The new tales from Zootopia

by Vindictive456

This story is a well thought out work of fan-fiction that will cover in moderate pace how Judy came back to the force and convinced Nick to be her partner, Nick's training to become an officer and his days at the academy, a weird new case involving corrupt mammals and a new dangerous drug, all of that sprinkled with the growing love between Zootopia's favorite pair of officers.

5. Episode 5: Facts

Author's notes: It took me a little while to get the other chapters fixed up and ready to publish, my computer had to get a hard reset and the Word software had to be updated, I feared that all my documents were going to be deleted, good thing nothing of the sort happened, I just tend to make things with technology more complicated than they need to be on a few occasions. At any case, this chapter is one of the good ones. There are some essential parts to the story and others that i put in just for the feel of it, I want to thank everyone that decided to show up and give my story a chance, you guys are amazing. Hope I can continue delivering more pieces of it in the future but I suppose only time will tell. Enough of me rambling on and on, let's get this next chapter started!

Episode 5: Facts

It took a couple of days, but just as the doctors promised Judy was back on her feet once more and leaving the hospital with renewed spirits and a brand new adding to her perspective in life, chief Bogo had given her job back and things with Nick seemed to be going rather well too, the fox visited her many other times in the hospital despise his constant struggle to get use to the sterilized hospital smell that he loathed so much. Every day he visited her Nick made his job to bring games or food that she liked or simply to stay long enough for them to exchange a few ideas, it was a nice routine, Nick would come to visit and sit close by so they could talk, sometimes she would drag him into a talk about the various aspects of police work and other times he would regale her with his funniest exploits around the streets of Zootopia, as Judy passed the time alongside Nick she started to understand his odd behaviors, the way he tried keeping things light with a joke every now and then, the way he moved around making gestures with his paws and ears or simply keeping it to himself with his paws in his pockets, the way he smiled or just looked at something around him for Judy all of Nick's aspects were fascinating, while he was visiting the hospital to keep her company Judy studied every feature of him, every occasion spent and every word spoken just helped reinforce what she already knew, Nick really wasn't a bad mammal, his snarky and wise way to act was almost like a defense mechanism that he placed inside himself as a way to deal with many of the adversities he found on his way.

While Judy was still at the hospital she managed to call the tenant of her old building, she was able to cut a nice deal and get her small apartment back since no one had the time, or better even the good sense, to rent it, luckily for her, the noisy neighbors that she had to contend with had gone out for a few days so she didn't have any problems settling in, getting a few more quiet nights and more time to prepare for the press conference set to be held two days after she left the hospital behind on Tuesday at noon.

Her parents and a few of her siblings were kind enough to help move some of her stuff from Bunnyburrow back into the city, not a lot of things, just a few more sets of clothes and other personal items, her place was rather cramped plus she still didn't know if she was even going to permanently move back into the city, but the day of the new press conference was fast approaching and she chose to focus on keeping her thoughts cooled and in order for the chance to lay all the facts on the line for everyone to hear. The mammals of Zootopia were going to have lots of questions and she had to keep a leveled head if she was going to keep things from escalating anymore.

Once the day had finally come, Judy was sitting on her bed reading a new article that showed Bellwether being taken into custody and still awaiting trial for her crimes, many of her co-conspirators were charged and arrested on the spot as well but there were indications that she may have had a few other payed goons on her back and call, there were also a few rumors, most located down at the comment section of the report, showing that a surprising number of mammals wasn't too keen on believing that story. Judy sighed and hoped that showing up at the press conference to answer the questions presented to her was going to be enough to set the minds of the citizens at ease.

After she took one look at the clock and saw how it was getting late she thought it would be best to leave sooner for the precinct, she didn't have a uniform to get dressed so she decided to get a quick shower, get into some simple clothes, a nice buttoned up sky blue T-shirt with a little pocket on the left lapel followed by a cozy pair of jeans, and make her way to the police station at the heart of the main savanna district. She made a hasty double check to see if she had everything she needed with her, she exited the apartment locking the door behind her and went one to present herself to the press once more in her life. She really hoped that was the last time.

As she strolled over the concrete sidewalks occasionally crossing a street or two on her way to precinct one, Judy kept her eyes fixated on the pebbles and asphalt passing beneath her, she knew that she had to do this, she knew that she needed to show up and speak all of the facts, she assured the chief that she was capable of doing just that but, for some reason, she didn't feel up to it. She spent so much time practicing in front of the mirror remembering everything that she had to say, planning for every eventual question that might pop up, even so she didn't feel like she was going to do well, a myriad of negative outcomes rushed pass her brain at every step she take in the direction of the precinct:

"Oh, no! What if I choke in the middle of an answer?! What if I make a clown out of myself?! Oh, Turnips! I am so nervous! C'mon Judith! You've been through tougher spots in your life! You can do this!"

She said to herself inside of her head as she kept getting closer and closer to her destination. Judy had decided quite early in her life to plan ahead and take control of her life only to realize much later how silly that was since there are countless instances when losing control of the situation you are in and encountering an unforeseen variable becomes an inevitable outcome. She had developed the habit of planning things out and do her best to follow through with said plan but that didn't help reduce the level of nervousness she felt when the time to put the pan into action arrived, she hated that. Judy's feet continued moving in the fixed direction of the precinct, she slowed her pace and took in a few deep breaths, trying to give herself as much time as possible to figure things out. As her ears dropped down to the back of her head and she, yet again, buried herself in thought she heard a familiar voice calling to her:

- Hi there Carrots!

