-Streets of Savanna Central, 2:00 PM-
"He's getting away, Carrots! Floor it!" Nick Wilde shouted at his partner as their cruiser tore down the street, chasing an orange medium-sized sports car.
"I'm trying! I've almost gotten us into three wrecks so far!" Judy Hopps shouted in frustration, pushing her bunny foot down on the accelerator. The car shrieked around a curve and down a long, straight road. A huge police cruiser appeared at the far end of the road suddenly. "Oh, finally!"
With nowhere left to go, the sports car was forced to scream to a halt, spinning around and smoking as it did. Judy brought her cruiser to a halt and she and Nick launched themselves out of it. Officer McHorn, a large, imposing, and gruff rhinoceros, headed out of the other cruiser, talking into a radio.
Judy and Nick were closing in on the sports car, but the door flew open and a male cheetah flew out of it and scrambled over the car, trying to head for an alleyway.
"Just perfect!" Judy snapped. "Of course it's a cheetah! Why couldn't it have been Flash?" Judy's mouth broke into a huge frown as she rummaged in her belt's pockets.
"We just need to keep our eyes on him!" Nick offered. "Cheetahs can't maintain their top speed for very long!" Nick headed around the cheetah's car in the other direction to see if they could pincer him before he made it into the alleyway.
"He's not going to get that far! RUH!" Judy had spun and tossed a small set of bolas at the cheetah. Looking back, the cheetah's eyes widened and he made himself burst forward just a small bit, not using his full speed yet. The bolas instead headed right for Nick's ankles. "Nick! Stop moving!" Nick managed to stop just in time as he found the bolas wrapping around his own legs. His fox tail shot out straight as he tried to keep his balance.
"Oh, okay!" Nick said with exasperation. "I didn't want to catch him anyway!"
"Sorry!" Judy grimaced at him, heading into the alleyway that the cheetah had ducked into. Watching the action behind him had slowed the cheetah down, but his eyes widened as a furious, yelling bunny was gaining. She leaped and grabbed onto his waist. "You're under arrest!"
"I am?" Chuckled the cheetah. "Sure doesn't look like it!" Judy was only managing to slow the cheetah down somewhat. She growled in frustration, trying to steer him into the walls. Heavy footsteps started to sound out behind her.
"Whoa!" Judy squeaked as both she and the cheetah were lifted off the ground. McHorn had grabbed the cheetah by both his shirt and a tuft of his neck, and was dangling them both in midair.
"You done, Hopps?" McHorn grunted.
"Yeah, I'm done..." said Judy lowly, dropping off of the cheetahs waist and onto the ground.
"I'll take 'im in," McHorn carried the cheetah off. Nick was sitting on the ground, untangling the bolas from his legs, when he saw Judy dejectedly walking out of the alley.
"Sun-blasted raisins!" Judy kicked an empty box in disgust.
"What's got you so upset, Fluff?" Nick chuckled, putting on his signature smirk.
"Urgh, I just don't like getting shown up by other officers," Judy folded her arms, heading over to help Nick. "We were chasing that guy for way too long, and McHorn had to swoop in and save us. All I managed to do is tie up my own partner. I can hear Chief Bogo's lecture now." Her voice deepened. "Hopps! What were you thinking? You endangered the lives of several civilians with your reckless driving and- blah blah blah."
"Keep your ears on, Carrots," Nick shook his head, his smirk wide.
"I'll be lucky if Chief Bogo doesn't send us back to parking duty," Judy grumbled.
"Don't worry about Chief Buff," Nick winked. "We can just leave this little bolas thing out of the report."
"Really?" Judy said as he finally got free. "That would be nice of you." Her voice wavered a bit in embarrassment.
"What are partners for?" Nick asked with a wink.
