Author's Note: This is a Zootopia: Partners side story. Contains spoilers for the Epilogue chapters.
The blur of a cheetah ran across the monitor, and the camera seemed to struggle to catch up.
"Southpaw works fast!" The Outback Island-accented cheetah declared as he ran. The camera froze, and the wall in the background burst open to reveal a triumphant-looking rhino.
"To take on your toughest stains! No matter how big-!" The rhino roared. The camera then zoomed in on a squirrel, who appeared on the rhino's shoulder and jumped cleanly down in front of him.
"Or small!" The squirrel held out his hands, then saluted with his left hand. The rhino put his arms on his hips and the cheetah reappeared, folding his arms tightly.
"Southpaw can clean it all!" The three said in unison. The picture froze.
"And that's where we are at the moment," a koala named Kevin said, swiveling around in his chair to look at the three featured in the commercial, still dressed in their Southpaw racing jumpsuits. "I really hope they loik this take. Still needs a lot of things editted, more special effects and all that."
"I mean, it's all roit," Trace, the cheetah in the video, shrugged his shoulders. Kevin looked at him with a pained look in his eyes. "What? I don't have any big opinions one way or the otha."
"I think it's cool," Larry the squirrel said cheerfully. "I like my part."
"Me too!" George said, the rhino punching his hands together. "I really liked breaking through that foam wall. Is it really gonna be a brick wall once you finish editing it?"
"Mm," Kevin nodded tiredly. "Anyway, that's it for today. See you all tomorrow unless this take actually makes it through."
Trace stretched. "I need some coffee. You guys down?"
"Sure!" Larry said, and George nodded. Larry leaped onto George's arm and rode his shoulder.
"He's not your personal valet, squirrel," Trace smirked. George and Larry chuckled.
The three walked down to a Snarlbucks two blocks away, not bothering to change their clothes. A handful of mammals recognized them, and one lion kid even stopped them for an autograph.
"Rh!" Larry struggled with the lion's pen that was a bit too big for him. "There... uh, that kind of looks like my signature." Larry looked skeptically at the name. "Larry Wilde-Hopps", one could barely make out. It looked like it was written during an earthquake.
"Thanks!" The lion kid was appreciative anyway, and left the three, waving his book at his mother. "Mom! Mom! Look what I got!"
"Pretty cool feeling, huh, Larry?" George chuckled as the three settled down to a table with their coffees. "That's the first autograph you've signed from a random fan, huh?"
"Yeah," Larry nodded, sipping his hazelnut coffee. "I guess I might have to start carrying around a pen!"
"That is, if you keep winning races," Trace teased, smirking. "That last race of yours was crazy! You drove loik a madsquirrel. You finally found your groove, little mammal?"
"Kinda," Larry shrugged bashfully. "You see, I uh, I met up with my girlfriend just before the race, and it was like... uhm..." Larry chuckled nervously, trailing off.
"Ah, you're hormone-driven," Trace laughed. "Well, whatever works, baby squirrel." Larry tilted his head at the nickname, but he was slightly smiling. He was the youngest member of the Tiny Racing League, so he felt fortunate that he'd even won one race so far.
"I knew it, Trace, I knew it!" George laughed boldly. "I told you something was going on between him and Stacy." Larry's eyes flew open in surprise.
"Yeah well, it didn't take a genius to figure that out," Trace rolled his eyes, sipping some coffee and kicking back.
"Stacy- Stacy?" Larry blinked. "The fox squirrel on my pit crew?"
"Well, duh," George shook his head. "Who else? She's all over you." Larry stared past his two friends as if he was piecing things together.
"So... is it someone else, then?" Trace narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah, it's... well," Larry blinked. He was hesitant to reveal to anyone that he was in a relationship with a ferret, as he didn't want any ridicule to come upon him or her. "She goes to school in Pawprintsteen."
"That's far away," Trace's eyes opened back up and he took another sip.
"Not that far..." Larry said weakly. "She visits occasionally. I uh... but Stacy? I just have lunch or dinner with her occasionally." He shrugged. "That's all." George and Trace stared at Larry as if he was from another planet. "Uh."
"Larry," Trace looked crestfallen. "Please tell me you're not this dense."
"Huh...?" Larry said in a tiny voice.
"Obviously she thinks you're dating her, baby squirrel!" George winced. "You need to pump the brakes, or else this is going to get ugly."
"Oh jeez..." Larry looked down at the table he was sitting on. He took out his phone and smiled weakly at the flirtatious messages Kara, his girlfriend, had given him. He also looked into the texts Stacy was sending him. "Um... I'm supposed to meet her for dinner tonight. Should I cancel?"
