In the mean time Judy was driving back towards her flat. She's just dropped off the two lovebirds, also knows as Nick and Aaron, who she really did hope that will finally sober up and realize, that these imagined uncertainties and fears are the only things in the way of their total happiness. She really hoped that her mother's list would help. If next time she doesn't see those two at least holding hands, she will lock them in the cruiser when she gets the chance, and doesn't let them out, until they don't refer to the other as something other, than their stupid nicknames. Does she want it to happen, because she is a great a friend, or just simply wants to see the cool and easy-going Nick Wilde totally flustered, she didn't know, but it's her mountain to die on to make these two see the obvious.
She wasn't thinking of them for two long though, because her thoughts quickly turned to another canine, a very handsome at that. She saw that smiling mixed colour face, that was just so utterly alluring, she didn't even think he was real the first time she saw him. The black leather jacket looked really good on him, almost like he dressed up for the occasion. And the fur. Oh god that fur. Judy wasn't an art lover, although she did appreciate nice stuff, but how those shapes and forms of black, brown and beige mixed in his fur would make any artist's mouth water. She wondered if there were more to it under that Jacket. And T-shirt. And pan-
She became wide-eyed when she caught her train of thoughts.
NO, I AM SO NOT GOING TO THINK ABOUT THIS. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!... I mean, he is good looking and special if what Bogo said is true about his species, but it's just so inappropriate, for Carrot's sake!
She quickly started thinking about other stuff, but whatever she tried, she always ended up thinking of that painted dog, who seemed to lose more and more clothes the further she struggled.
She finally reached her destination, parked her car, and quickly rushed up to her flat. She literally bolted into her apartment and quickly threw her stuff where they belonged.
A shower is what I need. A very cold shower.
Before she could gather her stuff for the bathroom, her phone started to ring. She groaned and went back to the table she left her mobile on. She looked at the name and saw it was her mom and dad, which really confused her. It wasn't their usual calling time, so why would they call so early? She looked at the clock and realised that no, they were right on time, she was the one who came home later than usual.
Of course….I had to drop those two off, so i came home later….
She sighed, opted a fake smile, answered the call, and saw her mother's smiling face, but not her dad's.
''Hiii mooom, where is dad?" asked Judy in a worried tone, while her fake smile faltered. His dad never missed one of their daily calls.
''Oh don't worry about that. Your brother, Thompsen managed to almost burn down the barn, so your father is currently telling him about the dangers of throwing hoes, that were standing in the torrid sun for 5 hours straight, in the dry straw bales." Explained her mother in the embarrassed tone. Judy laughed at that, knowing that Thompsen was a really careless bunny, who could easily destroy the farm by kicking a ball in the wrong direction.
Bonnie smiled when she heard her daughter laugh, but noticed how her body didn't seem all that happy about something.
''Bun-bun, is there a problem? Your ears are drooping." Said Bonnie in a warm motherly tone.
Damn these long excuse of body parts.
''Well….I think I just had my first bunny brain freeze today." Admitted Judy.
''Oh…. well, it was to be expected. You are your father's daughter in the end, and you did inherit his emotions. What happened exactly, sweetie?" inquired Bonnie.
''Ohhh…welllll…I got promoted!" said Judy in a fake cheerfulness. She hoped that it will make her mother ask about the promotion, not about her questionable attraction towards that beautiful canine.
''That's great sweetieeeee-" chirped up Bonnie, pulling the end of 'sweetie'. Judy thought her mother did buy her excuse, until she saw Bonnie's face morph from cheerfulness to seriousness.
''-eeeee, but we will talk about that later. You did not get a brain freeze from the promotion, otherwise your ears wouldn't be drooping. So, what is the real reason?" asked Bonnie now with a very serious and a bit worried expression. Judy inwardly cursed for even trying to get around her mother. She knew that out of her parents, it's Bonnie who always knew when her kits lied, sometimes even knew why. Judy really hoped that now it wasn't the case.
''Okay….Let's just say, I met with a very nice mammal, who is giving me very strange thoughts since we met. Those thoughts aren't exactly appropriate, and I don't know what to do now. Is that enough?" Surrendered Judy. Her mother immediately opted a happy expression on her face, making Judy groan.
I always had a hustler in my life, but she hides behind the 'mom' title
''That's wonderful sweetie. You get a promotion and meet someone. I don't get it why you are so worried then, what kind of canine is him?" asked Bonnie. Judy immediately got wide-eyed and mouth agape.
''H-how…How d-did you know t-that?!" basically shouted Judy.
