-It's totally (not) like that!-

Precinct 1 of the ZPD sat in the center of Zootopia's central district. From here the ZPD could send units all over the city. Most precincts were situated in the different districts or outlying regions. The officers from those bases of operation would normally remain in their designated district. The mammals of Precinct 1, however, were able to go to any of the districts to assist with operations. That was one of the reasons they only took the best of the best. An officer could change regions at a moments notice or be called into action in a place other officers may not be used to.

Judy always had a feeling of pride wash over her whenever she headed into work. Looking at the impressive multi-storied building always caused the doe to get a little more skip in her step. Even after the somewhat unfortunate conversation, she had just had with Nick the bunny couldn't help but shake with anticipation to get to work.

"Carrots," Nick muttered as he strolled up beside the doe who couldn't help but stare at the building straight ahead. "Carrots you there?"

"What? Oh yeah sorry Nick," Judy said as she turned to look at the fox currently holding a large paper cup filled with a black brew that kept Nick sane during his shift. They always had a tradition of stopping by the same coffee cart on the way to work. Nick needing some liquid energy to deal with the early morning hours. On occasion, they would actually be on the late shift which meant the fox would have to bring coffee from home.

"You sure you don't want anything?" The fox asked. He did everyday and everyday Judy would kindly turn down his offer. Most rabbits actually couldn't have too much coffee. It would have a somewhat negative reaction to their digestive system. Occasionally Judy would enjoy a nice green tea or some kind of breakfast smoothie but coffee was off the menu.

"I'm good slick," Judy said with a wink as she turned back to the ZPD's main building and began to stroll down the sidewalk. She was especially eager to get to work this morning. It would be the first shift they had since she had tried to kiss the fox and she was eager to get it out of the way. In Judy's mind the more shifts they got between them the better things would feel. Occasionally though Judy felt a pang of regret or embarrassment as she thought about the day before.

We were so close…

Judy banished the thoughts from her mind. Sure Nick and she had talked, but it didn't mean her feelings had been dulled for the fox, not yet. She was slightly worried if she would be able to keep it together but her worries were soon brushed aside.

"Could you not be so cheery in the morning," Nick teased as he caught up to the doe and took a sip of coffee.

"Oh I am sorry mister grouchy fox, should I try and be boring and down like you all the time?"

"I am not boring," Nick grumbled as he took another long gulp. He looked down at the doe who gave him a wink with her violet eyes. "Ok, so I am not boring AFTER my coffee."

The two laughed as they came close to the main steps of the ZPD.

"Uh oh…sad looking cheetah at 3 o clock," Nick muttered from his coffee cup.

Judy turned her head in the direction of the fox's gaze and felt her ears droop at the sight of one of their work friend.

A cheetah in a long-sleeved ZPD uniform trudged up the stairs to the ZPD building. It didn't take behavioral expert to tell the predator was feeling pretty down. The way she dragged her paws with each step, how her tail hung limply behind her, even her normally beautiful and vibrant fur looked dull.

"Oh not again," Judy said sadly as she deviated from their normal path and skipped over to the large predator. "Hey Tammy, you feeling ok?"

Tammy blinked a few times before looking from the ground and over to Judy. Her yellow eyes brightening at the sight of Judy standing before her.

"Oh hey Judy," Tammy said as a warm smiled crossed her lips. "Just kinda had a disappointing date is all. Been working on this one for a while and it didn't really pan out."

"You scare off another poor feline?" Nick asked as he made his way over to the two ladies in blue.

"Morning to you too Nick," Tammy grumbled but smiled when she watched Judy give the fox a quick poke in the side.

They are so freaking cute together it's almost sick.

"Wanna talk about it?" Judy asked as she tilted her head and looked back up at the large feline.

Tammy couldn't help but respect Judy. When the small doe had joined the ZPD it had made a lot of waves. When they first met Tammy was worried she would intimidate the small bunny from her sheer size alone. Instead, Judy had gone off to impress Tammy by not only standing her ground when meeting the large predator but going out of her way to be friendly and make small talk. Judy was fearless and because of that many predators in the ZPD had started to respect her. Of course, many of them had different opinions on Nick. Not in a speciest way mind you, but more in an "Oh my gosh how many bad jokes does this fox know?" kind of way.

