The new tales from Zootopia

by Vindictive456

This story is a well thought out work of fan-fiction that will cover in moderate pace how Judy came back to the force and convinced Nick to be her partner, Nick's training to become an officer and his days at the academy, a weird new case involving corrupt mammals and a new dangerous drug, all of that sprinkled with the growing love between Zootopia's favorite pair of officers.

39. Episode 39: Morals and Perspective

Author's note: Salutations, my dear readers. It is I, Valiant, and I have returned with another chapter of my Zootopia fan-fiction. I has certainly been a while since last we spoke but I have been blown away with the continued support and interest you all have shown my writing. It seems that every other week or so I am hit with a new notification that alerts me of a new review or a new reader that joins us in this strange, marvelous and often overextended journey that we have been going through together. I certainly hope that it doesn't feel like I have been throwing things at the wall to see what it sticks when it comes to my stories, I do have been known to do that from time to time, but my writing projects are truly important to me and by sharing it with all of you I hope to evolve and create works that are veritably marked as my own, faults, slips and all. In resume, I thank you all for sticking around and taking the time to come along on this journey, I will take a small break after the spooky season to meditate, organize, go over the rough draft of other projects… rest assured, this story will continue and I do know exactly where it is headed, on another key note, my Spyro Fan-fic has been on hiatus for a while, but I Will continue to work on it. With all that settled, I hope you have a fantastical time.

Episode 39: Moral and Perspective.

Judy woke up with the sound of the streets outside her apartment, the sounds of cars and mammals jostling about called her mind into sudden action and she was gradually stirred out of sleep. The bunny slowly opened her eyes, the warm and fine stream of light coming from between the small sill between the curtains of her bedroom hitting her face just above her eyes, she moved her body slowly as her joints cricked lightly into straightened positions and she sat up over her mattress so that she could stretch and get up properly.

Judy could feel herself so light and fluid during that morning, she went to sleep the night before while holding on to the feeling of the kiss she shared with Nick and just thinking about it, how the whole entire date played out, delivered a pleasant tingle that extended from the base of her spine to the back of her neck, like a thin jolt of electricity that stimulated her whole body just as her entire figure clicked into activity. Judy grabbed her cellphone and took a look at the clock in the screen, her ears twitched up and placed in parallel as she saw that it was almost time for the daily role calls over at precinct one, she would have to get ready in a hurry so she would not be late for an assignment or miss some important shred of data that the chief may have received from the ZBI. The only thought in her mind right after spotting the time on the clock was to move along and hurry.

Judy entered he bathroom and hopped in the shower, the dress she had used last night was still placed in a hook by the right side wall, well in view and she really wanted to admire it for a short time, it was no secret that she was not a bunny to overdress for any situation but she had truly nailed the look for her date, that was something she could be at least a little proud of. Judy exited the shower while having a towel wrapped around her torso, she let the bath appliance fall to the floor of her bedroom as she reached for the closet and fished out her uniform with all of its flourishes, that was the only part of her preparation that could not feel rushed. Judy buttoned up her shirt, fastened her belt and all of its attachments, she adjusted her badge on the lapel and latched every single strap of her safety vest with near perfect symmetry, one look in the mirror later and she knew that she was ready to get to work. One quick pause for breakfast, a glass of juice and a buttered up toast later, and she shot out the door, determined to get to the ZPD with time to spare, no matter how miniscule.

Judy was jogging through the streets of Zootopia, performing checks over the items she was bringing along on the way to make sure she had not forgotten anything. The sidewalk was not too full and she had a nice free path to the precinct building, it did not take long at all for her to arrive at the square by the central savanna, climb up the steps and cross through the front doors, Judy arrived and breathed deeply, taking in as much air as her lungs would contain as she regained her stamina in the most efficient way she could manage, the refreshing air-conditioned air of the building helped a lot as she felt the energy returning through her body with each deep breath she took. Judy directed her eyes up and around her position, there were not that many other officers roaming about the lobby or the hallways in the distance, she spotted Benjamin by his usual post behind the front counter and then she took one last look at her cellphone, checking the hour and confirming that her attendance margin was still met, whispering to herself with the poise and breath she had just taken in:

- *Phew*… With time to spare.

