A/N
Hello everyone. This is a new dalliance of my muse. I have no idea if it will go anywhere, and I can guarantee the updates will be much farther apart if muse graces me with any more at all. Then again, I didn't expect AFH to go past about chapter 5, so… We shall see.
1: Muse is still teasing me with this, so it is not getting posted with a full edit. If it takes off the way A Friendly Hustle did, then any posted chapters will get a fresh scrub and re-write.
2: To those that criticize the technique I am using here, I invite you to write your own fic according to those inviolate rules you seem so convinced I must follow just to make you happy. There are no rules, and a chapter that is nothing but the chapter title and no text can be the most impactful of all. It is what best suits the story and how my muse bothers to present the story to me.
Of course, I do not own Zootopia, and can therefore make no claims to Zootopia or its characters. I only make claim to my own OC's included herein as needed. Though I think I could do more with it than Disney is at the moment. So many awesome ideas that they could use, and they're sitting on their asses.
I blame Bear678 for this.
MRE = Meal Ready to Eat. It's a military thing. They're not actually that bad, at least modern ones, and while they have an expiration date, they don't really go bad due to how they're prepared and preserved.
Anyway, on with the show.
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Wilde Cardz - Savage Territory - Chapter 3
1 year, 4.5 months before the end
Nick was at his desk with Judy doing paperwork, only now they had even more since their certification as a K9 team. Something else again that they were showing themselves to be an exceptional team. Their trainers had compared Nick to the top nose in the K9 unit, Mike Wolford. Add to that Judy's exceptional hearing, which they had taken it upon themselves to train in concert with Nick's training as a K9, and they were nearly unstoppable.
Any time his nose got them a clue, located a suspect, or anything else, there were at least thirty new forms to fill out. In fact, because of the demonstrable power of his nose with her ears, there was discussion of hiring other mammals with similar hearing ability, such as fennec foxes. Nick chuckled internally at that thought and how Fin would be the first mammal he'd recommend.
Their desk was actually wolf sized with the legs cut down to fit them. At least their computers were newer, still old compared to what you could get at the store or online, but newer than most officers had. They came over as spares from City Hall where there were actual mammals their size, just like their chairs. The large desk, with size appropriate gear sitting on it allowed them to split the desk in half, his side and hers. They also got their own little office space, instead of a cubicle, with a lock on the door.
Nick smiled. Oh.. that lock on the door... They had several large cans of scent neutralizer in the bottom drawer for a reason, and it had gotten used several times the past winter. Nick chuckled to himself as listened to Mike groan and complain. The K9 force news letter had just come out, which included he and Judy's graduation announcement. Of course, the newsletter was always at least a month behind in the news of things. You had to pay attention to the weekly emails to actually keep up.
"Oh… Come on! Is nothing sacred with those two? Not only graduating early, but beating my records? Lizz…" Mike whined. "It's so not fair."
Lizz responded with a chuckle in her voice. "What do you want? Them to fail out? Those two don't know how to do things half assed, and you know it."
Nick turned to Judy. "Mike just read the newsletter."
Chuckling, Judy nodded. "So I hear."
Nick leaned over and whispered in her ear. "So, since we're just about done, and our shift is over. What say we drag those two idiots over to Therus for some shrimp burritos. It's about time they knew, and that we know about them. After that, I'm thinking of having rabbit for dessert when we get home. We can always invite them along, if you want." Giving the base of her ear a nip.
Judy squirmed with a groan of pleasure from Nick's nip. "Niiiick…" She hissed. "You are so bad! But you are right. Since you're done, why don't you go do the invite, while I finish up these last few items. We need to start that new case first thing in the morning after the pen. I still can't believe there are still adherents to Dawn's apocalyptic ideas."
Giving her a nip on the base of her other ear. "You got it Fluff." Grinning to himself as she groaned in pleasure and then growled at him, just barely dodging the elbow meant for his ribs.. Leaving her flustered like that always gave him a great swell of pride in his chest, because it reminded him that she wanted and loved him just as much as he loved and wanted her.