Judy halted her walk, her ears perked up and her violet eyes raised to find the image of a fox sitting on the steps of the ZPD building, waiting for her with a nice smelling pastry in one paw and a plastic cup of coffee in the other, he got up from the step where he was sitting to properly meet her after taking one last bite of the pastry and one more drink from his coffee, Judy who wasn't expecting to see the fox, gave a few quick steps to get closer to him and cumprimented the fox with a single paw gesture and a gleeful greeting:

- Nick! It's you! You came.

- I wouldn't miss this for the world, I came to give you my undivided moral support. It's really nice to see you up and about once more Fluff. You ready for today?

Judy believed that the sight of Nick would calm her down, it worked, for a little while, as soon as he brought back to her attention the reason why she was there, she clutched her paws into fists, bit her lower lip and released a sigh that showed how uneasy she actually felt inside. Nick walked closer to her and asked:

- Hey, are you doing alright?

Judy started climbing the steps with the fox following right behind her trying to keep up, as he positioned himself beside her she couldn't even muster the will power to launch a proper response, the only thing she could give was an annoyed grunt:

- Mhn…

As they entered the police station Judy spotted the podium where she was going to speak with the press, she walked right past it with her head down, hoping that no one else would see her as she entered the waiting room just over yonder and looked for a chair to sit down. After climbing the seat and letting her ears down once more Nick approached her while having a serious worried look in his eyes, he poked her shoulder and asked:

- Fluff, are you feeling sick? Do you want me to get you some water?

Judy took one glance at Nick's eyes and she started to feel a small blush building up in her face once meeting with the fox's generosity and support, she let herself relax for a while so she could answer him honestly:

- Nick, I am so nervous! I feel a knot in my stomach and it seems like I am going to have a meltdown right here!

Nick grabbed a seat by her side and asked:

- Do you have stage fright or something like that?

Judy dismissed his query with a single wave of her paw and a retort that accumulated most of the confidence that she still had in her:

- I don't get stage fright Nick. I was Main bunny on 'Zootopia's Founders day stage play'. Also, I nailed it, just so you know.

Nick's face shifted from a look of worry into a small side smile, Judy didn't know why she blurted that out, but it still gave her a small shot of confidence. With a teasing tone in his voice and a small gesture with his paws giving her a bit of space, he answered to her:

- Wow! Alright. Didn't know you had such an acting resume under you belt. Should have guessed by the way you delivered your lines at the museum.

Judy almost laughed at that, but she could still feel some weight over herself as she didn't quite feel prepared enough to climb on stage, noticing that she still seemed worried, Nick asked:

- So, if you don't have stage fright what's the matter Carrots?

Judy looked to the ceiling and let out what was really worrying her at that moment:

- What if I choke in the middle of an answer? What if someone hits me with a question that I don't know how to answer? Nick, what if I end up making everything much worse?!

- Slow down Fluff! You're not gonna make anything worse!

- How can you know that? I don't know what is going to happen!

Nick took one long look at her, she was seriously stressed out, on the last few days they got to hang out together a lot and she had time for herself, to rest and think but she still seemed tired as if she had missed some sleep over that moment. Nick remained silent and Judy, perceiving that her friend was stuck in a state of awkward silence, simply said:

- I'm sorry Nick. I don't know why I am acting like this. I thought I had it all figured out. Turns out I don't. Maybe I should talk with chief Bogo so he can give the press an explanation.

Nick poked her shoulder again and said:

- Fluff, c'mon. You faced way worse than a crew of reporters. You're brave enough to kick a ram out of a high speeding subway car, why would this scare you?

Judy coiled herself into the shape of a ball, she hugged her legs and answered:

- Because last time I climbed on that podium everything went wrong. The city went crazy and everyone was afraid. I know all of the facts now, but if I mess up again I don't know what's going to happen… and that scares me.

Nick understood where her fear was coming from, she agreed to present the press conference back at the hospital but it all happened so fast that she didn't have time to think it through and now her thoughts were mashing together and worrying about what could happen. Nick decided to help Judy calm down, he got up from his seat and stood right in front of her so she could hear him loud and clear:

- Judy.

He called her out by her actual name, she let her eyes pop up so she could see him reaching out to her shoulders and placing his paws over her with a soft touch, Judy's ears perked up halfway as Nick spoke up:

- You're right on one thing at least. I don't know how things are going to go down today. If you don't do this I will not think less of you, but someone needs to go up there and give the full honest true about what happened in this city. I cannot think of any mammal smarter or more honest to do that than you fluff.

Judy did her best to let her body relax for a bit, she got out of her little ball form and let her legs hang by the edge of her seat, she let her arms down but she still wasn't fully prepared for the ordeal ahead of her. Nick could tell that she wasn't feeling ready just yet so he tried putting his own little spin on that situation with a fun distraction for her:

- Look, do you know what I do to relax when I get stressed out?

Judy got curious, she looked up to meet eyes with Nick and asked:

- No, what?