Judy stored her cellphone back in her pocket and walked ahead, the first order of business was to greet and salute the friendly cheetah by the front counter before the official start of her shift:

- Good morning, Benjamin.

Judy called to the feline's attention with moderate volume to her voice and a little wave of her left paw, Benjamin turned to greet her and converse for a little bit, saying at first:

- Oh, hey there, Hopps. How are you?

Judy halted her walk, directing her sight up with her neck placed at a small angle as she looked at Benjamin and his jovial smile while he leaned over the counter, she answered to his question after a couple of short seconds:

- I'm doing great. Almost lost my time and overslept today. Had to come here in a hurry.

She said so while flawlessly disguising the loss of breath she felt instances before from her voice, Benjamin's response to that was leaning back, supporting his upper body weight with his paws on the counter as his arms extended moderately to push him back, and just before telling her:

- Hopps, if there is anyone in this precinct that really and truthfully deserves to oversleep once in a while, it's you. You already do so much.

Judy shook her head slowly from side to side, her ears following some of that motion right before she said in a calm breath:

- I do nothing more than my job here at the precinct. Although, it never hurts to have a flawless attendance record like I'm hoping for.

The bunny said so in a healthy bit of boasting and showing a little side smile as she did so. Benjamin looked around, just to make sure there were no other officers within possible earshot of the conversation, before he leaned over once more and asked of Judy:

- Say, Hopps, a couple days ago, when you asked to leave for an hour and come back, where exactly did you go?

Judy was certainly not expecting to hear that question out of Benjamin so early in the day, she did promise to tell the cheetah the truth about her unexpected and temporary slip through the work shift, even if it went unnoticed by anyone other than Benjamin, he did deserve to hear the truth about that. Judy closed her eyes and took a slow and deep breath, she released the puff of air slowly through her mouth and then took to answering the question by leaning in close and saying with moderate volume:

- Benjamin, I sneaked away from the precinct because I had planned to go to the mall with a friend, I asked her to accompany me as we procured some new clothes for myself.

Benjamin had his ears positioned in a way that would accentuate the level of confusion in his eyes, the feline had his right ear raised and his left ear lowered, he asked for further pieces of information, assured by the stance that the bunny had adopted that there could be some juicy chances for gossip heading his way. Benjamin continued to pry, trying his best to not sound intrusive or predetermined to attain more information out of Judy by asking her:

- You snuck out to buy clothes? Did you have some sort of… 'fashion emergency'?

The sour look on Judy's face alerted Benjamin that he might be encroaching ever so close to the truth, just one look at his face was enough for Judy to know that there was just no way she could lie or hide the truth from the cheetah, she would be no good in doing so anyway. Judy raised her left hand and scratched the side of her cheek using only her pointing finger, moving up and down as the short and stubby tip of her nail brushed a single line past the fur on her face, she turned her eyes over to Benjamin and answered his question by saying:

- It was a bit more of a… 'social emergency'. I needed a new set of clothes because… I had a date.

Judy took a couple of awkward pauses but it made no difference, the full bulk of that answer hit Benjamin and the cheetah just could not help himself but react in a hilarious and utterly endearing way. Benjamin raised both of his paws and they clenched lightly as they approached his face, he bent his wrists up and then pressed the bases of his paws against the sides of his face, pushing both of his corpulent cheeks up and smooshing the sides of his mouth as he released a loud gasp followed by an adorable squealing noise, the sonic confirmation that a full on yelp that could have been heard by the entire precinct was thoroughly averted:

- YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Judy showed a little awkward smile, the paw of her left paw now placed entirely over her cheek as if that would do anything in hiding away the shy aura on her face, once she heard the adorable little squealing released by Benjamin which could have been mistaken for the loudest scream a mouse could perform. Benjamin looked at Judy, almost his entire upper body leaning over the counter, his paws providing him with a precarious amount of support as his paws raised from the ground, he looked straight at Judy with wide eyes and asked of her, almost demanding for an answer outright:

- Tell me literally *everything*! If you do not tell me right now, I will not drop it. Do not test me, you know I will not drop it.

