Fluff files 4: Office Tradition.
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(AN: A tribute to an office tradition at my place of work, taken to its illogical conclusions)
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Judy hadn't intended to start anything.
She'd gone back home to celebrate her birthday in the burrows. Just a weekend trip, that was all. Her parents, happy to see her home, had ordered a great big delivery from Gideon's bakery. Hot and crispy pies, and buttery shortbreads, and all manner of cakes, crumpets, croissants and all sorts of baked goods that didn't even begin with a C.
Far too much for Judy to eat in any case. Almost too much for the Hopps family. So, when going home, the bunny cop had awkwardly taken a few cases with her on the train. The next day, she laid out a carrot cake on top of some drawers at the end of her cubicle line at the precinct. A cutting knife was laid out, and little napkins to use instead of plates, with the intention that officers could help themselves. Nick took a slice, as did Bogo and Fangmeyer and Wolfard and all the rest. Clawhauser took one and then, as not much had been eaten, took another little bit later. He silently apologised as he did so, before departing.
The process repeated itself at the end of the day, when he took the last little bit. The cake was gone. That should have been the end of it.
In Judy's defence, it was a certain dumb fox who officially 'made it a thing'. His April birthday, not longer after Judy's early March one (her oldest littermate, born earlier, technically only got her birthday every four years), would involve the standard drinks and such. Coming in for work though, he involved something else. Baked goods. A carrot cake in return for Carrots' one, a whole load of blueberry muffins as his favourite, and a big box of donuts. "I know my people," he said, and so he did. They slowly came, just about finishing off the food by the end of the day. Clawhauser in particular helped with that, unable to stop himself from walking by whenever he could, and apologetically taking a little of something each time.
When it was Wolfard's birthday, he brought in two trays of donuts, cupcakes, some plastic tubs from the supermarket filled with little fudge brownies and flapjacks, and a selection of giant muffins. It turned out that Francine had been holding back, not wanting to be seen as greedy. She gushed at length at how nice it was to be able to join in, so that was a new future requirement. Giant muffins for the megafauna, and Clawhauser. It kept him away for a whole day but, on the second (for this was the first time it took more than one day to finish it all) he did sample some of the smaller nibbles.
Fangmeyer then splashed out at the bakery after her birthday. Everything came in big sizes due to her size, and the range was wider than ever before. It took three days to finish everything, the portly cheetah leading the charge.
Bogo's day came, the Francine's, then Grizzoli's. Each time, it was a point of pride to either bring in more or have a gimmick. Nick wondered where it would all end.
Then, coming up to the precinct one day, Judy saw Gideon's van parked outside. "Oh Sweet Cheese and Crackers…"
"Just got the third lot offloaded!" he boasted, before Judy raced past him. The offices were covered in what looked like the entire stock of the bakery. There were things she couldn't name, and giant portions of what she could, and enough donuts to make her feel ill.
There was a chuckle from behind her, and she turned to see Clawhauser, a party hat on his head.
"I had to return the favour!" he said, before bringing up a party horn and blowing it happily.
Judy gawked at him, then looked around, then shrugged. "Happy birthday Ben!" she said with a cheery wave, before diving right towards a carrot cake cheesecake.