As he walked around the cube walls so he could make his way over to where Mike and Lizz's cubes were, Nick thought about the nature and length of their relationship. They had managed to keep it a secret up to that point, save from Bogo. He needed to know, not that he seemed to care as long as they were professional. It helped that Judy couldn't be his TO, that was Mike's job, because she didn't have the seniority. Now they were both trained as TO's and had both trained new officers. No, he and Judy had gotten together right after the museum.
They had discussed it, and they both were under no illusions that it was probably just a side effect of the death defying experiences they had undergone. They knew it probably wouldn't last, but figured they might as well give it a shot. They were all very adult about it and their expectations from each other.
In hindsight, they both realized there was far more to it than just the experiences. Those experiences just brought what had bloomed between them from the moment they locked eyes the very first time to the fore. They connected on just about every level. Mentally, and physically. They were both lost long before they realized they were. Not that anyone but Bogo knew about them. They'd even married in a quiet fox ceremony a year prior, their first anniversary just two weeks in the past, and what an anniversary it was.
Stepping up to Mike's cube with a grin on his muzzle, Nick knocked. "Hey, wolf. What are you and your tiger up to for dinner?" Glancing over his shoulder and gratified to see them both stiffen just slightly at his choice of words. "How about you join Judy and I for dinner. We've found this great place and want to share."
He watched and Lizz and Mike shared a look, Mike replying. "I'm game. How about you, Lizz?"
"Sure…"
Nick grinned. They were good, but there was no way to hide it from him. Not any more. Not after that last SWAT raid where Mike hadn't had a chance to hose himself down with musk mask. "Cool. We'll meet you guys by your car, and you can follow us."
Mike nodded. "Got it. See you in a few, fox."
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Glancing again at his watch, Nick smiled. That had been a fun meal. The reactions of Lizz and Mike were so perfect. The shock that their relationship wasn't secret. The relief that they were not alone, and the further shock that he and Judy had managed to keep it secret by not being secret about it. Even using it to play and prank their fellow officers. They had just moved in together, openly as partners to share the rent, which was true. It also helped cover the reason they smelled so much stronger of each other.
They had become almost inseparable at that point. Of course both he and Judy had gotten promoted a few weeks after that dinner and were officially detectives, and still partners. When they were following leads like they were on Dawn's fanatical followers, sometimes they had to split up and grabbed a partner from non-detectives. They normally used Mike and Lizz, but couldn't that fateful day, because they had been working something else via the task force that Nick and Judy ran.
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A few hours later, Nick checked his watch again and seeing that it was one in the morning, he decided that was late enough for his friends. Nick leapt down from the building and landed on the concrete five stories down. For him, it might as well have been a small hop off a curb to the street. Walking up to the cruiser, he could hear snoring from the back. Opening the passenger side front door, he was hit with the scent of tiger, wolf, musk mask, and sex. He had to give them credit, they did try, and it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Still, he opened the drivers side door as well to let the inside breath a moment.
After five minutes he closed the drivers door, not quietly, and then nimbly hopped over the cruiser, grabbed the bar mounted above the door, and swung in on the passenger side. Looking into the back he saw them both look up at him with bleary eyes. "Hey. Rise and shine, Mike. Gave you till one. Time for your watch."
Nodding with a quiet grumble, Mike disengaged himself from Lizz who grumbled herself, curling up more once Mike was free, mumbling about taskmaster foxes stealing her wolf. Nick met Mike outside the cruiser and pointed up at the cell tower. "I took up a position there. Best views and you can even see some lights from a settlement of some kind. I took pics so we can try and pin down about where it is. Not sure if you feel comfortable climbing up there, but that building is also the tallest around, still, so it's roof is probably the best."
Mike nodded. "Yeah, looks pretty secure. A fall from there might sting, but won't kill me, so that's where I'll go unless it shows itself to be unable to support me. How did you get up there?"