Judy had her ears lowered, her body turned away from the counter, only at a small angle, before she said:

- There is really not that much to tell: My friend and I got this new dress that looked really cute on me, I had the hour for the date on lock and I was very prepared...

Judy was set to list everything that happened during her romantic outing, but it seemed like the rhythm of her descriptive speech dropped gradually as she took a short step to the left before continuing to speak, her list went on while maintaining a short pause between each even spoken:

- He showed up… He brought me flowers… We went to a restaurant… We talked… The food was amazing… Oh gosh, I was so nervous!

Judy actually wavered between a frown and a smile as she spoke, her adorable changes in expression only gave Benjamin the incentive to listen closer to whatever she was trying to say. The feline already had his suspicions, his theories, his mind was practically percolating with what it could mean, not only for him but for the bet that most of the precinct had indulged quite a long time ago, the locked safe-box filled with bills was still safely hidden in a secret compartment behind the counter. Benjamin wanted to ask more, he took to doing just that as soon as Judy turned her sight back to him and he said:

- Hopps, you got to give me a few more details. Who is this guy? Do I know him?

Benjamin already had his mind set on the fact that there could only be one mammal in the entire precinct, maybe even in the whole entire city, that could take Judy out on a date and make her appear so jovial and flustered, with the way she talked and moved about there was just no more doubts, but the cheetah wanted to hear it from her first and foremost. Judy was just about to fess up, part of her really wanted to drop the suspense and tell it to Benjamin, the cheetah would have his direct answer along with concrete evidence straight from the source so there would be no more speculation. However, just as Judy was about to cave in and fess up to her colleague, she heard a voice coming from the direction of the front doors of the precinct, only placed much closer to her position, a warm and very familiar presence that she did not detect before, Nick's voice hit her ears as the fox leaned closer to her and spoke with a velvety tone of voice as he greeted her for the day:

- Good morning, carrots.

Judy stepped away, a long stride of her right leg as she turned to look at the owner of the voice, both surprised and delighted to see Nick again, staring at the fox with a stunned expression in her face and with both of her ears raised high before she told him with a quick and rather aggressive wave of her paws, swinging at the air so far from the fox as she said:

- Nick! Stop doing that!

The fox's answer was a soft chuckle, his smile was the only tool needed to disarm Judy's temper at that moment, she looked at him with renewed softness in her stare as she asked:

- How is it that I can hear everything so well *except* for when you just decide to sneak up on me like that? It's really infuriating!

Nick took a short step ahead, his left foot placed forward as he showed a simple gesture of his left paw, moving free in the air around him as his right grip was busy hanging on to a small cardboard tray of coffee hat he brought along, two cups neatly fitted into the hard folded receptacle, which he held it surprisingly steady as he gestured and answered:

- That is because of my most well-guarded secret, fluff. I am a stealth craft and I have this amazing feature that allows me to fly just below your radar.

Judy stepped closer to her partner, two simple steps with her left side leaned forth and leading the way, just before she delivered a soft bump to his side and telling him:

- Yeah, right. You keep that up and I'll be the one to deliver a shock on you and it will be when you least expect it.

Nick leaned towards Judy, bending his knees slightly and bringing his upper body forward as he told her in response while having an immutable smile on his face:

- A surprise ponce at me, from you? I can hardly wait for that.

