YOUTHOPIA
CH02: Embarrassment

Nick goes missing for one day shift, only to show back up as Finnick's 10 year old nephew and claiming the parentage of a Bunnyburrow resident. Meanwhile, is Judy catching on with the case?

I do not own Zootopia.

- O – O – O – O – O -

Judy was disappointed to find Nick nowhere inside the ZPD.
Normally, he would be the one who'd crack a surprise or eagerly show up to tease her.
It just felt awkward without the sly fox.

"Hey, Judy," Clawhauser whispered. "I got something in my head!"
The bunny spared him a glance and chuckled. "Yeah. Donut around your right cheek."
"I- I don't mean that!" The cheetah discreetly checked for the mentioned cheek and got a bite off the collected donut. "It's where Nick may be."
Judy just couldn't stay negative with such a friendly aura like Clawhauser's.
She gave him a casual go. "Playing detectives, are we?"

"He pulled a day off and even managed to convince the Chief," Clawhauser began with a short laugh. "So it must be a matter that the Chief is keen with, or at least something not dangerous."
"Nick may complain about the job." Judy rolled her eyes. "But he wouldn't want to miss a day's activity and lose part of his pay."
"Exactly!" Clawhauser stated as he quickly finished the remains of his donut. "But what does he need the money for?"
The bunny frowned. "Basic necessities? I mean, he doesn't have any affiliations or-"
"That you know of," the receptionist interrupted with a growing excitable attitude. "What if he's in a relationship we don't know of?"

"What?" Judy muttered blankly then gave an amused smile. "That's where you're getting into? Come on, this is Nick we're talking about."
Clawhauser countered with a smile of greater amusement. "Oh, yes. This is indeed Nick."
"Clawhauser, stop teasing me!" She gently pushed the cheetah with a low laugh. "I hope you're not keeping any secrets."
"No, I would never!" The cheetah smirked. "Besides, what's evident is definitely not qualified as a secret."
"What are you talking about now?" Judy asked, confused yet entertained enough.

Just then, a nearby phone rang and Clawhauser immediately answered it. "Hello, this is the ZPD. What can I- we do for you?"
Judy nudged him lightly and gave a thankful farewell.
The cheetah acknowledged her with a nod and a suspicious glint in his eyes.
She decided not to distract him.

The bunny sighed as she hopped off the reception desk.
"Nick's not here. I'm muttering to myself. Great."
She saw Officer Delgato enter with an apprehended polar bear, who seemed tense but rather quiet.
Usually, she would approach for a friendly conversation but even the simple task currently felt dreary for the bunny. There also seemed to be a few media personnel inside the building but she decided to stay out of the coverage.

Judy got out of the building, with the sole intention of getting back to her apartment and hugging her comfy bunny dolls.
What she did not expect to see outside the ZPD was one flashy van parked in a corner of the area, which she instantly recognized as Finnick's.
"Uh, why is Finnick here?" Judy muttered to herself as she approached the vehicles. "Of all places..."
She was facing the back of the van as she made her advance, when its rear door opened to let out a casually talking Gideon. "Ya wait for yer uncle here. I'll see-"
"Gideon?"

Judy did not have time to check inside the van as the door was closed, which definitely seemed forcefully rushed.
"J- Judy!" The red fox turned around with an uneasy expression. "I'm using Finnick's van... for the day?"
"It's almost night," she pointed out dubiously. "So what are you doing with Finnick's van?"
A muffled bump was heard from inside the van, to which Judy frowned upon. "What was that?"

"Finnick's just finishing up some stuff," Gideon supplied nervously.
"You guys can't seriously be hiding Nick, hmm?" Judy loomed over the tinted window of the van door and Gideon tried desperately to hold her still. "Ya- ya gotta hide from Finnick. Now's not a good time!"
Judy was rather amused by the unusual display of personality. "What's gotten into you?"
"A guy and a guy can have their privacy, Jud!"

Judy stopped, just as she was about to move the door open to the side. "I... I had no idea you 'two' were..." the bunny paused, clearly flustered. "Uh huh..."
"Judy, whatever yer thinking... It's probl'y false!"
What sounded like a collision was heard inside the van. Judy showed less inclination to speak but still asked, "Then what is it? If it's not talking about your girlfriends..."
"What?"
"What?"
"D- def'nitely the wrong idea," Gideon mumbled.