''Well, you did say that you met a nice mammal, instead of bunny,and you always attracted every kind of canine into your life, so I supposed it's another one." Explained Bonnie while putting pressure into the word 'mammal'.
Okay, don't forget, never underestimate my mother. Nor let her have a hustler competition with Nick. That would end up in a catastrophe. And let's not think about once those two start planning stuff together behind my back.
''Well…it's true. He is actually a painted dog and his name is Charles. He is my new co-boss." Informed Judy. She saw her mother tilt her head in confusion.
''A painted...dog? How does it looked like? I have never seen one, nor heard about one before." Asked Bonnie.
''No surprise, turns out that there are only 50 of them in all of Zootopia. They are basically mini-wolves with very interesting fur patterns and colors, but it's nontheless beautiful." Explained Judy, then put her paw on her mouth when she realized what she just said. Her mother seemed to be rather pleased about that, but then her face morphed into a worried one again.
''And then, what is the problem? You still didn't exactly explain that." asked Bonnie seemingly clueless, but every idiot could see that she already knew the problem, she just wanted her daughter to say it, who caught the bait.
''Because it's strange…..I mean look at Nick and Aaron. Their biggest difference is that Aaron is taller than Nick and has a different color, me and Charles is not even in the same Mammal Order. Plus the fact that he is a predator and I'm prey just makes things super complicated." Explained Judy looking crestfallen.
''You know that you are a smart bunny, right?" asked Bonnie in a very unamused tone. Judy looked at her and saw that her mother was not pleased about what she heard. She could even hear her foot thumping through the call.
''Ermmmm…Yes?" hesitated Judy.
''Well, as clever as you are, this was, and mind my rudeness, the stupidest thing I have ever heard you say. First of all, Nick is a fox, and i bet he has thousands of differences with Aaron, who is a wolf. Second, it doesn't seem to matter which Animal Order, Suborder or Family they are, does it? They are different species, and from what I have seen, pretty different personalities aswell, but they are still madly in love, just a bit uncertain. And the fact that now you are telling me about being a predator and a prey having importance, is pretty strange, don't you think? It's almost like, you think that predator and prey can't live together?" explained Bonnie in a very accusatory tone. She knew that in order to make her daughter see reason, she needs to strike where it hurts the most. And it worked marvelously.
''WHAT?! NO! I don't think like that, it's just….I just… Arrggh.." groaned Judy. She knew that her mother had a point, and it kinda made her happy that she had no problem with her being somewhat attracted to a non-bunny.
''Then what do you think I should do?" asked Judy, while not looking at her mother.
''Well, first of all, stop thinking like the way you just did, and forget all that different species problem. In the end, you did teach me, that it's the mammal inside that matters." Replied Bonnie now in a warm and motherly tone. Judy chuckled at that, remembering the countless calls they had gone through, just so at least her mother wouldn't be sooo worried and nervous about Judy being friends with a fox.
''Second, try to be more open to the idea. And don't care about what others say. You saved the city from it's destruction, and you work hard everyday, just to ensure that other's will be safe. If they look bad at you for something in yourpersonal life, then they are just ungrateful. Plus, it wouldn't be nice if you fall into the same mistake as those two did, would it?" Explained Bonnie.
Judy really did thought about that, and it was true, she should be the last person to be afraid of this. So why was she? She was considered to be change impersonated. And now, here she was, getting all panicky over the idea of being attracted to something non-bunny, which would be the equivalent of change. And she really did not want to make the same mistake her friends did. She would be a huge hypocrite, if she isn't already one.
''You are right, but I can't just walk up to him and say 'Hey, surprise! I constantly have inappropriate thoughts about you that I can't explain, but how about we go on a date and give it a try?" said Judy with a little hint of sarcasm.
''Well... Not the first part, but the second is not a bad idea." Said Bonnie with a wink.
''Y-you mean I should ask him on a date?" said Judy wide-eyed.
''Well, not exactly, he should do the first move. If he thinks the same, he will do it soon. He is your co-boss in the end, people with low confidence doesn't usually get to higher positions right? So if he is thinking about it, he will ask you soon. If not, then be the one who initiates." Explained Bonnie with a warm smile.
Judy couldn't find any flaws in her mother's logic, and she really hoped Charles would do something like this. She would have been excited about it even, but she has learnt her lesson about naivety. So she decided that sitting back and waiting would be for the best.
''Thanks mom, that really helped." Said Judy smiling.
''It's no problem, that's what mothers are for. Now if you excuse me, I have to make dinner for the family. It's Goulash soup today." Explained Bonnie cheerfully.