At that point, with the fox's tone of voice so soft and yet so audible, Benjamin was sure as it could be that the bunny and her partner were flirting with one another. Judy turned her head to the right and noticed Benjamin's smiling face staring at her and Nick, she took that as the perfect cue to leave, the nicest excuse she could have seized to slide off to work and cut the conversation with the cheetah short in the most polite way possible. Judy turned to Nick and reached for his left wrist with both of her paws, gently wrapping her fingers around it and pulling the fox as she guided him to the eastern hallway, sort of a roundabout way to reach the cubicles through the longest route and give Benjamin the slip. As Judy began to drag Nick softly, the fox following her lead without changing the smiling expression on his face and not asking any questions, Judy raised her head to speak to Benjamin and wish him a short farewell while pulling her partner along:

- Listen, Benjamin, Nick and I have to get to work. Get the shift started and all of that. We'll talk a little more later, okay?

The cheetah let them leave, it just did not feel right to him to halt them or pry any further, it felt like he got all of the intel he could have gotten out of Judy and that single moment of interaction with her partner. Benjamin raised his right paw and showed a little wave of his wrist before saying with louder volume to his voice in a response directed at Judy:

- Alright, but this conversation ain't over, Hopps.

Benjamin returned to his usual duties behind the counter, stapling a few documents that had reached him earlier that day and would be delivered to chief Bogo shortly, taking to his task with a short swing in his hips and a little song humming in his head while repeating to himself in accordance with the song he had selected to interpret in his mind, all while replacing the lyrics with the words:

"Knew it! I just knew it, knew it… "

After a few more steps, many doors passed by, Nick and Judy were positioned in front of the door leading to the far off supply closet, just as they reached the door and Judy was certain that there was no one else around, she let go of Nick's wrist and told him:

- Alright, I think it's okay for us to talk now.

The fox placed his back straight as he stood up, still looking over in her direction as she held on to the tray of coffee with both his paws and said:

- Well… that was fun. Any particular reason why you needed to make such a quick getaway?

Judy looked up, staring into the eyes of the fox who just refused to look away from her no matter what, her ears lowering, her shoulder relaxing, her paws clenching as she told him:

- Nick I… Benjamin greeted me and I… You see, he covered for me a few days ago and I promised I would tell him the reason behind that. I was just… talking to him about our date.

Nick sounded off a loud gasp, a dramatic tone escaped the fox as the air he absorbed through his throat aided in performing a loud and dramatic sound before he spoke in a fake appalled tone of voice:

- Judy Hopps, it has been one night. A single night since our date and you are already bragging to your co-workers about your latest romantic conquest?

Judy had her eyes opened wide, her shoulders raised suddenly and her tail jolted upwards behind her, for a short second the bunny looked like the most static picture of herself that she could possibly be, Nick's words made it feel like the walls had suddenly closed around her and had stopped inches before crushing her in that very spot. Nick leaned forth, coming close to Judy once more and showing how his look softened as he did so, the fox opened his mouth and showed a wide grin, his sharp teeth glistening as his tongue moved down inside his maw so he could eloquently and almost in a daringly form, tell the bunny:

- Carrots, you are *Bold*.

Judy stepped back, her left foot carrying her a single step away from Nick as she showed the palms of her paws and moved them about in a huff, telling the fox as a way to remedy that situation:

- Wait, No! I didn't… I was just… I wasn't 'bragging' about that to him. Nick, I only… I didn't tell him about the whole thing.

Judy lowered her head and placed the palms of both her paws on her face while the rest of her body remained in a straight stance, her ankles placed together, her elbows pressing on the sides of her torso and her ears flopping forward as they followed the motion of her head lowering in a sort of aggressive motion on to her hold, it felt like the most efficient way for her to hide just how embarrassed she was. Nick poked Judy's left shoulder with his left pointing finger, the fox had switched the grip he had on the tray of coffee from one paw to the other as he called to the attention of his partner once more, noticing the small twitching in her ears as soon as he made contact with her and confirming that she was focusing on his presence near her as well. Judy peaked past her fingers, her left eye appearing from its shoddy cover behind her paws as she looked at Nick and saw his smiling face, his posture unchanged while he looked in her direction, his green eyes enticing her to not look away again. Nick saw the violet eye of the bunny peeking at him and decided to tell her:

- I'm only messing with you, fluff. I don't mind if you tell someone else about our date.