Nick gestured with his hands as he walked a few steps away from Judy and showed his entire figure for her, with his eyes fixated on the bunny, he answered:

- Whenever I am feeling stressed, whenever I feel like the day is going to bring me down, I get myself some space from everything around me and shake it up. Literally!

Judy raised a brow at him, not understanding what Nick meant by that, wanting to know where he was going with that, she placed her paws on the seat and leaned her back forward to try and see what he was trying to do. Nick adjusted his tie and showed what he really wanted to say:

- I place myself straight, take a few breaths and then I shake my body all around, almost like I'm trying to shake a nasty bug away from my fur. I shake all the stress and bad vibes out of me.

Nick did as he spoke of, he stared to shake his entire body from left to right, acting almost like he was a common canine drenched in water and was attempting to dry his fur out quickly and effectively. It all started slowly with his head shaking slowly from one side to the other and then returning to repeat said motion, however in mere seconds he sped up the process, as the shaking spread from his head past his torso and right down to his tail his fur fluffed up in all directions making him look rather silly, after this action was finished Nick passed a paw on top of his head to adjust his fur and attuned his tie once more, he looked in Judy's direction once more only this time his smile was renewed and his energy seemed to be somewhat reinvigorated after that, even if he didn't need to do so. He made a gesture with both his paws asking Judy to raise from her seat and join him as he invited her:

- Now it's your turn Carrots. Get over here and Shake it up!

Judy, reluctant to join in but willing to try anything at that point, decided to give the fox's weird methods a chance. She rose from the chair and walked a few steps closer to him, she positioned herself right by his side and began to shake her body with an unenthusiastic flare. Her arms were uncomfortably waving from side to side as they hung alongside her torso and her ears were slowly following the motion, Nick sounded off a small chuckle after seeing her poor excuse for a shimmy and spoke up:

- You're doing it wrong.

Judy pouted for a second after hearing that, she was half convinced that the fox was just making up a way to mess with her, but, after she looked at Nick and his infectious smile she was assured that he wanted to give her genuine help. She turned her eyes to Nick and saw him making a repeat of his previous action as he explained it all over again:

- You're not going to shake anything out of you like that. You look like a wet towel hanging out to dry. You need to do it with more effort. C'mon! Shake it up!

Trying to show Nick that she could do it, Judy put some more effort into her motion, she started to shake furiously from left to right, her ears bopped from one side to the other, her torso shook itself down to the very core and even her fluffy cotton tail got into the swing of things and by the end of it all her fur fluffed up and her entire body felt a sudden rush of energy that seemed to have stayed dormant within her until that moment. Nick got closer to her, bending his body down slowly to match her height, he looked at her and asked:

- How do you feel Carrots?

- I feel…

Judy didn't know what words to use, she looked at Nick as he was awaiting for an answer and smiled as she said:

- I feel much better. Thank you Nick.

The fox shrugged it off and replied:

- Anytime Carrots.

A half hour or so later the reporters arrived right on schedule and they started to gather around to exchange rumors and wild speculation about what was going to be said that morning, the podium was set and a few officers were standing around to take care of a few last security detail for the event, officer Snarlov called the chief who in turn called out to Judy so they could hurry up and get things started already as the caped buffalo climbed the small stage and reached the podium the barrage of questions came at him full speed, this barely fazed him and Judy watched marveled at his composure as he just stood there and began his explanation to the dozes of recorders and cameras pointed at him:

- Thank you all for coming. We believed that after finding the lost mammals who had gone savage the crisis would have ended but we were wrong. We officers at the ZPD encountered an unforeseen challenge when other mammals began to display savage behaviors all around Zootopia. Prejudice and fear were at an all-time high but it was all thanks to the efforts of one of our brightest and bravest officers that the horrible plot to incite conflict within our society was uncovered. She was hurt in the line of duty but now that she has recovered I would like to give the chance for her to explain in detail what lead to this discovery. Officer Judy Hopps!

Judy looked up on the stage and saw Bogo gesturing with his hoof for her to approach, she took one last look at Nick who signalized with a thumbs up that she was going to do fine up there, Judy took one deep breath and shook her body for a couple of seconds to get one last rush of energy before climbing the steps of the stage, Nick crossed his arms and smiled hopefully at her, he didn't want to admit it but he was a tad nervous about what was going to happen but he also felt happy that he was able to help her out with that. As Judy climbed a tall stool to reach the microphones and adjusted herself at the podium, she stared at the crowd of reporters and started her explanation:

- After the protests and the wave of fear that overtook Zootopia, a few weeks after the arrest of former mayor Lionheart, a new piece of information was presented to me. The nomenclature referring to the "Night-howlers" acquired during the previous investigation regarding the whereabouts of the missing mammals case referred not to the wolf enforcers employed by mayor Lionheart, but to a specific species of flower that contained powerful enzymes that turned a mammal's mind into a savage state. These flowers were being planted and the substances in them were extracted in secret as a plot from Dawn Bellwether to turn prey and predator against one another.

The paws raised immediately and Judy decided to choose the first reporter to answer, a slim looking female leopard amidst the crowd showed her microphone and asked:

- Officer Hopps, are you telling that the entire reason for these outburst of violent behavior were caused by a flower?!