There were a few additional weaker bumps heard that finally gave Judy enough resolve to act upon it.
"I'm going to open the door," she said abruptly just as she did the act.
It was one of the few times she actually got to see what was inside the vehicle. It was untidy as usual.
"Finnick?"

"Yer uncle's not here! Get out!" a muffled voice of the fennec resonated from the driver's seat.
Judy was able to make out a small shadow, but the fox did not seem willing to show himself.
"Yer uncle's-" The voice stopped, only to be followed by an uncharacteristic giggle.
Judy bobbed her head within the van, with her feet ready to hop inside. "Is that-"
Gideon pulled her outside gently, including the door closed. "Ah, he's pract'cing some lines! He wouldn't want the distraction for... for the-"
The rabbit officer frowned in disbelief. "The elephant?"
"Ye-yeah! Those adorable suits n' cons," Gideon stuttered.

Judy initially seemed about to reprimand him, but she only responded with a delighted look.
"You? You're also helping Finnick with his job? What's up with all you foxes? First, Nick..." She laughed lightly and rambled on. "Kinda like the closeness of the bunny population. In a way. You guys should tell me more about this."
Gideon sighed in relief. "Yeah. Jus' some stuff we do in our free time, you know?"
Still, he smiled nervously.

"Hmm. Well, now that things here are settled..." Judy clapped her hands as she gave one regretful look at the van. "Do you guys still have something to do? And why are you two in ZPD? Finnick wouldn't normally dare show his van near the police."
"Normally," Gideon repeated uncertainly, getting a little fazed with the talkative energy of the bunny. "I mean, even he suggested Nick might just be hidin' from us. The ZPD's a large buildin' n' all."

His words appeared to be agreeable as Judy only shrugged casually. "I'll leave you two to it. My neighbors want to play some cards. If you see Nick, tell the dumb fox to at least text me!"
"Yer playing cards now?" Gideon asked in genuine surprise.
"Silly, it's just an excuse!"
"Oh..." The officer looked back once then hopped off merrily. "Sure thing, Judy..."
It was starting to feel unfair to repeatedly see the bunny run off with such gusto while he was stuck with an awkward situation, though it was definitely not her fault.

When he was sure there were no signs of Judy turning back, Gideon came inside the van and closed the door behind him. "Nich'las?"
The convenient set-up of the interior reminded him of one of the trailers back at Bunnyburrow which can be settled as food stands, only it did not have much to show or even chairs, excluding the front seats.
The fennec definitely lived inside the vehicle, with all the stubs of cigarettes he thoughtfully enough moved to the farther corners.

"Dad, yer back!" The young fox, whose gray fur was about to turn back to its full red, exclaimed in joy. "Was that Mom in there?"
Gideon raised an eyebrow at the barely slanted accent. "Judy's gon' be confused if you start speakin' in my tongue, Nich'. And def'nitely she's not yer Mom."
"Oh! But she knows ye, right?"
"Yeah. Just a passing acquaintance." Gideon rubbed his paws on his shirt and sighed tiredly. "Finnick says ya remember stuff from yer past, yet ya see me as yer dad."
"What did you say?"
"Oh, nothing." He leaned down and glanced at the carrot recorder the younger fox was holding. "Good job catchin' on with the sitch. Yer really clever. Judy's gon' be disappointed we replaced the previous message though."

"Nick, I like it when you smirch!"
"Huh?"
The small fox laughed childishly as he raised his device. "That was what Carrots was saying!"
Gideon grunted in minor surprise. "You're calling the recorder Carrots?"
"Doesn't it fit so well?"
The larger red fox chuckled. "Oh, yes. It does. But did you mean smirk rather than smirch? 'Cause that's what Nick does."
"What's a smirk?" the cub asked innocently.
Gideon tried for an impression of what he could remember off the original Nick.
With Nicholas laughing pleasantly, he knew it was a terrible one but hopefully at least he managed to get the point across.