Tammy took in a deep breath and decided that maybe talking about the problem would help her feel a little better.

"It's just kind of hard dating when you work weird hours like we do here," Tammy explained as she adjusted the backpack currently slung over her shoulder. "So Mates is really the only chance I get to kind of…find dates right now."

Nick slowly raised his glasses and set them on his head. An evil smirk on his face. " Mates. As in Mates dot com?"

"Oh gosh don't give me that," Tammy growled. "So I use a dating site to find dates…big whoop."

Nick tried his best to hold the laughter in. A glare from Judy was enough to convince the fox that it wasn't worth his life though. The fox pulled out his cellphone and began to fiddle with the screen, a clear sign he was going to do his best to remain quiet.

Tammy continued, feeling glad to have someone like Judy to not only keep Nick in line but to talk to about this kind of stuff. One of the other reasons Tammy loved Judy was the fact the doe went out of her way to help others or give them words of encouragement. Some mammals saw it as foolish or naïve. Tammy saw it as a trait that more mammals needed in their lives, she was happy to have Judy among her list of friends because of it.

"So I am guessing the date didn't turn out so well?" Judy asked hesitantly as she gave Tammy a nervous grin.

"Not at all," Tammy grumbled. Her eyes widened suddenly though as she raised a paw up, "Don't get me wrong though, my date was really sweet and pretty darn cu- adorable. Its just her personality was nothing like what she said in her profile."

"Not confident, strong-willed, flirty, and not hesitant to be forceful with me?" Nick asked as he looked at his phone.

Tammy looked at the fox and a look of panic crossed her face. "Wilde you didn't?!"

"Gotta say the profile pic will probably catch a lot of attention though," The fox teased as he scrolled through the phone.

Judy was slightly confused at first but then put two and two together. She scurried over to Nick and put a paw on his arm, making him lower the phone so she could stick her nose to the screen.

"Sweet Cheese and Crackers Tammy!" The doe exclaimed as a bright blush crossed the cheetah's cheeks.

The screen was filled with a picture of Tammy in a sports bra and very short running shorts. The angle of the picture was from above which accented the cheetah's already attractive figure. A look of seduction was on the cheetah's face as she looked right at the camera.

"If I were into felines," Nick teased.

"And if I were into annoying and obnoxious foxes," Tammy shot back.

"Guess you and Judy don't share the same tastes then," Nick let slip before he could stop himself.

Judy tensed up and slowly turned her head to look up at Nick, an apologetic look was on the fox's face as he looked down at Judy.

"Wait! What?!" Tammy nearly shouted. "Did I hear that right? Are you two?"

"Ummm," Judy tried to bluster out but the cheetah was already starting to make wild accusations.

"It's about time! Oh my gosh, wait till everyone hears! This is amazing. I don't even care about my date last night anymore. You two are such a cute couple."

"Tammy…" Judy began, a weak smile on her face.

"I mean…wow. My day just got better. Wilde and Hopps, love it," The cheetah gushed, her tail flicking happily behind her.

"It's not like that," Judy tried to silence her friend as she waved her paws about, the blush going up in her ears showing just how embarrassed she was. She didn't dare look at Nick, knowing he would either be smug about this or worse…embarrassed like she was.

"Like what? Like the most romantic thing, I have seen all year? Oh my gosh I have been waiting so long to start teasing you two about-"

"We aren't a couple," Nick said firmly as he took a sip of coffee.

There is not a single officer in the ZPD that would ever want to go back to the academy for taser day. The volts of electricity coursing through one's body caused so much pain and then there was the loss of all muscle control. Judy, however, would have gladly signed up to go through that training all over again if she would never have to hear Nick say what he just said.

She thought that as more time went on that this wouldn't sting so much. Her heart felt strained as the words left Nick's lips.

"Oh, sorry I just…" Tammy said softly as she looked at Judy nervously.

Even Nick felt bad with how he had come out and said such things. Judy didn't dare turn around and look at Nick but then something rather amazing happened. Nick did what he did best.