Judy positioned and leaned forward to answer:

- No, actually the night-howler flower contained a specific substance that was refined in laboratory conditions to distil a serum that was used to target exclusively predators, all a part of Dawn Bellwether's scheme to implant fear in the minds of mammals and turn them against one another.

Another paw raised, a pig wearing a navy-blue blazer on the front row asked:

- Where was the manufacturing plant for this dangerous illicit substance and why were there no reports of it?

Judy thought about how to put it and answered coherently:

- Sadly the lab where the flowers were cultivated and distilled was destroyed, however enough evidence was recovered to place the ones responsible for manufacturing the serum in jail and along with said evidence an uncontaminated sample of the serum was also recovered which chief Bogo assured me is being used to produce an anti-serum to be used on the targeted mammals that have gone savage and return them to normal.

All eyes turned to chief Bogo on the corner of the stage who simply nodded in accord to the bunny's answer. Another arm raised and this time it was a male zebra who asked:

- Officer Hopps there were rumors of you quitting the force right after the missing mammals case, if that's so weren't you conducting an investigation without the authorization, knowledge or resources of the ZPD to back you up?

Nick clutched his fist in front of his muzzle as he heard that question, Judy's mind flinched for a moment but she did not faulter, she looked right at the reporter and answered:

- The truth of the matter is… I needed some time to think about what was happening and to do that, get my emotions in check, I needed time to myself. I took an administrative leave but I did not stop placing my efforts on the remainder doubts that were left during the previous investigation. It was during my time off when I learned about the moniker given to the flower and rushed back to fill in the blank spots left unchecked before.

Nick left out a little bit of air he had trapped in his lungs for that moment and Judy did the same in silence and doing her absolute best to remain calm and collected in front of everyone, she told herself in silence that there was nothing major to it, that was just a little white lie on her part after all. Everything seemed to be going rather well until the dreaded last question came, the leopard from before asked with an inquisitive though slightly annoyed tone of voice:

- Officer Hopps, you clearly reported before that the reason for the savage outbursts were attributed to a biological motivation, now you repute with them being targeted for it, what does this imply actually?

Judy froze for a moment, she felt like going back into a ball and disappearing, Nick's eyes moved rapidly from Judy to the reporter and back, no one knew what was going to happen next, until Judy put the bravest face she had and answered:

- Miss, what's your name?

Everyone looked at the reporter who responded with:

- Spotermain, Rachel Spotermain, channel 8 news.

Judy proceeded:

- Miss Spotermain, you are right. A month ago I stood in this very same stage and spilled out how our suspicions, mine mostly, about the savage behavior of the predator population being affected was purely for a biological reasons. I was wrong.

Judy took another breath and bent herself a tad more forward over the podium so everyone would hear her:

- When I spoke out about 'biology' and 'primal instinct', I had no true idea what was the real reason of it all. In my unthought words I contributed, although involuntarily, to the progression of Bellwether's plan, I unconsciously helped to spread fear around Zootopia I the belief that any of the city's predators could turn into an angry and unreasonable attacker at any conceivable moment, also, to make matters worse, I hurt a lot of mammals feelings in the process including a friend.

Nick's eyes were open wide as he heard that last bit of her response, Judy continued:

- One citizen of Zootopia, a predator, gave his best efforts to help me during my investigation and I hurt him, along with every predator of Zootopia who became an unjust target of apprehension and prejudice. I could not be more sorry for what I said and I don't think mere words will be enough to express it, but bear in mind that I didn't have all the facts with me at the time, I thought the image before me was clear and I reached a conclusion based on incomplete facts and I am sorry for that.

The entire room was silenced for a moment, the reporters took their time to take copious notes of what just occurred, either that or to simply remain jaw-dropped about what just transpired in the room. Judy demonstrated that she was more than capable of doing what many mammals could not, admitting that she made a mistake and owning up to it, she put her life on the line for the sake of every single mammal living in Zootopia and didn't care what either anyone would think of her for it, she stuck to her principles and was proud of doing so. As Judy noticed all of the eyes turning back at her once more she continued:

- With that being said I also believe that I must deliver a message for every inhabitant of Zootopia: Fear, much like insecurity and prejudgment are major hinderances that every being will find in their lives, either they expect to do so or not, but I learned that it is how we each chose how to deal with these hinderances that truly define us. So, to prey and predator alike I say, do not let fear defy you and do not let discrimination hold you down, everyone has the potential for greatness and every single mammal I met in this city since I arrived is living evidence of it, what really matters is how this greatness amounts to in the big picture. Thank you all for listening to me.

Judy descended from the stage and returned to Nick's side, Bogo was left smiling on the stage to deal with the still present crowd of reporters and one clear thought in his mind:

"This bunny is going to change everything in my precinct."

Judy placed herself close to Nick and was immediately surprised as Nick placed his paw behind her and guided her to the seat where she was trying to relax before, Nick could see that she was having some difficulty with catching her breath. Being steered towards the seat by his paw, Judy simply hopped over the chair and placed her paws over her chest as she breathed in and out, her heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was going to jump out of her body, Nick placed his paws over her shoulders and spoke with a whisper that was remarkably close to a yell:

- Carrots! That was incredible! I didn't know you had all of that in you! You killed it up there!

Judy took a few last breaths and answered:

- I… didn't know it… either. Cheese and crackers! My heart is beating so fast! I thought I was going to have a panic attack out there! Did I do good, Nick?!