-Judy's Pangolin Arms Apartment, 8:30 PM-
Judy sighed as she dressed down for bed. The dread of waiting for the hammer to come down on her from Chief Bogo had stressed her out all day. Chief Bogo's rebukes were mild, at worst, but Judy was still feeling upset with herself. She didn't lament not being big or strong, but her reckless tossing of those bolas had almost gotten Nick hurt. She sighed as she plopped herself into bed. If she had listened to Nick and just gave chase, maybe she could have caught up to the cheetah once his stamina ran out. Judy was quite a good endurance runner. Judy's teeth grit as she started to hear familiar sounds come from the wall she was closest to.
"I thought I told you I needed this shirt washed for tomorrow!" That was Bucky Oryx-Antlerson, Judy's kudu neighbor.
"Wash it yourself if you need it so bad!" Shot back Pronk Oryx-Antlerson, the oryx that Bucky lived with.
"You know this is my favorite shirt, why didn't you put it with the first load!?"
"Shut up! A shirt is a shirt!"
"You shut up!"
"No, YOU shut up!"
"HEY!" Judy banged on the wall with her fist. "BOTH of you shut up! Have you guys forgotten you're living next to a POLICE OFFICER? I'm going to come right over there and bust both of you for disturbing the peace!"
There was a momentary reprieve. It lasted only about five minutes.
"I told you not to yell so loud," Pronk began. "You know we're treading on thin ice with that crazy bunny."
"The only reason I was yelling is because of something you did!" Bucky retorted.
"Like I'm supposed to care which of your shirts is your favorite."
"Maybe you should care a little more!"
"About a shirt? Give me a break!"
"Shut up!"
"YOU shut up!"
Judy let loose a growl of utter frustration and threw her covers over her head.
-Judy's Pangolin Arms Apartment, 8:15 PM-
Four days later, Judy was feeling drained as she readied for bed. She and Nick had been asked to help do traffic control and escort a very large funeral procession for the passing of an elderly female bunny. Judy got yelled at a lot by several impatient animals. How could they be so selfish that just one moment of their day was getting delayed for bunnies paying their final respects? Judy pondered this as she flopped into bed. She couldn't help wondering who the deceased was. So many cars on the street that day, going to the funeral. Did they all love her? One of the corners of Judy's mouth threatened to tug into a smile.
That was perhaps all you could ask for in life, she thought. Tons of family and friends that actually cared about you, wanting to respect your last memories and carry them on in their own hearts. But then a darker thought entered her mind. What if they didn't respect her? What if there was no love for her, or it had cooled off as she aged? Perhaps the only reason she had so many people at her funeral was just a sense of duty and not love. A duty for a bunch of bunnies to perform a perfunctory, meaningless silence for someone they barely knew.
The final silence.
Judy shuddered in her bed, wrapping herself in the covers. Then, she noticed suddenly that she hadn't heard Bucky or Pronk at all since she got home. The silence was actually starting to bother her. She felt like she might as well rouse them so she could hear some voices. Judy sat up in her bed and tapped on the wall. Then, a little harder. Suddenly she found herself banging on the wall like she was going to bust down a door.
"What do you want, bunny?" Pronk's voice asked in frustration. "I'm not making any noise!"
"Yeah, that's what's unusual!" Judy smirked. "Everything okay over there?"
"There's no arguing, is there?" Pronk launched back.
"You doing okay too, Bucky?" Judy chirped out. There wasn't an answer. "Bucky?" Another pause.
"Bucky's not here," Pronk finally said. "Said he needed some time alone."
"What...?" Judy blinked. "Did you two have a bigger fight than usual? Are you two going to be okay...?"
"...You know we're together, right?" Pronk asked cautiously.
"Since like the second week I moved in," Judy chuckled. "Give me a little credit."
"I dunno if I want to tell you. Do you actually care or do you just want something to gossip about?" Pronk folded his arms, staring at his barely touched dinner.
"Please?"
"Bucky's been getting on me lately about trying to make amends with my old man," Pronk sighed. "Bucky's parents haven't minded that the two of us are together. Heck, I think his mom even likes us. But my dad, he's totally against us."
