in his own blubbering that he didn't even notice when she looked to Nick, who rolled his eyes with a shrug before holding his hands up.

"Sir, are you aware that lying to a police officer is a felony?" She asked while turning her attention back to Jensen, causing the pig to finally stop talking in shock.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"What I'm saying is that these ears are for far more than just framing the top of my head," The rabbit stated dryly while crossing her arms, one of her ears twitching to emphasize her point. "So perhaps you want to explain what exactly you meant by 'getting even' earlier."

"I… But he… and you… dammit!" Jensen fumbled over his words before eventually swearing loudly and pulling a box cutter out of his pocket. Brandishing it with a scowl, he started swinging around in wide wild swings that forced the officer to hop out of the way. "You useless bitch, you were supposed to-*Pft*-ack!"

Faster than most could blink the rabbit drew her gun and fired, pegging the boar right in the chest with a tranquilizer round.

"You shot me…" Stumbling back several steps, he slowly reached up and plucked the dart out, staring at it in disbelief until it slipped from his trembling hand. Snapping out of his daze when it clattered against the ground, he glowered at the rabbit in pure rage and held up his knife threateningly. "You bith! I'll mathe you vay… for… that…"

Sadly for Jensen though, he barely even made it three steps before the effects of the dart kicked in fully and he flopped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Loud snoring filled the air not even a second after he landed, his entire body shaking like gelatin with each breath.

'You can't say you didn't have that coming to you Jensen.' Nick thought with his lips curling up in amusement as the officer proceeded to slap a pair of handcuff onto the snoozing pig.

"Dispatch, this is Officer Judy Hopps, I've got a 10-15 on East and Flock," The rabbit, now known as Judy, said into her radio once she made sure Jensen was fully restrained. "Suspect detained for falsifying a police report and attempted assault on an officer with a deadly weapon, requesting pickup."

[*Kst* Understood officer, cruiser is on its way, ETA fifteen minutes. *Kst*]

"Well that was a fun," Clapping his hands together, Nick bent over and scooped his crate off the ground. "Now if you'll excuse me I'll just be on my-"

"Hold it right there," Judy cut Nick off abruptly, both verbally and physically when she moved herself between the fox and his dolly. Her vibrant purple eyes were narrowed in suspicion as she gestured to the wooden box held in his arms. "What's in the crate?"

"Oh, just some fruit," Nick said with a smirk, which made the officer raise a brow in clear disbelief. "I know… you're probably thinking 'why would I be buying fruit in some creepy back alley?'"

"Actually I was thinking 'is that really the best excuse you could come up with'." The police bunny stated while pointedly reloading her dart gun before slipping it back in its holster.

"Well it is the truth after all."

"If that is the case then you wouldn't mind if I take a look for myself, would you?" She asked with a raised brow and her arms crossed, obviously expecting Nick to refuse her. So you could imagine Judy's surprise when the fox simply shrugged before plopping the crate down right in front of her.

"By all means officer," Nick bowed in a joking way while taking a few steps back. "Knock yourself out."

While caught off guard by his compliance, Judy was quick to regain her bearings and sent the fox a suspicious look before focusing back on the box. Not seeing anything that really stood out on the outside she cautiously reached for the fasteners holding it shut, thankfully it wasn't bolted shut since she didn't exactly have a crowbar handy.

A soft hiss of air rang out ominously and trails of steam oozed free when the lip popped up slightly the moment it was unlatched before she gingerly lifted it up the rest of the way to reveal… fruit. Specifically large yellow clumps of fruit pulp that was piled in little baskets and neatly stacked between blocks of ice and insulation.

"Okay, not exactly what I was expecting," Judy mumbled under her breath, blinking a few times in surprise, not noticing as Nick pulled out a clothespin and pinching his nose shut with it. "But why wou-"

The bunny officer cut herself off abruptly as her whole body went stiff and her nose started to twitch wildly, before stumbling back like she'd been struck. Tears welled up in her eyes and she cupped both hands over her mouth when her cheeks puffed out.