- Good?! GOOD?! Carrots, you did amazing! You left every reporter out there smitten with your words. You really know how to give a hell of a speech!

-Well, I… Just blurted out what came to heart, you know?

Judy smiled and tossed her back on the repost of the seat, she let her arms down and closed her eyes with a satisfied sigh, Nick crossed his arms and spoke out to her:

- You know, you didn't have to say that part.

Judy leaned forward on her seat and asked:

- What part?

- The one where you mentioned me and fit an apology in the middle of it all. Okay, I am grateful that you didn't mention my name, but you didn't need to say that you were sorry again, you know I already forgave you, right?

Judy slowly raised from the chair and stood in front of Nick before saying:

- That was not just for you Nick, that was an apology directed to every single predator in Zootopia, it felt like I owed them at least an apology for the mess I created.

- You didn't create that mess fluff. The mammals of this city chose to rise up against one another, you didn't know it was gonna lead to that.

Judy placed her right paw over her left arm and awkwardly moved it up and down over the sleeve of her shirt as she said:

- Still feels like it was a little bit my fault.

- Well… I don't know about that. Maybe… 25% your fault.

Judy giggled before speaking to him with a call:

- Nick.

- 28%! At worse!

- NICK!

- Sorry, I'll stop.

With that bit of teasing from his part out of the way, Judy began to walk with Nick following close by, she thought it would be best to leave by one of the precinct's side exits to avoid any more unwanted confrontation with the press, as the fox followed her around the police station he started making a few mental notes about the main aspects of the building itself he didn't have much of a chance during the first time he was there about a month before. He noticed how there were specialized apparatus and waiting rooms for animals of different weights and sizes, he caught a glimpse of the door that lead to the carpool and his automotive intuition was peaked on the spot, he was even intrigued by some of the officers that were posted nearby, most of them saluted Judy with a genuine and significant smidgen of respect.

After they were out of the building and descending the small steps by the eastern side of the structure, Nick already was half convinced that becoming an officer was not such a bad idea, the thing is he knew that becoming a cop didn't happen overnight, he looked at the bunny walking in front of him, the many times that she had proven how brave and tough she really was rushed by his head and he couldn't help but compare the extreme differences between them when it came to certain personal characteristics. Judy had this aura about her, this energy that made her stand out from any other run-of-the-mill bunny around, the way she acted and talked with clarity and honesty in every syllable also contributed to the confirmation that she was the kind of mammal that he could trust and open up in a way he hadn't felt the need to do in a long time.

As they were walking by the sidewalk, Judy was thinking about heading home for the day and Nick was just following close by with a simple smile and a cemented look of admiration for her in his eyes, Judy didn't turn around to look at him but she knew that he was following her close, she decided to pull a conversation from him:

- You became awfully quiet all of a sudden slick. Is everything alright.

Nick's ears twitched out of surprise from her voice sounding off and he simply replied:

- Don't worry your fluffy little head with me Carrots, just getting a few thoughts in order for the day. Nothing to be concerned about.

Nick picked up the pace and stepped right by Judy's left side, not wanting to part just yet he decided to spring an invitation her way:

- Say Carrots, are you hungry? I only got two bagels and a coffee before coming here and I am already feeling famished. Plus, emotional speeches really give me an appetite.

Judy smiled and placed a paw over her belly, she was starting to feel kind of hungry too, she answered:

- Actually I skipped lunch today, I could really go for something to eat right about now.

With his slick side smile Nick pointed to a nearby avenue and spoke up:

- Well you're in luck Fluff. There is this awesome diner nearby, they make great juice and their pretzels are legendary. If we go by there with a quick jog we might just make it before the morning rush. You in?

Judy answer was a simple positive head nod and a sunny smile that let Nick know that she was on board with his idea, it would be a nice chance for her to know a new spot in the city where she could get something nice to eat in the afternoon. As Nick began to guide her in the general direction of the establishment, he poked her on the shoulder and asked:

- You're paying right?

Judy walked a little slower and looked right at Nick as she asked:

- Wow! Really Nick?

- What?! I'm a little short on cash Carrots. I'll pay you back, I'm good for it.

Judy dismissed his silliness and petted his arm as she said:

- No, don't worry about it. My treat.

Judy kept on with her walk and Nick was left impressed for a few seconds with her overall kindness, he was determined to keep learning new things with that bunny, for some reason her cheerful disposition filled him with a warm feeling that he hasn't handled in a long time and he could not get enough of it, her returned to walk by her side and they went on to have a nice meal at the dinner on Duval St., one of Nick's favorite spots to get a good bite to eat.

---

- Hum! This is soooooo good!

Judy spoke up as she kept chewing on the pretzel she was eating, Judy and Nick were both walking on the way to her apartment, after they got some food at the dinner he decided to walk her back to her place, mostly because he was getting more and more fond of her comradery. Nick smiled at her comment with the cup of coffee held tight in his paw and spoke up with a satisfied tone of voice:

- The best pretzels in the city, just as I advertised. None of those "from the bag" junk you find around on the streets and super-markets, Edgar's diner makes these on the spot, you can really tell the difference.