"Is it because..." Judy started hesitantly.
"Yeah, because he's a kudu," Pronk explained. "Dad hates kudus. Says they're all curly horned whack-jobs. Twisted inside as out. Real charming, right?"
Judy wondered if what she was thinking of instead was more or less petty than that. "That's... pretty bad, yeah?"
"I don't think my pops is worth my time if he can't accept Buck and me," Pronk grumbled. "But Bucky's been on the warpath about it lately, telling me I gotta reach out. I dunno why he's getting so mad about this; it seemed like just another one of our arguments to me, but he stormed out."
"I wish I knew what to say that would help," Judy admitted, "but I don't. I don't have any experience being in a real relationship with someone."
"Eh, well, thanks for talking anyway, bunny," Pronk grumbled. "If you see Bucky, don't tell him I told you about this. He says I shouldn't be so direct with stuff like this. Says my horns are too sharp for me to be so blunt."
"Okay, I won't tell him," Judy promised. "G-goodnight?"
"I guess we'll see about that."
Judy laid back down in her bed. She didn't know if she felt any better than before.
-Streets of Savanna Central, 1:20 PM-
"Traffic rounds again," Nick sang obnoxiously, "oh, we're doin' traffic rounds again...!"
"I'll take it over parking duty," Judy smirked humbly as she drove down the streets. "At least I get to drive a monster of a cruiser instead of that 'joke-mobile.'"
"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Nick folded his arms. "With that Night Howler case in your cap, you've got a 'bit' of respect at the ZPD. And hey, we technically even helped bring that cheetah in last week."
"I guess so," Judy nodded. "Thanks again for not saying anything about the bolas incident."
Nick shrugged. "Eh, no big deal. No harm done."
"Can I ask you something? About relationships?" Judy asked suddenly. Nick's ears flattened a bit and he tried not to look too surprised as this was sprung on him.
"Uh, okay?"
"It's about my neighbors."
"Y-your neighbors?" Nick was trying not to sound alarmed.
"Yeah, they got into a really big fight."
Nick hoped his exhale couldn't be heard over the cruiser's engine. "But you said they always fight."
"Not quite like this," Judy shook her head. "I think they might need some help."
"Well, I can't say I'm an authority on prey relationships," Nick shrugged. "How about you? How was your luck in high school?"
"I uh, never really had a real boyfriend, I guess you could say," Judy offered in a smaller voice.
"What?" Nick actually looked somewhat surprised. "Lovely little bunny like you?"
Judy managed a smile at the compliment. "You know me, Nick. Don't try to think I was any different when I was a teenager. Sure, I had a lot of guys attracted to me, but the rumors about me being a psycho with her head in the clouds were always floating around. 'She doesn't even wanna be a family bunny. She wants to go be a cop in Zootopia!' 'You know what they say, don't stick your nose in crazy. Especially if she makes it twitch first.'"
"Teenagers aren't any better than kids when it comes to cruelty," grumbled Nick.
"Oh, I didn't let it bother me," Judy said. "I had a laser focus on my goal. ...How about you? I can't imagine a charming fox like you went loveless through your teenage years."
"Mm," Nick's arms folded, his shoulders shrugged. His grunt was noncommittal.
"Come on," Judy smiled, stopping at a red light, "you had to have been a real heart breaker, huh?"
"Yeah, kinda..." Nick turned his head away. He didn't seem at all proud of this.
"Nick...?" Judy was concerned. There was a bit of a silence. She heard a horn blast behind her as she missed the light turning green. "Haha, wow, they have some guts to honk at a police cruiser."
"I uh, did have a few girlfriends," Nick nodded. "But I guess... I was afraid of getting too involved with them. I was just like I am now as a teenager, as well. 'Slick, smooth'. Vixens wanted me. But as they got close, I got so anxious. I started teasing them; picking at any little flaws they had. Some of them were okay with it, but I kept at it. Finally, I'd find something that broke them. They'd break up with me, but I didn't delude myself into thinking it was their fault."