"Oh god, what in the hell is that smell?!" She shouted out as she leaned against a dumpster for support, gagging and coughing before she eventually ended up spewing her lunch all over the ground and Jensen.

"That officer would be the delightful smell of freshly harvested and packaged durian, a mighty fruit with an even mightier stink," A chuckling Nick explained while he made his way back to the crate and shoved the lid shut, making sure it was properly sealed again. He then loaded it up onto the dolly, strapping it firmly in place, before walking over to Judy's side and patting her on the back supportively. "Stuff stinks so bad that nobody wants to risk having it in their stores so the only way to get it is by direct pick-up like this."

Wheezing tiredly, Judy wiped the bile off her lips once she finally managed to stop heaving. "Why… why would you… ugh… why would you even want to buy that stuff?"

"Oh you'd be amazed at what it can be useful for officer," Nick said with a chuckle while he unplugged his nose, grimacing slightly at the scent still lingering in the air but quickly shrugging it off. "But I'm sure you'll find out soon enough for yourself considering you've been stalking me all day."

Judy froze the moment those words left the fox's lips, her head snapping up to see him smirking at her knowingly. "I-I don't know what you're-"

"I'll admit you did a pretty good job keeping a low profile, had I been you're average mook I'd have probably never noticed ya," Nick cut her off as he held up three fingers. "However, you did make a few rookie mistakes."

-Outside Nick's Apartment-

"Such as when you forgot to make sure the flash was off on your camera this morning."

Stopping at the curb, Nick slipped on his sunglasses with a smirk as the sun flashed in his eyes and hummed a jaunty tune under his breath, twirling his briefcase in one hand as he patiently waited. Meanwhile, just around the corner, Judy swore softly as she duck out of sight and fiddled with a small compact digital camera, the screen showing an image of Nick right as he was putting his sunglasses on.

-Mr. Big's Mansion-

"You also kept leaving yourself upwind."

Perched on a small snowmobile and wearing a white coat that made her almost indistinguishable from the large pile of snow she was hiding behind, Judy used a pair of binoculars to watch Nick passing off his suitcase to Koslov. Once she saw the limousine getting ready to leave, she quickly started up her own ride to get ready for pursuit, shivering slightly as an icy breeze blew against her back.

Just as he was opening the door, Koslov stopped mid-step, his brow furrowing as he lifted his snout and sniffed the air.

"…Hmmmm," A low grumble echoed in the back of the bear's throat before chuckling at something with a smirk. "Poor fool."

- Café Tranquille-

"And lastly, you only focused on staying out of MY line of sight not everyone's."

"Oh really?" Nabbing the coffee and muffin for himself, Nick's brow rose again only this time in genuine curiosity as he chomped on the latter. "Anything I should be worried about?"

"So just another Monday then?" Nick asked jokingly, chuckling softly as he took a long swill of his coffee. As he drank though, the fox discretely tilted his cup just enough to allow him to see a reflection of everything behind himself, including a certain rabbit cop just visible from across the street with a camera in hand. "Some things never change."

-Present-

"All in all, not bad; but you could do better," Nick said while playfully ruffling Judy's head, breaking her out of her shocked stupor.

Swatting the limb away, she couldn't help but scowl at the red furred canine as she smoothed her fur back down. "You make it sound like this is a normal thing for you."

"Maybe it is, or maybe you're just overthinking things," Nick replied with a shrug, his grin never leaving his face. "In either case, I really do need to get going. Places to be, stinky fruit to deliver, all that jazz. So, I guess I'll see ya around later, Officer."

Not waiting for a response, the fox walked off, whistling softly as he grabbed his dolly and made his way back the way he had come. All the while, Judy just watched with a confused and conflicted expression on her face, clearly wanting to say or do something but not sure of what.

However, just as Nick was about to round the corner back onto the main streets, he suddenly stopped to shoot her one last smug grin. "Oh, and before I forget, when you get back to the station, tell Cudsy I said thanks for the fun."

-End of Chapter-