Judy swallowed one last bite from the salty treat she was eating and immediately went for another one she was carrying on the small paper bag in her paws, she attacked the pastry with a delightful crunch and continued speaking while still chewing:

- It's so crunchy and tasty! I can't stop eating these.

- I can see that! You already had five of them.

As they were approaching the building where Judy's place was located she noticed something, there were two gazelles making their way inside the structure, one of them was holding a soda can in one hoof while followed by the second one who was holding two plastic bags filled to the brim with groceries, one in each hoof. Judy recognized the pair on the spot but she wasn't particularly thrilled with seeing them again, nevertheless she approached them an gave out a polite greeting:

- Hi there you guys.

The two gazelles started to give a back and forth argument after seeing who cumprimented them:

- Oh, wow! Check it out, the bunny cop is back!

- Told ya she would be back.

- Did not. You said she moved to a better building.

- No way! You're the one who said that!

- You're crazy!

- Do not call me crazy! You know how much I hate that!

- I'll call you whatever I want.

That discussion went on and on as both of them made their way inside the building and up the stairs, Judy released a sigh and Nick just watched mystified as the argument continued without any sign of slowing down while taking one last sip from his coffee cup. Judy turned to him and spoke up:

- Those were Zephyr and Pronk. They are my neighbors.

- Well… they seem… interesting.

- That's one word for them.

Judy entered her building and climbed up the stairs, she was really looking forward to taking a rest and getting ready for the work ahead of her, she needed to get her uniform from the precinct lock up, she had to certify that all the paper work was in order, she also had to give the lab guys at the ZPD a visit to confirm progress on the anti-serum for the savage mammals, she was actually excited to get all of that done and go back to the streets, even if she would have to deal with parking duty for a couple of weeks before moving up to the actual big stuff. Nick was still right behind her, checking his phone and noticing that he only had a few points of battery left, he called the bunny's attention as he asked with an unenthusiastic tone of voice and moved his thumb over the touchscreen:

- Hey, Fluff, do you mind if I go in real quick and leave my cellphone charging at your place? I still got some work to do out on the streets today and my battery is just about to be totally spent.

- Oh, sure, no problem. Just a heads up, my place is… kind of a mess.

Nick chuckled and launched his retort:

- Carrots, I can guarantee you that no matter how much of a mess your place is, mine will always be a hundred times worse.

As they were reaching the floor where Judy's apartment was, the bunny raised a brow at the fox who still had his trademark smile on his face, after she heard the way he boasted about his own life of leisure, with a silly smile and almost bursting off with laugh she answered him:

- Nick, that is not something you should be particularly proud of.

- Maybe, but I am regardless.

Judy laughed at his comment and reached for her keys, with a metal tinkling she unlocked the door and opened it to reveal the sight of her humble abode. Nick's face quickly changed from a smile of satisfaction to a scowl of shock, the door lead to a single room containing a single bed by the left wall, a small wooden table, a chair, a small microwave and a single window by the far wall. The wallpaper was bland and it was easy to notice how damp it was, there were a few clothes scattered by the floor, a shirt tossed by the bed side and a set of work-out shorts placed on the chair seat, under the bed there were a few boxes marked with dark markers showing their contents there were books, shirts and even self-hygiene products, Nick could hardly believe how small the living space that belonged to his bunny friend really was, he knew that Judy was probably a simple kind of mammal, she was smaller than him and didn't need too much living space to settle herself and her belongings in, but that apartment could barely be called a living quarters as there were some boxes that couldn't fit all the way under the bed, the solitary microwave was not the most appropriate appliance for preparing a satisfactory meal and, even if Judy was small compared to him, there was scarcely enough space to walk around.

Nick began to turn his eyes in every direction as Judy bent down to her knees to start making some rushed clean-ups on her room, she grabbed the clothes that she had left on the floor when she had went out in a hurry for the press conference and hoped that Nick didn't mind the state of the place, she raised from the ground and look at the fox as he continued to look round with a touch of incredulity in his eyes, her mouth formed a bashful smile and she spoke up:

- Told you my place was a bit of a mess.

Being pulled bac into the moment, Nick's only response was not very enthusiastic:

- Well… yes. But that is not… Never mind.

Judy picked her clothes and mushed them into a pile under the bed so she could sort them out later, she turned her body around and pointed to a small electrical outlet on the wall near the bed where Nick could charge his phone it was also one of the only two existing outlets in the room by his account. The fox retrieved the phone and the charger wire from his pocket and plugged it in, he grabbed the chair to sit and wait for a few minutes for the battery to power up some more, as for Judy, after she was done pilling up her clothes, she grabbed a seat by the bed and opened her phone up to check if there were any significant changes in the news, she didn't expect to catch her own image in the reports so soon but she still felt thrilled to witness if something was going to change, a rather crude flaw in her personality, she was a little impatient when it came to certain points of her life, she became anxious when it felt like the time to see or learn or even to prove a point, she gathered the facts, she made the plans, she assumed control of her own life and actions, granted most of the times she rushed in despise of a well thought out plan she ended bashing head first into a bigger problem than she initially imagined, but she never let that stop her. As she moved her finger over the screen of her phone, Judy noticed that Nick had gone quiet again, he had a look on his muzzle that was foreign to her, he usually acted much more carefree, with a tad of worry in her voice Judy asked:

- Nick, is something wrong?

