Author's Note - Hi guys! Sorry for the wait between chapters! I've been super busy lately, and I am currently struggling to come up with a finished idea for "Day Off Part 2" so for right now, I'm giving you guys a little bonus one-shot that I came up with a few months ago, but never got around to publishing. I know it's short, but I hope you enjoy it and its message!

-CreativeBreath


"A Hero To Me"

The air was cool and crisp on this particular Saturday morning in Downtown Zootopia. Judy had been on her way to the ZPD, happily hopping along, until she saw something that made her nearly trip over her own feet. She found herself, mouth agape, staring up at the side of an office building. On the structure's facade was an enormous poster of herself, dressed in her police uniform, with the ZPD slogans listed on the side. "Honesty", "Bravery", "Integrity", and the newest one, "Equality". She was stunned. Honored, but stunned. Why had no one at the department told her about this advertisement? How many people had seen it? Would other animals start recognizing her? Even more unexpected, perhaps, were the painful memories brought back to her, reminding her of the time she had refused to accept Bellwether and Bogo's offer of becoming the face of the ZPD after Nick had left her. Judy dug her claws into the side of her arm, shaking her head. She needed to put those times behind her, know that she had been forgiven, and that self-pity wasn't going to help her.

Lost in her thoughts, a pair of orange paws wrapping around her torso made her nearly jump out of her fur.

"Boo."

"Ahhh!" She screamed, her body twisting around until she fell flat on her cottontail. She slowly opened her eyes to see a certain fox, dressed in police uniform, leaning over her pitiful state.

He winked. "Sorry sweetheart, didn't mean to cause you a heart-attack. You need CPR?"

Judy rolled her eyes. Using her position to her advantage, she kicked out her legs and hit Nick in one of his shins. He stumbled backwards, wrinkling his nose in pain. "Ow, shoot Carrots! I guess I deserved that."

"Yes, you did." With one paw, Nick held his sore leg and with the other, helped pull Judy to her feet. "What are you doing here anyways? And how did you know where to find me?"

Nick placed his arms behind his back and leaned back and forwards on his feet. "Relax Carrots, I was just enjoying my morning drive when I saw you walking. I thought you might want some company."

Judy dusted herself off. "I would, actually. Thank you." She gestured to the giant poster. "Have you seen this yet?" Nick's gaze snapped to where Judy's paw pointed, his eyes widening.

"Sweet mother! It turned out way bigger than I had imagined!"

"Wait! You knew about this already?"

Nick waved a dismissive paw. "Yeah, yeah. Bogo wanted it to be a surprise for your one-year-anniversary of service to the ZPD. Everyone else at the precinct knew- um, expect for Clawhauser. We figured he wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut. Happy anniversary, Judy. You deserve it."

Judy grinned, a warm feeling entering her cheeks. "Wow, that is...really amazing Nick. Thank you so much." Without responding, Nick slid behind Judy and rested his chin on her head, causing her ears to spread out.

"So Carrots, how does it feel to be famous?" Judy sighed and ducked out from under him, chuckling slightly.

"Oh please Nick, stop it. I am not famous."

"Mm, you sure about that?"

"Yes, and I certainly don't need any extra attention from strangers."

"Oh really? Tell that to him." Nick said, pointing behind her. Judy turned around to see a small grey bunny with black stripes, at least half her size, standing with a red ball in his paws. His big blue eyes were anxious.

"E-Excuse me ma'am," he began, "are you Officer Hopps, the bunny on that billboard?"

"Oh, hello there! And yes I am. What's your name?"

"Jack, ma'am. May I please have your autograph? O-On my ball? I wanna be an officer like you when I grow up. Or maybe even a secret agent! I don't know which one yet." Judy felt her heart turn to mush. She glared back at Nick, who was smirking at her, and turned back to the child.

"Aw, OF COURSE you can! And I'll tell ya, the special forces work very close with the ZPD, in case that helps your decision!" She took out a permanent marker and happily scribbled her signature on the ball and handed it back.

"Gee, thanks officer!" Jack smiled before pacing over to Nick, who hadn't expected the small, prey animal to approach him . "Officer fox sir? Can you sign it too, please?" Nick's astonished green eyes rested on the rabbit for a moment, before his mouth curved into a soft, genuine smile.

"Sure, kid." Nick quietly wrote on the ball and gave it back to the boy, who read the name that had been written down.

"Awesome! Thank you Officer… Wilde. You're a hero."

Nick drew a sharp intake of breath, as Jack ran back to rejoin his group of friends, who marveled at the newly-signed ball. The pair was silent as Nick turned to face Judy, who was beaming at him with the largest grin he had ever seen. She walked over and lightly touched his shoulder. He did not pull away.

Nick sighed heavily. "He called me a…"

"Mhmm."

"Do you think he really meant it Carrots?"

"I know he did."

"How do you know?"

"Because it's true."

She got another sigh from Nick as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, feeling his sweet, warm breath dance across her face. Shivers were sent down her spine as she felt the warmth of his body contrast the brisk air around them. His chest vibrated as he chuckled softly.

"Thank you, Officerrr Hopps." He stretched out the "r" sound with a playful growl.

Judy laughed, choosing to play along with his teasing.

"Oh so I'm Officer Hopps now, hm? What is it then, kind citizen? Would you like my autograph as well?"

"No, no not exactly." Nick murmured, a smug look on his face.

"What do you want then?"

He bent down, coming dangerously close to touching Judy's nose. He winked, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"I want you to arrest me."

She kicked him in the other shin. Nick yelped.

"Dumb fox."

Maybe being "famous" wasn't so bad after all.