"So Judy likes it when yer uncle does those smiles, eh?"
At the fox cub's growing puzzlement, he quickly corrected himself. "I mean, Carrots! That's what she said, right?"
The young fox lightened up. "Yeah! And I can also copy her!"
"Well, you're def'nitely getting close with yer Carrots," Gideon teased with a playful pat, followed by a few tickles.
Nicholas did not fight back to an extent, keeping much to his delight. "Stop it, Dad!"
"Oh, no. I won't! You silly-"

The door suddenly creaked open to admit Finnick, who looked as cantankerous as ever.
"Uncle, yer back!" The fennec spared him a barely friendly grunt and a glance around the area.
He sighed tiredly. "How about you give me that hello toot toot, kid?"
"Toot toot?" Nicholas wondered, cluelessness evident in his face.
"I'll lend you the elephant suit tomorrow." Finnick rolled his eyes.
"So what happened?" Gideon asked nervously as he kindly gestured for Nicholas to take the front seat.
"That bunny was in the darn ZPD when I got to the Chief!"

The statement put the red fox on alert. "Did she notice ya there? I wouldn't want her doubting any of us now."
"I'm small enough to evade anyone's sight," Finnick asserted with a hint of aggravation. "But if she starts asking around the ZPD, she'd definitely find out we've been not just around, but inside."
"And how did it go with the Chief...?" Gideon prodded.
"Heh. Caught him in a bad situation, was jamming to that new Gizelle music video."
"Gazelle," Gideon absently rectified.
"So," Finnick continued, as if uninterrupted. "He pretty much had to be quick with it and just gave lots of nods. Police these days."

With nothing more to actually talk about, the two foxes shared their well-earned sighs of relief and dropped themselves against the randomly spread sheets inside the vehicle.
"Nich'las, you can come back 'ere," Gideon called. "I never thought 'bout takin' care of a li'l furry."
"Oh?" Finnick gave a weak scoff. "Nick was a real deal when he was young." He continued talking as if they did not have the returning companionship of little Nicholas. "That clueless innocence is what you'll never expect to see in what he is supposed to be today."
"That so?" Gideon glanced around the small area. "Ya got some bev'rages?"

The baker saw genuine interest spark in the fennec's eyes.
"Oh, didn't expect you to be a drinker," Finnick grunted. "Silly."
Gideon laughed quietly. "Jus' something for poor Nich'. Yanno how a fox's thirst goes."
The older fox grumbled in disappointment. "And here I thought I got better company. You better not get used to calling him Nich or we'll be confusing names here."
He walked to the front seats and checked a few compartments.
"Are you sure we shouldn't be heading out the ZPD parking lot soon?" Gideon asked.

"We?" Finnick seemed to be rummaging through various stuff as he murmured other words to himself. "We can stay here until 9 or something. That's when the sloths, if any, get out the building. They won't ask until we show our faces."
"How do you know all this stuff?" He gave an uneasy look over Nicholas, with whom he was playing a game of rock, paper, and scissors.
"When you do secret stuff," said Finnick, with at least a little consideration to hold some things confidential from their youngest companion. "You have to keep an eye out for the authorities. You do that and you'll be able to live for the day and night."
"Oh, by the way..." Gideon gave the currently unattended recorder a curious eye. "We need a new message for Carrots."
"What's this about the bunny?"
"Judy came by a while ago... and we pretty much had to use every means possible for an excuse," the red fox said slowly and confidently enough so as not to worry the van owner.
With the fennec seeming nowhere near done with his search, Gideon nimbly tried to entertain both comrades.

"Carrots is the name Nich'las gave for the recorder."
Meanwhile, he felt uneasy getting ahead of the cub by one point in their game. Fortunately, the younger companion was still entertained by such a simple game.
"The bunny got a listen out of it?"
"Yeah. She knows we've been around the area. Nich'las here's the one who saved our faces," Gideon said proudly, which the mentioned did not seem to notice. "'Least he's def'nitely a quick thinker."
Finnick gave a minor grunt of acknowledgment. "Ah, we'll do it tomorrow."