A gentle arm wrapped around Judy's shoulders as the fox squeezed his partner closer to his side.

"You think she would want to deal with this all the time. I mean she gets paid to put up with my jokes on shift. She wouldn't do that willingly," Nick teased as he gave the cheetah a playful wink.

Nick wasn't fooling anyone. He hadn't had all his coffee yet so his hustle game was still booting up. If Judy was honest with herself though she was glad it was obvious what he was doing. It meant that he cared for her so deeply that he would do just about anything to cheer her up. Even if he wasn't at fault he would take the blame for her.

"Good point, don't know many ladies with that kind of conviction," Tammy snorted.

"Aww don't say that Tammy," Nick chuckled as a small chirp came from the felines duty belt. Nick gave her a wicked grin and nodded down at her belt.

Judy didn't move from her spot. She watched Tammy with her big purple eyes and when the cheetah's attention went down to her phone she took a risk.

The bunny closed her eyes and gently nuzzled into Nick's side, she did her best to keep quiet but the feeling of her fallen ears gently rubbing against the fox's side was almost too much.

How am I going to get through these shifts?! Was he always so soft? Oh my gosh why do I love his scent?!

The bunny's attention was brought back to Tammy however when the cheetah burst out cursing.

"Nick you didn't! No no no! You son of a-"

"Just trying to help," Nick said as he took a step back, still holding Judy to his side as they slowly moved away from the cheetah.

"Let the bunny go," Tammy growled. "So I can maul that smug smirk off your face."

"Now now Tammy, I am just trying to help you find the right feline is all," Nick said as he slowly moved Judy in front of him and did his best to hide behind her. It was an amusing sight to behold since Nick was easily three times Judy's size.

"Judy move aside so I can have some words with your fox," Tammy said in a low voice as she slowly moved towards the frightened looking fox who stood behind the somewhat oblivious bunny.

"What did he do now?" Judy asked, sounding slightly confused as she tilted her head.

Nick held his phone up in front of Judy's face so the doe could see what the fox had done.

The phone had the Muzzlebook app open and the screen was filled with Nick's most recent post. It was a screenshot of Tammy's dating profile and all its glory. The caption from Nick caused Judy to start a giggle which eventually turned into a squeaking laugh as she couldn't breathe.

"Think I got a shot?" The post from Nick read.

Already there were a dozen likes or so from other members of the ZPD. No one, however, seemed to be brave enough to comment on the post just yet.

"I think you would make a cute couple," Judy teased, joining in with her fox on the joke.

"Oh no," Tammy rolled her eyes as she stopped just in front of Judy and glared at the fox who gave her a weak smile. "I ain't dealing with all that. You can keep him, Hopps."

"Guess I will," Judy said with a smirk as she pawed the phone back to Nick and turned to give the fox a smile.

"This ain't over Wilde," Tammy said playfully as she turned to walk up the stairs to the ZPD. "I got plans for you."

"Dinner on Friday maybe?" Nick shouted. Even Tammy had to laugh at that one.

Once they were alone once more there was a kind of calm silence between them. Judy had her paws together in front of her as she looked up at Nick. There was so much she wanted to say right now. So much she wanted to do. So much she wanted to…try.

In the end, she decided it was best to just say…

"Thanks, Nick," Judy said in almost a whisper as she smiled up at the fox.

There were so many things she was thanking him for right now, she just hoped he knew what he had done.

"No problem Carrots," The fox said as he leaned down towards her.

Judy felt her heart race but held her ground as she looked straight ahead at the fox.

Please kiss me please kiss me please KISS ME!

The fox reached out and gently put a digit to Judy's nose, giving her the smallest of boops which caused her to look a little cross-eyed, her nose wiggling in response to the attention.

"You know you love me," Nick chuckled.

"Do I know that?" Judy asked playfully, thinking that this was as far as they would go sadly. "Yes, yes I do."

"We better hurry up," Nick said as he stood up and finished his coffee, chucking it into a trashcan nearby. "Don't want to be late for Buffalo Butt's morale session."

"Try and keep your mouth shut this time," Judy instructed as she strolled back towards the ZPD building. "I am getting a little tired of patrol and want a case this week."