Judy lowered her paws, revealing her face in its entirety before asking in a whisper directed at her partner, her ears raising slowly to the apex of their positioning as she asked:

- You don't?

Nick shrugged that off, raising and then lowering both of his shoulders, before telling her:

- Sure, I don't really mind if anyone else knows about it. Last night was really fun, I… had such a great time with you.

Judy stepped closer to Nick, a short step that did not even take her a feet closer to the fox's position as she spoke up, placing her paws over her chest and pressing against the rigid cover of her safety vest:

- I had fun too. I never thought that… I mean…

Judy realized how much she was tripping all over herself, the sweet moment from the night before, the escapade through the restricted zone of the old museum, the sights, the kiss, it was still so prevalent in their minds, but, for some reason and even after all of that, Judy was still finding herself unable to transmit her thoughts clearly when talking to Nick. Judy took a pause, placing the fingers of her right paw over her lips, she looked so flustered and bothered with how she appeared to be carrying herself in that conversation, she believed that if she were to be watching it from an outside perspective that could barely be called a conversation. Judy lowered her right paw, swinging it downward as if she was performing the motion of a hammer down to the side of her right thigh, the bunny released a puff of air from her mouth before saying:

- Ugh! Why is it so difficult for me to talk to you?

Nick had his eyes squinted lightly as he looked at Judy, unsure himself of the reason why she felt so uneasy talking to him, they could be talking about some subject that would float away from that location and time the furthest and he would still be enthralled by her words. Nick continued to watch and listen, calmly organizing his own ideas as he listened to Judy speaking:

- I already know what I want to do and all of the thoughts surrounding me don't feel as cumbersome as before. All I want to do is talk to you and… work with you in cracking this case, but… I have never been this out of sorts my entire life.

Judy took a pause to breathe, she took in a long dose of air through her nose, closed her eyes for an extended amount of time and then opened them to look at Nick and tell him:

- You're standing right here, I'm so sure that I like you, being near you is all that I want to do and I'm so fumbled right now that I'm not certain if I should just walk to my cubicle to get some work done or… stand right here and let my legs just give out on me.

Judy gestured to herself, moving her arms up and down as she gestured to herself as a whole, she was fully expecting the fox to let out a laugh or a jest at her expense, that was not the case, Nick continued standing there, staring at her and simply smiling. Judy took another short breath before telling the fox:

- I'm sure you're thinking just how silly I am right now.

- Not in the least.

The fox's answer came shortly as well as a light touch of his left paw over her shoulder once more, the fingers of the fox's paw open and the weight of his arm placed on her as it slowly and gently turned her body at an angle that would completely face him as he spoke:

- We all had those moments when we can't help but tumble around, but nothing, not even the most stressful or embarrassing of moments, will make me think badly about you.

Nick removed his paw from Judy's shoulder and performed a gesture that pointed to the hallway around them, quite the expansive space for mammals of their size. Nick's left wrist rotated twice as he performed his gesture before he turned his eyes and his paw back towards Judy and told her:

- You could break into song and dance right here and you still would be the coolest mammal inside this entire precinct.

Judy released a short lived giggle after hearing Nick's words, the thought of her busting into a musical number felt somewhat humorous to her for some reason, she placed her paws down as their palms tapped over her thighs in a silent manner as her head slowly shook from side to side, trying to dismiss the words of her partner as a little jest to lift her spirits, her eyes were directed up at her partner as her head moved around as she said:

- Nick…

But the fox interrupted her as he said:

- I'm being serious over here, fluff. I have been told that I have quite the pipes for singing but, I would bet my bottom bill that your voice would blow mine out of the water.