''Goulash soup? What is that?" asked Judy out of curiosity. She ha never heard about that soup.
''Oh, it's really tasty actually, your Uncle Terry sent me the recipe from a foreign country somewhere in Zoorope. It has some meat in it sadly, but there are vegetarian forms, and when I tasted it, it was amazing. Might rival carrot soup, but not really. Anyways, send my love to Nick and Aaron, and don't forget my offer about coming down to the Burrows. Tomorrow you can tell me about your promotion, okay sweetie?" said Bonnie, a bit hurriedly.
''Sure mom, I didn't forget, nor did they, I think. Love you, bye." Waved Judy and then hung up. She was about to to put her phone down, when it rang again. It was a new number. She accepted it.
''Hello, Judy Hopps, who is this?" asked Judy while walking towards her kitchen.
''Hey Judy, It's me, Charles." Said the voice. Judy immediately stopped in her tracks.
''Mr Pictus, nice to hear from you, is there a problem?" asked Judy hesitantly. Charles chuckled at that.
''No, Judy, no problem, and no need to be so formal. Just call me Charlie." Said the painted dog.
''Ermmm, sure….why did you call me, Charlie?" asked Judy getting a tad bit nervous.
''Well, not to sound forward, but I was thinking about whether you are free tomorrow night?" asked Charlie a bit nervously.
''…I mean, sure? Yes, I'm free, why?" asked Judy getting a bit hopeful.
''I was thinking we could go out and do something fun…like a…date?" inquired Charlie now very nervously.
Judy's eyes widened. She could not comprehend what is happening. She agreed with her mom, that if Charlie had the same kind of strange attraction towards her, he would definitely be fast, but even she did not think it would be THAT fast. She did not know what to do, but her mother's words rang in her ears.
„Plus, it wouldn't be nice if you fall into the same mistake as those two did, would it?"
No, it wouldn't
''Sure, Charlie, I will gladly accept." Answered Judy with a wide smile on her face.
''Great! I mean….It's good to hear. We can work out the details at work tomorrow, is that okay?" answered Charlie, with a distinct happiness in his voice. It made Judy happy to know that he wanted it too.
''Yeah, sounds good. Meet you at work tomorrow then. See ya!" cheered Judy.
''Sure, see ya." And then he hung up.
„So if he is thinking about it, he will ask you soon." Her mother's words whispered in her head.
The next thing her neighbours could hear was an excited scream coming from her apartment.
''That's absolutely magnificent Adrian, your plan is working better than intended." Said the mayor sitting back in his seat. He was currently consulting with Bogo about the developments of his scheme in the mayor's office.
''Is that so?" asked Bogo a bit smugly.
''Yes, after their first day, they have become the stars of social media, your plan of promoting all three of them to detectives, so you could partner them up was ingenious!" Cheered the mayor excitedly.
Bogo started to get used to his unprofessional style, so it was bothering him very little. He could have mentioned the mayor's failure of getting all of Bogo's request done, but he decided that he will spare the poor feline. In the end, everything did turn out well.
''What do you mean by 'stars of social media'?" inquired Bogo.
The Siberian tiger showed him a tablet, that had a so called post from the page 'Snarler'. The post was a picture of Wolford coming out of the drug lab with a half-conscious Wilde hugging around his neck while Wolford was holding him, and a half-conscious Hopps resting on the wolf's shoulder in a pose that usually firemammals use when rescuing civilians from a building. Under the picture, there were a box, that read: #wolfbunnyfox The police saves the day! But who is this wolf helping out Wildehopps? , and currently had one million 'resnarls', which meant that mammals liked the picture and shared them.
''See that? 1 million! Mammals are already speculating about stuff, and some started to come close to the truth! On Muzzlebook, the same picture was just posted an hour ago, and it is rapidly gaining likes and shares. Mammals love it, they love them!" cheered the mayor. Even Bogo let out a smile, seeing that his scheme wasn't a waste.
''Adrian, we have to move the public closer to the truth! We have to show them that not only could 3 very different mammals work together perfectly, but that same-sex, different species couples are not an impossibility! You agree with me, right?" Pleaded the mayor.
Bogo did not like his greediness, but in order to make the mayor eat from his hooves, he needed to complete his plan, so they needed something bigger than a dazed Wilde hugging Wolford.
''I agree, what should be the next step then, mayor?"
''Oh, I don't know, something very romantic and sweet, something very public, something…..like a-, like a kiss! A picture of them publically kissing would be perfect!" shouted excitedly the feline.
Bogo was about to retort, saying that he can't command his detectives to do something like that, so they had to find a new way, but then he gave a thought to the idea.