"This poor kit," Trace glanced over at George as if pitying the squirrel. "Ladies hate it when you break up with them ova text. You gotta meet her."
"Break up!?" Larry squealed. "I'm not in a relationship with Stacy!"
"You may not think you are," George said solemnly, "but she probably thinks you are..."
"Even if I've never said anything-" Larry started, but then paused. He recalled a story from his adoptive mother about how she found out she was in love with her mate, Nick, and it was before she had even realized it. "Oh no."
"You getting it now?" Trace frowned. "Meet her and break it off. You can't keep leading her on."
"R-right, definitely," Larry nodded. He leaped off the table and quickly scurried out of the shop.
"That kit is gonna get run ova by this world at this rate," Trace shook his head.
"Yeah, well he is just a baby," George smirked. "We can help take care of him." Trace sighed.
Stacy was waiting for Larry when he got there. The fox squirrel was just about Larry's height and looked somewhat similar to him, having a youthful face and blue eyes just a few shades lighter than Larry's. Fox squirrels looked very similar to gray squirrels, but with an almost cheddar color on their underbellies and mixed into their tails. They had gotten together at a forager's restaurant, a pretty small one. Both were dressed casually.
Was it really a date? Larry thought. He automatically moved to open the door for her. It would have been rude not to. Stacy closed her eyes and gave a slight nod of her head as she entered. This was going to be difficult.
Stacy smiled as their nut salads came out, but her brow furrowed as she saw Larry looking pensive. "Something wrong, Larry?"
"I uh-" Larry started nervously. His breath was coming quick; he wasn't sure how to break up with someone, he'd barely even known he was dating her. Now that it was brought out to him, it seemed so obvious. "Stacy, we should probably uh... stop going out to eat together so much."
Stacy's mouth hung open slightly as she brought her fork to her mouth. "What... why?"
"Mm..." Larry bit his lip, looking off to the side. "Well you know, we're kind of co-workers, so wouldn't it be kind of weird if we-"
"Larry, you told me your parents are co-workers," Stacy gave him a wry smile, taking her first bite. "I don't see a problem if you don't."
"Okay, it's not just that," Larry swallowed hard. "I have... a girlfriend."
"Huh!?" Stacy now had Larry's attention. "You never said that!"
Larry swallowed again, guilt wracking him. "I didn't know you and I were seen as a... as a thing."
"...Well it's a good thing I'm not attracted to what's inside your head," Stacy frowned. "Who's this girlfriend of yours!?"
"She- she goes to school in Pawprintsteen," Larry rubbed at his ear.
"Uh huh..." Stacy's eyelids fell. "So, you have a girlfriend that lives half the country away. Convenient."
"We've been together since high school," Larry put his head in his hands. "And now she's gonna think I'm cheating on her, and-"
"Who has to tell her?" Stacy sucked at her teeth. "How are you going to make a relationship like that work, Larry?"
"She... visits me," Larry said lamely. "We talk a lot..."
"Right," Stacy tilted her head and her face became scornful. "Meanwhile, you've been somehow oblivious to my advances and getting us together for food and flirting."
"...Yeah, I'm kind of an idiot," Larry said, bowing his head. "I hope you didn't join the pit crew just to get close to me..."
"Are you that self-centered!?" Stacy spat. "I was on the team before we had a sponsor! They moved me to the TRL before you were assigned to it. I just thought dating you... would be a nice bonus."
Larry sighed. He felt like crying, but he really didn't want to. He couldn't believe he'd been drawn into such a situation.
"You really think that squirrel out in Pawprintsteen is going to wait for you?" Stacy narrowed her eyes. "That school is prestigious! She sure sounds a lot smarter than you! You think she's not going to meet some sort of smart, handsome rodent at that school? Look at you: you're too young to have even finished college, and I know you didn't go!"
Larry let the insults roll off him. He wasn't going to tell her he actually loved a ferret, not a squirrel. He rubbed his temples with his hands.
"Here's another thing," Stacy pointed at him. "You could have had your cake and eaten it too, if you had kept your little mouth closed. Now you have one pissed-off squirrel here and one you claim to be in love with hundreds of miles away!"
"I'm not... like that," Larry said softly. "I don't want to lead either of you on..."
"Yeah well, maybe you should have," Stacy grit her teeth. She actually seemed to be on the verge of tears, her eyes glassy. "Because now I don't get to go out with a nice, kind squirrel like you!"