The flattering coming from the fox did little to move the conversation along, Judy averted her gaze but she turned around to look back at her partner once she heard him speaking in a more relatable tone of voice:

- I want to be around you, I want to keep working with you as we crack this case. Everything that came before this day, this moment, that's just a line that brought us right here.

The fox punctuated his last sentence with his left paw turning down and pointing to the ground beneath him, gesturing to that very same time and place while also placing a dot of conviction and finality in his speech, Judy really appreciated that. Judy took a short moment to look at Nick, the bunny showed a soft smile as the two of them just stared at each other, both of their eyes fool of longing, the moment of silence was cut short as Nick gestured with his left paw pointing to a spot over his right shoulder as he asked of his partner:

- Should we… get to work? Maybe we can figure out the rest of it later?

Judy blinked twice, her arms hanging at her sides, she took in a deep breath before agreeing with her partner and telling him:

- Right. Let's get to work.

Judy pointed with both of her paws in the direction of the cubicles, moving past Nick and towards the direction they were set to go as the fox followed her shortly after watching her walking around him with wide strides and attentive care as to not bump into him accidentally. The two officers walked together on their way, walking through the entire stretch of the hallway until they arrived through the side entrance of the cubicle area where only Delgato appeared to be, typing away through the many pages of paperwork he inadvertently had let piled up by his cubicle. Judy and Nick walked by and greeted the lion officer who wished both of them a good day of work without taking his eyes away from the screen of his computer, it looked like he had only been there for a short time since the beginning of the morning shift, Nick and Judy entered their shared cubicle, each of the two officers took to their respective sides, turned on their computers and got to work as soon as they could. Nick made sure to give Judy the small cup he had purchased for her, the pumpkin decaf drink that she enjoyed so much, however, he had waited too long to give her the beverage and the drink was now lukewarm, it did not matter, Judy still enjoyed drinking it and the sweet taste perked her right up to get the typing at her computer done much faster.

Both Nick and Judy took to silence, aside from the incessant tapping of their fingers over the keyboards and the clicking sound over the digital consoles to select the appropriate folder to store the digitized reports, Judy would occasionally stop and take a small sip of her drink until she was done and she tossed the empty cup in the trash bin by her side of the cubicle, a sound that called to Nick's attention as his right ear twitched with the sound of the hard foam cup hitting the thin metal side of the bin. Judy rotated her chair so she could face Nick, the fox looked to be so engrossed in his work, leaning close to the screen and correcting any slips he left in format on the three different documents he had opened simultaneously, but he was almost done with each of them and felt that a simple stretch would be enough of a victory flare for him to let himself relax at the time. Judy called to Nick's attention, speaking up and telling him:

- Nick, thank you for the drink. I always think is so nice when you bring coffee.

Judy got the gratifying thanks out of the way so that she would not forgot, even if she had already thanked the fox just as he handed the cup over to her before. Nick turned his chair, only a little bit to the right as he could see Judy perfectly with a simple side glance, he took in a long dose of air through his nose in a manner that might be mistaken for a yawn, the fox raised his right paw and fiddled with his fingers, tapping the tip of the claw of his index finger over his thumb before responding:

- It's always nice bringing you a warm drink, fluff. It is right up there in the list of things I like to do with you, right between 'giving a hug' and 'hitting the gym together'.

The look in Nick's face, caught in full by the bunny as soon as her partner turned his chair just a little bit more to the right over its rotating swivel, he looked so confident, still and calm, but the look in his eyes said so much more than that. Judy flinched for half a second as soon as she detected Nick's eyes, hovering over her, she was the target in his aim line and no sudden distraction would earn his focus without difficulty as long as she was there. Judy swallowed some saliva, a sliver of moisture that was placed on the back of her throat and a remnant of flavor from the drink she had just consumed, she wanted to ask something of her partner but he beat her to it as he asked of her:

- So, you sleep well last night?