"Case of what?" Nick asked which caused the doe to groan as she looked at the blue sky above. Nick would always do this, find ways to play dumb when she used the word case. "Case of Carrots? A case of muffins? Oh, wait! What about a case of blueberries from your parent's farm? I am out from the last crate they sent me."

"That crate was supposed to last you a few weeks!" Judy shouted and waved her arms about as they ascended the stairs together.

"What can I say? I love blueberries!"

Wish you loved carrots more.

"Almost as much as I love carrots," Nick added as he gave Judy a wink. The doe had to concentrate so hard not to lose it at that moment.

He is doing this on purpose now! He knows I like him and he is messing with me!

As the duo made their way through the lobby filled with officers and citizens of various sizes Judy glanced over at the reception desk located smack dab in the middle of the large atrium. Her ears perked up as she tried to get a peek at the resident greeter to the ZPD. A cheetah named Clawhauser that always had a friendly greeting and a sweet treat for anyone passing by. Much to Judy's dismay, however, the chunky cheetah wasn't present at the moment. Instead, a lovely looking Zebra was answering calls while waving at a few officers passing by. Her name was Jenny and she had recently been transferred over from Precinct 3 as a kind of secondary reception officer. The ZPD was a very busy place after all and it would take more than just the bubbly Benny to make sure everyone was greeted.

"Nick!" Came a familiar voice. Judy and Nick turned in time to see the chubby cheetah waddle over in their direction. The predator's arms were full of various vending machine goodies that he had just recently purchased from the break area.

"Oh this is gonna be good," Nick chuckled as the pair stopped to watch their winded friend do his best to reach them in a timely manner.

By the time Clawhauser stopped in front of them it sounded like he had just completed a marathon.

"Nick….Mate….dot com….hilarious…" Benny wheezed as he bent over. "Oh my gosh why is the break room so far away."

"It's not that far really.." Judy said hesitantly. She absolutely loved Benny. He had always been sweet to her and was one of the few mammals that helped her out on her first days at the ZPD. He was however not in the best of shape, which while adorable, could sometimes be a problem in the eyes of the bunny. She had tried to convince him time and time again to go running with her after work or maybe come along for a healthy lunch. So far her efforts had been appreciated but...well…useless.

"Oh well, the one on the 3rd floor is," Benny said with an open mouth smirk as he rummaged around in the pile of snacks held in his arms.

"Why did you go all the way to the third floor vending machines?" Nick asked curiously.

"Because I knew it was getting restocked today and a certain vending machine supply mammal told me a certain snack cake was coming back," The cheetah said proudly as he produced a small orange cake wrapped in plastic and presented it to Judy.

"No way!" Judy squeaked happily as her paws wrapped around the small treat. "Carrot puff cake!"

Nick rolled his eyes and chuckled. Sure he knew the ins and outs of Zootopia and if anyone ever needed anything he was the one to help find it. When it came to junk food though Clawhauser had him beat.

"Made sure to get it before they sold out again," Benny said as he strolled away.

Judy looked at the cake and then back to Benny who sauntered away, tail whipping back and forth.

"Benny wait! The cake!" Judy piped up. The cheetah, however, held up another one in his paw.

"I had to get one for my sweet bun bun," The cheetah said with a smile and wink to Judy who couldn't help but let her tail flick happily.

"See now that's a couple the city deserves," Nick chuckled as he started towards the bullpen.

Judy rolled her eyes as she began to work at the plastic around her snack cake.

"We would make a pretty SWEET couple," Judy said playfully.

"You two would really take the CAKE," Nick shot back.

The two laughed at each other cheesy one-liners as they entered the bullpen. Normally the officers inside would all be chatting about their time off, the occasional arm wrestles to see who could beat who, or gossip about other members of the ZPD.

Today's topic was Tammy whose profile pic had now gotten roughly 50 likes on Nick's Muzzlebook page.

The cheetah, however, was a good sport about it and would simply point out she had to put one up because none of the mammals present were tough enough to date her.

"Bet Hopps could change your mind," Came a voice in the back.

