Disclaimer: Sadly, I still am not in possession of Zootopia. WHY?!
"Is it just me, or is she getting harsher?" Judy groaned as she and her partner Nick stumbled out of the ZPD. She was dragging her feet. "Even in cadet school, I don't think the program was so hard. And that's saying something! It also doesn't help that I have an extended limb to get used to and that I've put on 50 pounds in an instant. When I agreed to this, I didn't think it would be so . . ." She trailed off, trying to find the right word. As always, Nick was there to deliver.
"Difficult?" he asked sympathetically. She lit up, some of her enthusiasm back.
"Yeah, difficult! That's it," the bunny said, much more relaxed now. Nick remained silent, lost in his mindspace. Curiously, she studied him. He looked normal; broad shoulders held back, rumpled police uniform, paws stuffed in pockets. It was strange. She had never found him bad looking, just not interesting in a romantic sort of way. He was always just her best friend. Although now, having temporarily been a fox, she could truly appreciate his attractiveness. For a fox, he was very handsome. "Nick? You okay?" she asked tentatively. He fumbled backwards a little, surprised out of autopilot mode.
"Huh? Oh yes, training. To be honest, I was thinking about how it was different than I expected." She twitched her ears in annoyance; he really was being vague.
"Different how?" Judy pushed. He scratched the back of his neck.
"Well, I thought that this would be harder," he admitted. "And although the fact that we're training for hours on end, relentlessly, no breaks, is intense, I had assumed at the beginning that getting used to my bunny form would be tough. Actually, once I pushed past the initial awkwardness of large feet and began to perambulate again, I had no problems functioning like normal." He rounded the block, heading towards his apartment in a casual, 'no big deal' sort of way. Judy's mouth hung open for a second before she closed it and ran back up to him.
"Well, why does everything come so easy to you?" she snorted, rather angry now. "It's been a month since we met Mrs. Spike and I've worked just as hard. Why didn't you say that you thought your adjustment was fine?" Suddenly she began to pound her foot repeatedly into the sidewalk like she did only when she was completely and utterly frustrated. At this, he sighed and turned around.
"I didn't realize you were having so much trouble, Carrots, okay? If there was something I could do, I would, but . . ." the fox trailed off, suddenly having an epiphany. "Hey, that's not such a bad idea!" He laughed, practically cackling in the middle of the block and starting to cause people to turn over to them. He grabbed Judy by the shoulders and held her up to eye level. "What if I taught you fox lessons?" She stared at him dubiously, not so much angry anymore as confused and doubtful.
"Fox lessons?" she questioned. "What are you talking about?" He answered immediately, practically bursting with excitement.
"How about you turn into a fox and I'll show you how to move, and eat, and do stuff? I'm a fox, your best friend and partner, in fact, and you'll already be a fox; this could work!" he glanced back at her expectantly. She backed up, waving her hands back and forth in a 'nope nope nope' sort of way.
"Nick, I don't know if I feel . . ." she stopped when he began to give her the puppy dog eyes. The bunny sighed. "Fine," she grumbled. "But if the first one doesn't work out, there is no second." Officer Wilde jumped into the air, fist pumping the sky.
"Let's start right now!" he said, already pulling her down the street. "My place is only around the corner." Her violet eyes widened.
"Right now, right now?" she asked, thinking she misheard him.
"Yup." And with that, he sprinted into the apartment building and up 2 flights of stairs, quickly unlocking the door and shoving her inside before she could object.
"So," he started, almost breathless. "Let's begin. Become a fox." She did so, causing his mouth to run dry. He swallowed hard. "Right," the male fox coughed out. Shaking his head, he circled her, walking around her slowly. Judy really was gorgeous, especially as a fox, which made her all the more appealing. His Carrots was . . . was . . .
"What are you doing?" she questioned, still not entirely on board with the lessons as it was.
"Nothing!" he answered a shade too soon. But what was he supposed to respond with? What do you say after you're caught checking out your friend? "I . . . I mean, I was just checking out what things you need to improve posture wise." It wasn't the best save, but she didn't pry anymore. Instead, she leaned up, trying to stand straighter. He smiled in response. Even in another form, she was still the same overachieving, goody two-shoes Judy.
"No," he said softly, leaning into her. He put his paws around her, resting them on her hips. "You need to pull back, like this." He gently tugged her torso back, and her lower back cracked, and suddenly standing was so much more effortless. Judy shrieked with excitement and pulled him towards the bathroom so she could view her progress. Sure enough, a russet fox with silver streaks was staring back at her, standing straight and swishing her tail back and forth. Nick rested his hands, on pure instinct and without thinking, on her hips again. The female fox swiveled around to face her partner, still encased in his arms.
"Thank you thank you thank you!" she squealed. "This feels so much better! I thought foxes were just used to hunching over all the time." he laughed, shaking his head.
"Nope, we don't. I thought you just liked slouching." Then he bit his lip, becoming the slightest bit nervous. "Do you want to learn any more right now?" Officer Hopps nodded fast.
"Of course! Like how to jump without stepping on your tail. And how to swing your arms when punching. Oh, and -" Nick cut her off with his hand.
"I get the picture, Carrots." She grinned in response and then looked down at their paws. He couldn't remember how exactly his fingers moved from her waist to intertwining with her hand, but it sure was embarrassing. "Oh, um . . . " he trailed off, not really knowing what to say.
"It's fine, Nick," she said with a wave of her paw. Then she tugged him back towards the living room again. "Besides, you just promised to teach me more positions, right? Get cracking, Wilde. I can't be here all night, can I?" For a moment he almost thought she was serious and asked her if she was fine with staying before realizing that she was holding back a small, teasing smile. He shoved her.
"You're on, Carrots," Nick smirked before wrapping his arms tight around her. He whispered in her ear, "Another thing you should know about foxes; we're very ticklish." As her partner began to wiggle his paws, she knew she was in trouble; strangely enough, the cop didn't mind this lesson on bit. Even if it did make her feel weird and fuzzy inside.
So this is Chapter 4. Still not as long as the 1st, but definitely lengthier than the last two. I hope everyone has been enjoying this so far; I know it's been a little slow going, but it will pick up soon, I promise. Also, I haven't seen a review since I posted the second chapter! Please give me feedback. I love hearing from everyone. Tell me how I'm doing (and if I'm terrible, don't hesitate to say something, but also don't go nuts with the hate mail). Anyways, expect to see the next chapter out sometime next week.