Nick's eyes darted for Judy as he gave his retort:

- Carrots, I'm fine. I was just wondering if… well…

He felt his own words struggling to leave his mouth, that usually never happened to him when he was talking to someone else, and yet, the bunny sitting across from him managed to do that many times already. Judy didn't understand what Nick was trying to tell her, she was sure that something was wrong by his point of view, she just wasn't sure what. She decided to press him for the answer with a soft plead:

- Nick, it's alright. You can tell me what is wrong.

- Nothing is exactly wrong, Carrots. I was just wondering… do you really live here?

At that time Judy found herself a little confused with his question, she moved her eyes around and didn't see the exact target of the fox's question without realizing that the target was the entire room that she made a feeble home out of. She looked back at Nick and answered him:

- Well… yes Nick. Why? Is something wrong?

- Fluff, not to sound like a drag but this place… is a closet. It is a big closet but it is a closet, nonetheless.

Judy raised from her bed and gave a few steps around the apartment, she reached the window and leaned against the piece of wall under it as she spoke:

- It's not that bad. I have more than enough room to do the things that I need for the day.

- You don't even have enough room to store your stuff. I can see that most of it is lying under the bed and piling on to the floor, you can actually trip on something and fall.

Judy looked at the floor and used her feet to tuck some of the stuff that was threatening to invade the fraction of the ground where she walked back under the bed, she did so with a bit of embarrassment forming on her cheeks, Judy stepped in front of Nick and continued to try and make her point:

- I don't occupy a lot of space myself. Plus, I have no major distractions to deviate me from my work.

Nick raised from the chair and the look above his muzzle said it all, he got close to Judy and spun around so he could bring the entirety of the space into focus:

- Carrots, everyone needs distractions, working all the time without enjoying yourself every once in a while is a sure fire way to drive any mammal nuts. Sure you have enough space to rest, eat and work, but you don't got enough space to live. I know that this is none of my business but you should get a bigger place for yourself, somewhere you can have to hang out and organize your things and… and…

After one last look around the damp walls of the place, Nick made one crucial question:

- Wait a sec, where's the bathroom?

Judy pointed a finger to the exit door and gestured with a gentle turning point:

- Down the hall, third door on the left.

- You don't even have your own bathroom in here?!

- Well, I…

Judy didn't know how to feel in that moment, Nick said it himself, how and where she lived wasn't his obligation to concern about but the more she thought about it the more it daunted on her that her living conditions were less than optimal. Nick sat close to her over the bed and gave her some time to think things through, Judy reached a paw into the air in front of her and spoke up:

- Nick, I don't believe that I need any more space for myself. Truth be told it would be nice to have a bathing room of my own but this was the standard living spot that I could find with the money I had saved.

- How much is the rent on this pace?

Judy thought for a moment and answered:

- I pay about… 550 dollars a month. Not including living expenses.

Nick searched in his mind and mind a few calculations in silence, after taking inventory of the contacts he had in mind he turned to Judy but she cut him off before he could get a word in edgewise:

- I don't have any major problems with this place. The one thing that really bothers me are my neighbors… they can be a bit noisy from time to time.

On that moment, a voice came from the other side of the wall closest to the bed, a bragging voice:

- YOU SEE?! I KNEW YOU WERE BEING TOO NOISY!

- SHE SPOKE OF BOTH OF US YOU KNUCKLE-HEAD! YOU ARE JUST AS NOISY AS I AM!

- DON'T YOU DARE PUT THAT SHIT ON ME! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT LIKES PUTTING THE MUSIC TOO HIGH!

- DUDE, SHUT UP!

- YOU SHUT UP!

That argument on the other side of the wall went on and on for a few more minutes with no sign of slowing down, Judy's face at the time might have been priceless for Nick at any other time, but in that serious instance he was not even wasting effort with a laugh, he was serious in helping her. Judy clasped her paws over her knees and spoke up with a low volume in her voice:

- They tend to argue like this on most occasions.

- Do you have the grounds to arrest them?

- Nick!

- Just spit balling here. I'm merely going ahead and placing that as an option for future references.

Judy lowered her head attempting to hide her smile, it was peculiar to her, how he managed to lighten the mood with a few jokes that just seemed to come to him sort of naturally, Judy turned back at Nick as he moved his paw around to emphasize his point:

- Look, if your choice is to live inside this stuffy place for good then it is none of my concern, it is your life and I cannot tell you how to live it, but I can give you my guarantee that I will be able to find you a better place to live in while you're staying in Zootopia. It might take some time but I just know I can find you a place to fit in your budget.

- Nick, I…

- It doesn't need to be a penthouse suite by any means Carrots, at the very least let me help you seek out a place with a living room and a bathroom of your own.

Judy bit down on her lower lip as she thought carefully about that decision, Nick simply remained seated and waiting for her answer, he braced himself inside not expecting a lot from her, Nick knew the kind of mammal Judy was, she was kind and determined but she also could be far too modest whenever she was not being smug or hot-headed, she was almost like a comic-book superhero, she gave all of herself to help other and she did so with all of her dedication but in doing so she habitually forgot to help herself, there was nothing inherently wrong with that and he was still not sure what pushed him from within to keep giving her his assistance, he just wanted to do so, nudge her on the right path for a stellar existence on Zootopia and into spending more time together. Judy took a bit of air and looked at Nick, but her answer still didn't come out, one look into his eyes and her perception was shaken, before she could give a tangible answer the same pair of voices came once more from the other side of the wall on a tone similar to whispers but still rather close to yells:

- What is she waiting for?! If someone offered me to get out of this freaking hole in the wall place I would've done it on the spot!