"I thought Wilde already had dibs?"

"On who?"

There was a roar of laughter from the crowd as Judy blushed and looked over in Tammy's direction. The cheetah gave her a friendly nod followed by a wink.

Before any more jokes could be made at the three's expense the door to the side of the bullpen burst open. This surprised the officers present who scrambled to find their seats. Normally Chief Bogo would be announced by one of the ranking officers and he would enter to a form of chant his officers made out of respect. The look on the water buffalo's face told them all something was up.

"City isn't falling apart so you can breathe again," Bogo said, clearing the tense feeling in the air. "But we just had an avalanche in Tundra Town roughly 5 minutes ago. No reported injuries at this time but it is blocking roadways and ZFD has to dig some folks out of a building or two. The previous shift was on its way in to go 10-7 and now they are all stuck out in the frozen district watching a pile of snow so I have a feeling they would appreciate it if I was short and sweet on this one"

"Your always sweet sir," Nick piped up.

"Wilde!" Bogo barked from the podium as he stared the fox down. He then stood straight and sighed. "Alright, so we have already gotten that part of briefing out of the way. Hopps, would you mind?"

Without looking away from her superior Judy reached over and slugged Nick in the arm. The fox feigning an injury and rubbing where he had just been hit.

"Thank you," The buffalo grumbled as he looked down at a series of folders in front of him. "I have a few cases-"

"Of Blueberries?" Nick whispered as he leaned towards Judy who gave him another punch to the arm, causing the fox to straighten up.

"That need to be pawed out," Bogo continued, ignoring Nick's antics. "First though let's get some teams to Tundra Town to help with perimeter."

The officers in the room all sat up a little straighter as they waited to hear their names called out.

"Thompson, Murphy, Wilde, Hopps, Eston, and Riley get geared up for some cold weather and report to Tundra Town. A sergeant Pine will be waiting for you there to give you further instructions."

With that, the mammals that were called all stood up and headed out of the bullpen as Bogo continued with the briefing. While some of the officers griped about heading out to do perimeter work in the cold Judy was eager to get out there. She always was though. Every shift it was always the same thing. They would receive their assignment for the day and then the bunny would practically run down the halls in order to head out into the city that much faster.

Today something different happened. Tammy took a step in front of Nick and gave him a mischievous and toothy grin. Her intentions were clear, the fox had to pay for his Muzzlebook post.

"Well, would ya look at the time!" Nick said as he put his paws on Judy's shoulder and used her as a small fluffy shield. He managed to lift the doe up and held her upwards, the gray bunny giggling as she felt Nick hold onto her like she was some kind of magical defense against Tammy. "Carrots and I need to get going."

Nick managed to slink by the cheetah, his giggling shield starting to flail her legs as the fox grasped her sides which were actually rather ticklish.

"Run all you want Wilde, I got a snowball with your name on it, mark my words," Tammy shouted from down the hall.

"Nick put me down already! It tickles too much!" Judy squeaked.

Nick granted Judy her request and gave her a grateful smile. With that, the two hurried down the hall to the parking garage where their vehicle would be waiting.

Before they had turned the corner one of Judy's ears twitched and turned back down the hall where Tammy and a large timber wolf were conversing as they strolled after the rabbit and fox duo.

"Don't let Hopps hear me use the c-word but damn they make a cute couple," the female timber wolf said as she walked alongside the slightly taller feline.

"They aren't a couple," Tammy grumbled.

"What? Oh come on the signs are everywhere!"

"I know, but they aren't."

"Wonder why?" The wolf asked as she adjusted her vest.

"My money is Wilde being an idiot."

The ladies down the hall laughed at the comment. Judy couldn't help but let her lip curl as she turned the corner with Nick, the idiot….her idiot.

So I am sure some of you may have noticed the title change for this story. Decided to go with something in order to avoid some confusion between the other story that is still up. Should give ya some hints as to what is coming up. Thought it would be best to change it now while we are still early in the story instead of down the line when it's like 25 chapters in and people are still confused about the Nighthowler junk.

Hope you liked a little fluff.

Glad to see Tammy is back!

Wait till ya see who shows up next!

-Blue