Judy tried not to gasp. Her eyes widened. This was sounding a bit familiar to her. She tried to keep her focus on the road. "Nick..."
"So yeah, that was me, heart breaker Nick," Nick said distantly, looking out the window. "Eventually they stopped trying once the rumors got out that I'd eventually do or say something that would slice them in half."
"Can I ask why you did that...?" Judy's voice was tiny.
Nick's ears flattened again. "You've seen my true self, a few times anyway. The part of me I don't want anyone to see. So, I wanted to break down those vixens. I wanted to get at what they didn't want anyone else to see. I knew that they couldn't possibly keep liking me if they knew who I was deep down, just like I couldn't like them if I knew their darkest secrets."
"Whoa..." Judy felt like her head was spinning.
"So yeah," Nick grumbled. "Not the best guy to ask for relationship advice."
"Oh, Nick," Judy tried to smile at him sweetly at the next red light, but he still wasn't looking. "I'm sure someone is going to come along and make you very, supremely happy, down to your very core. The real you will be what draws her to you..."
Nick's head turned slowly, and he let himself catch a glimpse of Judy's smile. "I mean, I guess stranger things have happened to me."
-Judy's Pangolin Arms Apartment Floor, 6:35 PM-
Three days had passed. Judy had just about entered her apartment when she caught sight of Pronk down the hall. He was struggling somewhat, carrying a box of sodas and an armful of groceries.
"Uh, can I help you with that, Pronk?" Judy offered.
Pronk tossed the box of sodas at her. "Sure, knock yourself out."
"Oof!" Judy caught the sodas and they sent her back a bit. "That's going to get all the fizz going."
"Yeah well, I dunno when they're going to get drank anyway," Pronk muttered. "I barely touch the stuff."
Judy followed Pronk to his apartment. Pronk hesitated before he went in. The place was a bit of a mess, and he already had three boxes of sodas, all the same brand, waiting there.
"Um, oh," Judy said, placing the box of sodas on the others, "is Bucky... not back yet?"
"No," Pronk shook his head. "He's staying with his folks for a few days."
"Are you two... are you two still together?" Judy seemed worried.
"Yeah, I mean, as far as I know," Pronk gave a weak shrug. "At least I hope Bucky would tell me if we were through. He said he was gonna stay away from me for awhile to give me some time, but I think he's the one that wants it."
"Pronk, I'm so sorry," Judy said, approaching him.
Pronk held out a hand in warning. "I don't need your pity or help, bunny. This is my problem, and as you said you have no clue about how to deal with a guy."
"T-that might be true," Judy nodded, wringing her hands. "But I think you need to talk to him maybe? About his feelings."
"Well I know he's mad at me, that's easy enough to get," Pronk shrugged his shoulders, putting his hands on his hips and looking away from Judy's piercing gaze. "I'll just let him cool off. He'll be back."
"I dunno if you should leave it at that?" Judy said hesitantly. "I mean, have you ever asked him why he's so mad about you not wanting to tie things up with your dad?"
"Not exactly," said Pronk, "but I don't know if he'd tell me even if I asked. I can never get a straight answer out of that guy."
"I don't see what you'd have to lose by trying to understand his feelings about it a little more..." Judy shrugged, trying to keep her voice warm.
Pronk glared at her. He looked angry. His teeth started to show. Judy's eyes widened a bit, but she didn't back down. Pronk closed his mouth again. His face was firm, and Judy wasn't sure she could read it. He began to speak meticulously. "You know what I could lose. I could, ugh, just... him."
"I, uh..." Judy was out of things to say.
"Just leave me alone, okay, bunny? I need some time to think," Pronk made a shooing motion with both hands.
"Um, okay, sorry, bye..." Judy fled out of his apartment.
"Thanks for getting in the sodas," Pronk muttered in a barely audible voice. Judy was pretty sure she only caught it because of her bunny hearing.