- See? I told that the fox came by to help her out.

- Bullshit! You said that he was going to eat her!

- Did not! And would you keep it quiet? I'm trying to hear where this is going!

- This is going with you heading straight to jail! You forget she is a cop?

- Would you just chill? Nothing is gonna happen to me.

Judy's face was red like a tomato, She covered her face up with both her paws not knowing if she would laugh at the situation or yell at her nosy neighbors in frustration, Nick took control of the moment himself, just as soon as Judy turned her eyes back at him, he raised his paw, clutched it into a fist and smacked it against the wall releasing an audible 'THUMP!' against the wallpaper that could be heard loud and clear to the other side of the wall, Judy gasped, her eyes shot open and she placed both paws in front of her muzzle and she confirmed that what followed next was the sound of one of her neighbors yelling:

- OW! SON OF A BITCH! MY EAR!

To which Nick replied:

- TRYING TO HAVE A PRIVATE CONVERSATION HERE, GUYS!

Judy remained shocked to that, Nick still had his smug smile as the voices continued to argue on the other side of the wall:

- Ha! You so deserved that!

- Dude, be quiet!

Judy's eyes moved frantically from side to side, silence took hold of her room once more and as soon as she was done giving the place one last check she looked at Nick and gave her answer:

- I suppose that I could use a place with a little extra room to live in. But, are you sure that you want to help me with this?

- Of course I do carrots. Why would you even ask me that?

- Well… it's just that…

Judy took some time before finding the right words to answer him:

- You already done so much for me. You put your life on the line and encouraged me so much throughout these past few days, you already offered so much help to me that I don't even know how to begin repaying you.

Nick shrugged her comment off and reputed:

- You don't have to worry yourself with any of that carrots, I don't mind helping you out a little more. Also, there is no need to repay me, you're my friend and I' glad to be lending a helping paw to you every now and again, you know you would do the same for me either I wanted to or not.

Judy scooched closer to Nick and gave him a small hug, she placed her arms over his side and, even if she couldn't reach all the way around him, she still gave the fox a quick tight squeeze, Nick patted her head with a free paw and smiled at her. Nick wasn't the one mammal that you would turn to when the point where hugs or other common demonstrations of affection but he was getting oddly accustomed with the small bunny who seemed to look for any excuse to squeeze him like that, after Judy let go of him and recoiled a bit with a touch of embarrassment, Nick looked at her raised from the bed and spoke up:

- You can take all the time you need to figure things out, once you are ready to start the whole moving out thing just seek me out and I will take care of the rest.

- Are you sure about that? I heard that finding a good place around Zootopia is a nightmare!

- Not if you know the right mammals fluff. Just take your time and call me when you're ready to go hunting for a new house.

Judy simply gave a positive nod with her head and watched as Nick opened the door and exited the small apartment, Judy was left alone with her thoughts and wondered how nice it would be to have a bigger, better, quieter place to live, somewhere closer to the precinct so she wouldn't need to rush there every day for work, during the time she lived in Zootopia she always had to either wake up in time to catch a ride or run all the way there. As soon as the perspective of new possibilities for her life started to sink in Judy heard a knock on her door, she went to open it and found Nick standing there with an uncomfortable look over his muzzle, calling his attention Judy asked:

- Nick, is something wrong?

The fox pointed to a spot inside the apartment and answered:

- I… forgot my cellphone.

Holding off her fit of laughter, Judy let Nick inside once more so he could retrieve his phone and the charger, he tucked both the items back inside his pocket and turned back to the door, he took a few steps and then assured her:

- Alright, I'm going for real this time.

Judy giggled and said her farewells to him waving with one paw and holding the door with another:

- Bye Nick.

- See you around Carrots.

Judy launched her body over the bed and let her mind wander off again until the two voices she was already familiar with came back to bother in the moment:

- Well… he was nice.

- Yeah, kinda wishing he was my roommate right about now.

- Oh, you so don't mean that.

- Do too! I just don't understand the whole 'Carrots' and 'Fluff' deal. What's that all about?

- It's called a nickname you goof!

- That's just silly!

- Shut up! I think it's cute.

- Don't you tell me to shut up! You shut up!

Judy's rolled her eyes at that, not even wanting to take part or bother herself with the new argument she just placed one hearing phone in each ear and put on some music to hear as she kept checking her phone and waiting to see what was going to turn out both on the news and her seeming new aspects in life. And to think it all was set I motion with the aid of a slick, sly fox.

Author's notes: Well... what do you guys think?

I Don't want to come too strong when it comes to the carachters and their relationships, I'm trying to ease it into the story as so it won't feel like forced sentimentality. At any case, tell me what you think and I will see you guys on the next chapter.

P.S.- I've been thinking about taking a whack at a Spyro fan-fiction or maybe even one involving an original story that happens in the world of minecraft in the distant future, I don't have all the details worked out but the skeletons for both the stories main structure are coming in pretty solid, What do you think?