Wilde and Wolford publically smooching while Hopps cheering them would definitely get more attention. But we can't ask them directly, so we have to hustle them…..But how do you hustle a hustler?...
Then he remembered.
…..With an other professional hustler. And I know just the mammal for this job.
''I think I know how to do it, it will be done by tomorrow noon. Anything else?" asked Bogo impatiently. He was already taking out his phone to call the mammal he had in mind.
''Prefect! No, that would be all, you go and make them kiss in public, I will watch the numbers grow." Said the mayor.
Bogo smiled and stood up. He went out of the cat's office and dialed the number. After two rings, it went through.
''Who' this?" said a deep voice.
''Good afternoon, It's Chief Bogo from the ZPD. I would like to make a deal with you, Mr Finnick Desertclaw."
In the mean time, Christine Wilde was getting ready for their usual Readers' group meeting, that was kept every second week, and it was just the time for the next one. She was smiling wide. Her only son finally found himself after 33 years, thanks to someone. She wasn't the least worried about this someone being a wolf. And if said wolf's family was as traditional as they sounded about their nobility and bloodline and other stupid stuff, then she would be damned if she didn't let this poor pup into her family with open arms.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on her door. She quickly rushed to it and opened it, already knowing who was behind it. It was her best friend, Monica Wolford. The timber wolf opted a very casual, motherly attire: Light blue blouse and a tight skirt, something stereotypical secretaries would wear.
They crashed in a sisterly hug.
''Sniffy!" cheered Christine
''Lollypop!" cheered Monica back.
''Hot damn! You look like a fine vixen, and you are positively glowing!" praised Monica after ending the hug.
''Well, you don't look half bad yourself, that blouse really matches your eyes, you look really young." Praised back Christine.
''Oh stop it, you are making me blush. So, are you ready to go to the meeting? On the way you could tell me the reason of that huge smile on your face." Said Monica, making place for the Vixen to step out.
''Ready as I ever be, and it's really not much, my son finally admitted something, he should have done ages ago." Replied Christine while locking her door behind her.
''Little Nicky? Did he admit, that this whole police scheme was just another one of his games, or what?" mocked the wolf.
''I actually guessed that one first, but thankfully, no. He just told me that he discovered that he loves males instead of females, and already found someone." Cheered Christine.
''Pfft, good for him. I don't know how could you be so calm about this. If one of my children confessed something like this, I would definitely lose it." Replied Monica. They were currently walking down the corridor, passing other residents' doors.
''Well, it's not that hard actually, I just want him to be happy. By the way, did you find Aaron, who you said disappeared?" inquired Christine
''Yes, turns out, he had a sleepover at one of his friend's, and forgot to mention it to me, making me worried. And to top it off, this friend of his was a bunny! I didn't even know he knew any bunnies. The only bunny I know of is that Judy Hopps, who my children can't stop rambling about." Complained Monica. They stepped into the elevator, and pressed the button to the ground floor.
''Oh, I know her, she is Nicky's partner on the force, she came over a lot of times. Really nice and beautiful doe." Informed Christine.
''Well, don't let any of my kits hear that, they will charge at you for questions. Back to the topic, after he told me that he was sleeping over at this bunny's apartment, he mentioned that he had another friend with them too, some fox he said. That was the last straw, and I lost consciousness. He has to start telling me about these friends, otherwise I will-….Hey Lollypop, Are you okay?" asked Monica of the now rigid and wide-eyed fox. She could smell her fear, and got worried.
Christine was now puzzling together the pieces.
Little Aaron was sleeping over with a bunny and a fox? And Nick just told me that he fell in love with a wolf, who was of Noble blood. Aaron is Monica's son, and Monica is from a noble family, thus making Aaron too. And the three of them are colleagues at the ZPD. This could only mean-
''Helloooo, earth to Lollypoooop, you okay?" shouted Monica snapping the Vixen out.
''Oh, wha- yes…Yes I'm okay, just got lost in my thoughts, that's all." Excused Christine, while steeping out of the elevator. The wolf eyed her suspiciously, but decided to shrug it off.
''Okay, let's get going." Urged Monica.
The two females left the apartment complex after that. Christine couldn't not think about the consequences of the theory she just puzzled together. Nevertheless if it was true, she wasn't backing out of the deal she made with her son. If Monica will be that cruel to that poor pup, she will welcome him, and she will be damned, if she will let Monica do her as she pleases, traditions or not, best friends or not, she will not let this go without saying. But for now, she enjoys the calm before the storm, she is sure will strike.