"So, Nich'las will certainly be safe here, right?" Gideon asked cautiously.
"Eh, I can see no offense in there." The fennec threw some coins behind, which the larger red fox caught deftly. "Anyway, you said the young lad's thirsty. The ZPD has a vending machine by the left corner."
"What can I get with these?" Gideon hummed thoughtfully, trying to gauge the price range of a machine he had never tried.
"Don't give him the root beer." Finnick rolled his eyes, as he showed back up with a cigarette held in a paw. "That's enough to buy some orange juice for you two."
"Are ya gonna light a cig here?" Gideon queried in concern for their younger companion.
"That's why I'm having you guys leave for the vending machine." Finnick moved past them to check the rear parts of the van interior. "Don't worry. I'll leave the door open. I just need some time alone."
Gideon grinned encouragingly at Nicholas, who beat him by two points.
"Can I get the chocolate tetra pack instead?" the cub asked eagerly.
Finnick regarded him casually. "Yeah. Almost the same price. Consider it a free time from this boring company of mine."
Gideon only smiled. "Whatever ya say, boss."
He then turned to Nicholas. "Let's get that choc'late ya want."

Gideon was the first to get out the van, instinctively watching the surrounding area.
Nicholas was too excited to ask him about it. It was times like that moment when the baker was thankful he was not really of social import, rather than being a baker delivering his own products.
He knew enough faces and names inside the ZPD from Judy's stories to anticipate whether he could be recognized by someone, while Nicholas still had lots of gray powder over his head for his disguise.
He realized he still had not asked Finnick about what exactly the substance was, hopefully nothing drastic and harmful.

Even from quite a distance, he could already see that the vending machine still had its products to offer.
His eyes naturally set their sights upon the blueberry yoghurt cups, and it made him wonder why the cub was eager for chocolate instead.
"I basically told Judy it was not a secret anymore and all that, don't you think?"
Gideon immediately assumed the voice was from a cheetah named Benjamin, or Clawhauser as he was called inside the department, who Judy emphasized was the most cheerful and talkative animal over the group.
While Nicholas ran off for the vending machine as if enthusiastic to check out other options, the taller red fox noted the group of officers getting out the building.

Sure enough, there was the cheery cheetah eating his fill from a box of doughnuts, among a group of rhinoceros and lions. He did not really take officers to be of a gossipy kind, but the Clawhauser definitely was open to that kind of information.
As far as he knew, only Chief and Clawhauser knew about Judy's "red fox friend" back in Bunnyburrow.
It could put him in a little risk.

"Dad, I want the blueberry instead!" His attention reverted back to Nicholas, who was oblivious to the atmosphere and seemed rather enchanted by the mentioned product with widened eyes.
"Oh, are ye sure? I know a lot of an'mals who hates them yoghurts." He chuckled as he stepped behind the cub and mentally calculated possible combination of drink prices. "Well, ya'll definitely pick the blueberry. Then I'll be takin' this."
"What's that?" Little Nicholas asked, looking at the finger he placed over the machine's glass.
"It's root beer," Gideon supplied as he inserted the coins and dialed the specific numbers. "Yer too young for this. But I'm thinkin' of offerin' it to yer uncle."
"How does a root beer taste?"
"I'd thought ya'd already know the taste by yer current age," Gideon admitted. "But I'd rather not risk ya getting dizzy. And I don't really know how to explain it."
Before the fox cub got to form any expressive reaction, Gideon gave him the yoghurt cup. "Here ya go, champ."

Just as he was starting to tease Nicholas about his growing affection for Carrots, Clawhauser's voice popped up beside them.
"Oh em goodness, this one looks like a baby Nick!"
Five police officers approached them, with Nicholas looking at them quizzically.
"You must be Clawhauser," Gideon uttered a little nervously, deciding to focus on the figure he knew the most about. "This my son here's Nich'las."
The cheetah was obviously pleased as he giddily jumped in his position, whispering to his companions. "Even their names are similar!"
"Don't mind him. He's one big fan of a pairing in here," one lion said cheerfully. "You're one of the newer enterprise owners roaming around Bunnyburrow, right?"
"The name's Gideon. I'm actually Judy's childhood acquaintance."
He offered his empty hand for a shake, which was amicably taken by four officers. The prospect of another fox associate seemed to enliven them.
At least, it helped steady his nerves a little. "So what are you guys doing here?"

