"Marty?"
"Is that a problem?"
Nick looked down on the personal file, Bogo had given him in his office. He read through it again.
"Couldn't we take another name?"
"Making up a new personality would take days, Wilde. So we stick with Marty."
"Oh come on. This name sounds ridiculous."
The badger from the undercover bureau frowned at him. Ah right…
"Heh sorry, Marty."
"Put your sorry in my ass, Wilde."
"Geez, I'm sorry ok?"
Marty rolled his eyes and walked over to his desk. From there he brought a small box and opened it in front of Nick. It contained two contact lenses, blue in collar.
"I will miss the wonderful image of my green eyes." Nick said as he took them out carefully and walked over to a nearby mirror, putting the lenses into his eyes. He could practically feel the badger's eye roll in his back. "What I am proud of my looks."
The badger sighed before getting a mischievous grin. "Well then you sure won't like this…"
"Huh?" But Marty had already pushed the cans into his hand. "No."
"It is required by the job."
"I am not dying my fur."
"Bogo insisted."
That glitter-coated motherfucker.
"I believe this." He angrily looked down on the cans of white and grey spray paint. It was a product especially developed by the ZPD for undercover agents. It was not dangerous, water and fire proof and it looked realistic.
"Oh come on, Wilde, some spray paint won't hurt, huh? Besides we have our experts just for this job." The badger had a teasing smile as he pointed to a cabin. "They wait in there. Be sure to reach every inch."
Nick angrily mumbled insults as he walked over to the cabin.
Only an hour later Judy visited Marty's office. The badger was sleeping with his feet on the desk. She coughed to make her presence announced. The badger was sound asleep though. She tried to awake him quietly.
"Hello."
"HELLO."
The second time the badger nearly fell of his chair.
"How's Nick doing?"
"Um, pretty good, I guess. He should be ready any minute."
Just after this sentence an artic fox with blue eyes entered the room out of a small cabin. Judy looked at him dumbfounded. Not only was his fur dyed perfectly and his eyes had a new colour, but he also exchanged his favorite shirt and khakis for a black tee, grey pants and a blue jacket.
"Nick?"
"The one and only."
"Oh my gosh, I can barely recognize you!"
"Oh you don't say."
He seemed not too happy about his condition.
"I look like one of those reality TV mammals."
"You look like a fox that wants to work in a bar."
"It's a shame I can't drink there. At least I would forget my horrible condition."
"Oh now don't be so pissy, you look great!"
"Not nearly as good as in natura."
Judy made an unsure hand gesture. "Well…"
"I will forget that you just questioned my beauty. But only if you share a last coffee with me before the job."
Judy chuckled and turned for the door. "Come on then…"
"Marty."
She turned to him again with a wide grin. "Are you serious?"
"Dead serious."
Judy laughed on the way out and again he could feel the daggers coming from the badger.
They arrived at a Snarlbucks shop soon and sat down at the table. As he went through the menu he trailed of again. He thought about the upcoming job and particularly the downside of it. He wouldn't see Judy until it was done.
The thought bothered him the few days he had to prepare for his role as Marty Vulpes, an artic fox from tundratown, who wanted to work in Zootopia as a bartender in the '(T)rusty Mug'. An incredibly stupid name. I must make sure to mention that when I'm there.
He had no idea, how long the actual work would take. He would live in a one-room flat not far from the pub in the meantime. Both was in the meadowlands, far away from his or Judy's apartment. Besides interacting with one of the best known police officers in the whole city would maybe blow his cover. That meant being alone with some possible murderers for an unscheduled time. Well of course he was not 100% alone. He had a GPS tracker with him all the time. In his home was a special radio station for secure communication with the ZPD. He would have to report everything he saw, heard or thought to them every evening.
Lost in thought, he hasn't even noticed that the waiter already took Judy's order. He quickly covered his surprise and ordered the first thing he saw on the menu as not to draw any attention to himself. Guess I'm drinking a Frappuccino then. I don't even like those, but ok…
Judy seemed to think the same.
"You don't even like frapps."
"I can't recall I ever said that."
"You did!"
"Do you have it on tape?" No way she had the pen with her that day.
But he was wrong. She pulled out a carrot pen and his smirk faltered and his ears went right against his head in panic.
"Kidding, I don't, but your reaction said everything."
"Sly Bunny."
"Don't avoid me. You are not yourself today…literally."
"Haha, funny…"
"No seriously, is something wrong?"
"No, I'm fine." He turned his head and acted as he observed the pedestrians outside the shop.
"Nick…" He looked back at her. Oh no…not the bunny eyes. That's unfair. Unfair!
"Please…tell me what's wrong."
"N-nothing." He could barely compose himself as she attacked him with her stare. Ugh rabbit, why do you have to be so sweet? Wait, what was that? Sweet? She is cute, but I can't say she's sweet, that's too much. We are just friends. Best friends yeah. I don't fucking know if it is anything like love…no, no we don't even go there. We are partners. That would be just problematic. We are best friends, who care for each other.
His train of thought saved him that day. As he continued to overthink things again, he ignored the bunny eyes and eventually Judy gave up. Her expression fell as fast as it came and she leaned back again.
"Fine…I let you battle with yourself."
"I am not battling myself."
"If you say so."
Too sly bunny.