"It wouldn't be kind to lie to you," Larry said, his voice gaining some strength.
Stacy moved her head to the side. "Some of the kindest things we're told are lies to make us happy..."
"Stacy?" Larry blinked.
"Just... whatever!" Stacy pounded the table with a fist. "You're going to choose your long-distance relationship over me right now, is that what's going to happen?"
"Yes," Larry said without hesitation. "I am."
"It's not going to work out," Stacy sneered. "They don't work out."
"I know it's... unlikely," Larry returned. "But I love her. I won't be unfaithful to her, now that I know what's going on between us."
"We both would have been happier if we didn't know these things," Stacy put her head in her hands. "You could have kept your stupid delusion, and so could I..."
"I'm sorry, Stacy. I'm sorry for hurting you," Larry sighed.
"Don't you like me at all?" Stacy's mouth wobbled. Larry looked away, but nodded slowly. "Then why...?"
"I have to be faithful to her, I've got to see where we're going; if I have a future with her," Larry sighed slowly. "If we don't and if you're not there when that happens, that's my own fault. I can't ask you to 'wait for me' or anything. That's not fair to you. You deserve someone better."
"Better than you?" Stacy's eyes narrowed.
"Well you already said I'm an idiot," Larry's eyes half-lidded and he grinned. "Not that I disagree."
"You're a nice idiot," Stacy sighed, bowing her head. She looked up at him cautiously. "I'm not fired, am I?"
"I don't think that's my decision," Larry chuckled.
"You could get me fired..." Stacy turned her head away.
"I'm not going to get you fired," Larry insisted. "But if it's too hard to work on my team after this, maybe we can do a transfer?"
"No, I don't want to work on another team," Stacy shook her head. "TRL cars are the easiest of me to work on. I just... Larry! Why do you have to be so kind and understanding!? I'm trying to be mad at you."
"Sorry..." Larry winced. "You wanna storm off now?"
"Eh..." Stacy slowly smiled. "Not really."
"Can we be friends?" Larry slowly tried a smile.
"Maybe..." Stacy looked away.
"She's a ferret," Larry found himself saying suddenly. He pushed a fork into his mouth and chewed on a mouthful of salad.
"She-" Stacy's mouth hung open. "Larry, you really are an idiot." She laughed. "A squirrel and a ferret?" Larry took out his phone and unlocked it, showing him a picture the of the two together right before his girlfriend left for college. "...Huh. A squirrel and a ferret."
"The deck's stacked against me, Stacy," Larry frowned. "Inter-species, pred-prey, long distance. I really don't think it's going to work out sometimes. But... I want it to. I love her."
"I think I can see that," Stacy sighed. "Okay Larry. But if I find a boyfriend cooler than you I'm so going to rub it in your little squirrel nose."
"I guess that's fair," Larry chuckled, putting his phone away. Finally, the check came. Larry reached out for it.
"Uh!" Stacy waved at the waiter. "Separate checks." The chipmunk nodded and took the check away.
"C'mon, Stacy," Larry looked apologetically at her. "Can't I pay for being a dumb squirrel?"
"You know," Stacy looked intensely at him. "The kind of relationship you're in? I think you're already paying. I almost hope it works out for you, just because I know the kind of torture it can be to wait for someone that never comes. To have to try to take solace in lies meant to keep you happy."
"Are you calling her a liar?" Larry was not amused.
"No, the lies you tell to yourself," Stacy sighed, rubbing at her arm. She looked somewhat vulnerable. "Lies like 'he'll definitely come back for me'... 'that other squirrel, she's just his side-girl'. 'I'm the one he really loves'. Lies you'd do anything to believe." Stacy bit at her lip, then scoffed and looked away.
"Stacy...!" Larry grit his teeth. A pang of pity threatened him.
"I'm sorry, Larry," Stacy groaned. "I'm sorry for suggesting you should compromise your standards for me. I just... it feels like everyone else does it, right?"
"That may be true," Larry looked thoughtful. "But my mom said something in a speech once. 'Change starts with you. It starts with me. It starts with all of us'."
"That is really hokey," Stacy smirked sadly.
"But it's true," Larry said with conviction. "I just- I want to be a good mammal."
"Larry..." Stacy sighed, folding her arms onto the table. "I'm really jealous of that ferret. She better deserve you, and she better not betray her little sterling squirrel."
"She does, and she won't," Larry said confidently, nodding.
"Well, you can tell yourself that, Larry," Stacy said distantly, looking out the window. "I hope for your sake that it's true."