Nick shrugged. "Climbed the side of the building and then there is a built in ladder on the far side of the tower itself."
Mick chuckled. "Climbed the building… So you have a lot of abilities then."
Nick climbed back into the front passenger seat of the cruiser. "A few. I suggest you swap with Lizz about 4 or five. Figure we get going after breakfast at about eight-ish."
Mike nodded. "Sounds good, boss. Thanks for letting us sleep, and for.. well…"
Nick nodded. "No worries. I get it. Carrots and I would be the same. I don't think anyone ever realized how often we used the fact that our office had a lock j onand no windows." Giving Mike a wink before closing the door and curling up. Leaving Mike to laugh.
"Knowing you two outside of work, after you revealed your relationship to us. That I believe."
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Nick curled up in the passenger seat of the cruiser. Being so much smaller than his compatriots, they went with a cruiser designed with them in mind. This meant that Nick could easily curl up on the seat with plenty of room to spare. To his surprise, he felt sleep pulling him into its embrace readily. Something he had not experienced since the Change.
With a smile on his face. He had detected Judy out there somewhere, and she was alive, recently, and in the direction they were going. He also didn't detect the sour edge the scent of a savage had, which meant she wasn't savage. This hope allowed him to slip into a sleep of restful and pleasant dreams he had not had since the Change.
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1 year, 5 months before the end
Nick walked into the office he shared with Judy, coffee in hand, and smirk firmly in place. They had just closed a case. Well, they hadn't closed it, but they did just get the piece of the puzzle that they needed and were just waiting on the warrants to come in. Then they would get to lead the raids that would serve those warrants. It was times like this that Nick was so very glad Judy had hopped into this life, because he felt like he was making a real difference. The specist scumbags that were targeting interspecies couples had what was about to descend on them, coming for a long time. What had Bogo enraged was the fact that the first stage of that raid would have at least seven officers, two in Precinct 1, arrested when they showed up to gear up.
Setting his coffee on their shared desk, he looked around wondering where his partner was. Sniffing, he could smell her but she wasn't anywhere he could see. That said, there was something about her scent and he took a deeper breath. It had a spice and sweetness that indicated excitement. Stepping towards her part of the office. "Judy?"
He heard the slight click of their office door locking and turned just in time to catch the flying bunny who had launched herself at him. "Nick!" Her arms wrapping around his neck and pulling herself up to look in his eyes and a giant grin on her face. "You are so amazing. This nose of yours." Planting a soft kiss on his nose that made his eyes cross. "It is simply one of your best qualities, after of course you tail, tongue, and other parts of your anatomy."
Chuckling as he held her up. "Is that so?"
"Very much so." Her voice became more sultry and her scent deepened and became even spicier and sweeter.
What he was smelling from her dawned on Nick. Judy was in heat, and horny, and he was suddenly very glad their office had a lock on it. "Judy?"
Pulling him into a deep, wanton kiss, she then pulled back and grinned at him. "I checked a few minutes before you got back from getting coffee. The warrants won't be ready until five, and then the raid teams won't be ready until at least seven. Since it is just one, now…" Her eyes took on a decidedly hungry heat. "I want you to bend me over this desk and do what you do best, fox."
Nick Grinned, running his claws through her tail. "You realize you are in heat, right?"
"Mmmhmm… I took my suppressors, and that's why I haven't ripped your uniform off all day. You know they start out hard, and there is only one cure. You. I can't wait until we get home. I need you now. So drop them drawers, fox, and give me what I need."
Nick's grin widened farther as Judy started unbuttoning his shirt and he flipped the button on her fail flap. "Yes, Ma'am."
A few moments later, they were both out of uniform and doing things they really should not be doing in the office. Not that it stopped them. Nick had changed the lock, and that meant that no one was entering their office until they wanted them to. They would also be going through another large mammal can of musk mask. Neither of them however cared about that. They needed each other.