Judy headed into her apartment, unsure if she did something wrong or not. She got her phone out and was prepared to text Nick to ask him if she screwed up. Her ears perked as she picked up a sound. She was pretty sure it was a soft sobbing. She bit her lip and decided she didn't want to confirm this, and turned up her radio a little bit.
-Judy's Pangolin Arms Apartment, 7:30 PM-
A week hence, Judy was thinking about hitting her bed early to do an exercise routine in the morning. She turned on her microwave after setting some instant dinner inside. Suddenly, her ear perked as she thought she heard some shuffling outside of her room.
"Hey," it was Pronk's voice.
"...Hey," that was Bucky. Judy drew in a sharp breath and turned the microwave off. She very carefully cracked her door open, her mind burning with curiosity.
"So uh, how have you been?" Pronk shrugged.
"Okay, I guess," Bucky's voice was even and unreadable. "Why'd you call me back here?"
"I just wanted to ask you, uh, in person," Pronk's hands twitched as he fought the impulse to wring them, "why do you want me to try to patch things up with my dad? You've seen how sour he is."
Bucky sighed. "C'mon, Pronk."
"Please just tell me, Buck," Pronk was trying to keep his voice from sounding too desperate.
"Well, you know my aunt died two months ago, right?" Bucky gestured with his hand.
"Yeah; I didn't think you two were close, though," said Pronk.
"We weren't, that's the problem," Bucky said. "She never wanted to do anything with the family once she heard you and I were together. She hated the whole interspecies thing."
Pronk shrugged his shoulders. "Another close-minded family member. Can't say I'm surprised."
"But now she's gone, Pronk," Bucky grit his teeth, "and I'll never get to know if we could patch things up. Maybe one of us could have talked sense into her if she knew us a bit better."
"So then, my dad..." Pronk started, but trailed off.
"Do you need me to spell it out for you, moron?" Bucky said, his voice cracking a bit. "He's your last living relative; all you have! And he had a heart attack three years ago! Who knows when he'll be gone for good? Do you really want to spit on his grave? Do you really want for the last family you have on this Earth to give you nothing but hated memories?"
"I mean, your family is cool," Pronk said weakly.
"Yeah, and I'm thankful for that," Bucky said, taking in a deep breath to steady himself. "But as far as I know you got along great with your dad before me. Can you at least try to make things right with him? I don't need you to perform a miracle; if you can't do it, that's his problem. But I... just want to see that you care. A little."
"...All right, Buck, if it'll make you happy," Pronk said after a pause. He gently sighed. "Sorry I didn't ask you about this sooner."
Bucky gently shoved Pronk on his shoulder after a small delay. "...Shut up, you know I could have came back whenever I wanted. ...You know I can be stubborn."
"You shut up," Pronk returned in a small voice, pushing him back. "If I could have told how much you cared about this you'd never have left."
"No, you shut up..."
"You..."
Judy closed the door to her apartment, covering the huge grin that had burst from her face with her hands. She was trying not to squeal; she didn't think she had been noticed. After happily scarfing down her admittedly tasteless dinner, she launched into bed with a big grin. Judy had felt like, in some small way, maybe she had made the world a better place once again. Just a little.
Her peace in bed lasted maybe ten minutes.
"What's with all this soda!?" Bucky's voice rang out through her wall. "I'll never be able to get to all this before they go flat!"
"It was all a good deal, Bucky!" Prong shot back. "Maybe I know how much you like this soda!"
"I'm gonna toss it down the drain if you don't help me drink it!"
"You know how many calories and sugar that swill has!?"
"I think that mouth could USE a bit of sweetening once in awhile!"
"Sure hasn't worked on you!"
"Shut up!"
"YOU shut up!"
"No, YOU SHUT UP!"
"YOU SHUT UP...!"
Judy sighed, her mouth still smiling. It was almost music to her big, black-tipped bunny ears.