Clawhauser gestured to the polar bear who was attending to the vending machine.
"Officer Grizzoli gets his soda here every night. He might look scary but he's even kid-friendly!"
"My kid here jus' got his fav'rite drink." He patted the fox cub on the head gently. "I'm told it's pretty sim'lar with Nick's."
The cheetah seemed indecisive whether to talk to the youngling or to rant to his friends. A few seconds later, he settled for the latter. "Do you think that's what their son would look like?"
The officers just laughed pleasantly. Gideon had a reason to be fairly sure he knew what they implied.

"Officer, you got a donut on yer left cheek," Nicholas spoke, pointing a little finger.
"Oh my gosh, he spoke!" Clawhauser excitedly moved his paws over his face.
"Hey, how'd we miss that thing?" another officer teased.
"You guys look like little Foxies," the cheetah continued as he ate his newly acquired donut, as if there had not been any distraction.
Gideon hummed uneasily. "We're a bunch of foxes, all right."
"He means this internet parody he's been showing everyone," the lion, who had introduced himself as Delgato, supplied. "It's called Fried Knights of Fred."
Grizzoli almost spilled his newly gotten drink as he tried to suppress his laughter. "Look, the guy's obviously busy, Clawhauser. Give him a rest."
"And I wouldn't want the kid to stay out at night for so long," Gideon went along politely.

"We're just really lucky we got to meet a baby Nick," Clawhauser chattered, giving the cub an affectionate look. "Oooh, Judy will definitely love to see you!"
Gideon laughed lowly, trying not to make them push on Judy's matter. "Thanks for the small comp'ny. We appreciate it." He turned to Nicholas with a soft expression. "Why don't you say goodbye to them, too?"
The cub hurriedly sipped on his blueberry cup, then raised a delighted paw. "Goodbye officers!"
"Aaaawww!" Even the larger officers felt bubbly just by hearing the farewell.
Gideon chuckled, prodding him gently. "Come on. Yer uncle will be wonderin' 'bout us soon."

The larger red fox only turned his head back once to give a reassuring smile, but decided not to offer more interactions.
As soon as they got to Finnick's van, he basically had himself fall to the scattered barely comfortable objects inside.
Finnick, who cleaned himself off any signs of smoking, addressed them blankly. "You met the tough one, eh? That cheetah gossips way too much."
Gideon perked up at his recognition, silently offering the root beer he reserved. "So ya also know the actual guys?"
"Meh, I just hang out sometimes with…" He casually bobbed his head to the cub. "And Judy. They tend to talk a lot when the alc... gets to them."

Gideon smiled appreciatively. "But did they ever get drunk?"
"Come on." Finnick chuckled roughly. "You just want to ask if something happened between them. We all know the deal with those two."
Both elder foxes looked at the cub, who surprisingly proceeded to sleep peacefully in the front seat.
"He'll grow up to be a night cit'zen," the red fox cracked as a joke. "So nothin' really happened?"

"Well..." Finnick chugged down his beverage pleasingly. "You'd be delighted to know that the bunny has a higher tolerance for alcohol. Nick had to spend a night once in Judy's room. They didn't really act different the next day. The bunny's innocent."
"Is she?" Gideon blinked, and then realized he was the one who voiced it out.
Finnick hummed in interest. "You're actually not a bad companion. But you're not spending the night here, eh?"
"P- please... Yer one to talk." The red fox chuckled. "I'm jus' yer part time father doin' his duties. Call yerself the night shift dude."
"I'm still waiting to find myself waking up and none of this ever happe-"

The two foxes jumped in surprise as they suddenly heard loud knocks on the side door of the van.
Gideon grimaced in worry. "Uh oh..."
Finnick cleared his throat and faced the closed door. "Who is it?!"
"Finnick, is that you? Is this a bad time?" It was the voice of Judy.
"If it's about Ni-"
"It is about Nick! I-" Her voice seemed to crack as she rolled over her words. "I have reason to believe he's in danger."
"Now hold on a second!" Finnick turned to the baker with a look of disbelief. "What is she talking about?"
"I- I have no idea. Nick's with us..."
But as dread began to form in their minds, he slowly added a hanging thought.

"Or is he?"

- O – O – O – O – O -

We'll take it easy with the plot developments for the next few chapters. We definitely need more fluff.