A simple question but to Judy, it carried an unexpected weight that braced her shoulders as soon as it hit her ears, the bunny released a soft and short dose of air through her mouth before answering:

- Oh, sure. Last night was great. I slept great.

Judy placed the closed fingers of her left paw in front of her mouth and made a sound that could be easily identified as a cough, a brief diversion, only so that she could complement her response by saying:

- Actually, I slept so well that I… almost did not wake up this morning. It was such a nice sleep. It's been a while since I overslept.

Nick nodded his head once and said:

- That's good to know.

Judy lowered her ears, passing the palm of her left paw over the top of her head as if she was trying to lower a stubborn lock of fur that stuck out and placing her own ears to flop over at the back of her head during the process. Nick decided to add a little more to the small talk, he pointed a thumb of his right paw to the side, roughly in the direction of the exit to the room, and asked of Judy something that he had been meaning to ask since earlier:

- So… what exactly were you and Benjamin discussing before I arrived?

Judy pressed her lips together and averted her eyes, she looked down at the keyboard on her work desk and then back over to Nick before answering him straight out:

- I was… just telling him about the reason why I had to… bail out on work a couple of days before.

Nick turned his chair around, performing a full rotation to the left as he faced Judy completely, stopping the rotation by clamping his left foot on the ground, he asked for further clarification just as soon as he had stopped his rotation by asking of Judy:

- You 'bailed' out of work?! You never just bail on work. That really doesn't sound like you.

Judy recoiled over her seat for a bit, it really did not sound like her to leave the precinct before the end of a shift, to leave her post unattended, still, she was fully prepared to tell Nick the whole truth behind her excursion. Judy had her ears raising slowly until they were perked straight up over her head as she spoke:

- I asked for Benjamin to keep an eye out and cover for me on the day just before our date, I've finished helping Grizzolli down in the archives and took off to the mall with Fru-fru. I wanted to buy a new dress for our date, the one you saw me wear last night was brand new.

Nick's head leaned back, he lowered his brows as he kept looking at Judy, his ears twitched in her direction, the fact he had just learned about Judy and what he had done was surprising to him, though not in a devastating way. Nick leaned a little closer to Judy, there were the sounds of other officers working nearby, the cubicle space had become more crowded since Nick and Judy arrived earlier so there were plenty of other noises dampening the sound of their conversation, Nick got just close enough to ask in a covert manner, more worried about someone else finding out that Judy had left work without permission on the day in question:

- Carrots, are you serious? You went so out of your way and broke the rules just to get a new set of duds? You didn't need to do that.

Judy raised and then lowered her left shoulder after hearing that, her legs scooched to the right as she repositioned herself over her seat by only a few millimeters, her tail perked up just as she leaned forth and told her partner:

- To me, it felt like I should have done that, and I didn't break the rules, I just… bend them a little bit to put in a little effort. It had been so long since I had been on a date, moreover, it was a date with you, someone I really like. I felt like putting in some effort so that the date would go alright, plus, no one even noticed I was gone for more than an hour. I felt confident enough to go out with you.

Nick raised his right paw and scratched the bottom of his jaw, he could honestly relate to Judy's form of thought projected from her answer, speaking in contrast to her words would have been very hypocritical on his part since he also felt the need to try his hardest for the date to go well, both in execution and presentation. The fox lowered his right paw, bending his wrist over the edge of the right side armrest of his chair and then telling Judy:

- Wow, fluff. I… actually don't know what to say.

Through the flaunty smile on his lips, Nick let it show that he still had more to say, the fox took a short pause to breathe and then he said:

- I really wanted our date to go alright, I had thought things over and I pushed myself so hard to ask you out. Last night, the only things in my mind were your happiness and how well I was going to surprise you with the schedule for the date.

Judy smiled and then told him, lightly intruding on his words as she responded:

- Well… I was really surprised with everything we got to do last night. The ride, the food, the sights. You've really outdone yourself, Mr. Fox.

Judy's soft tone of voice, her words, the little wink she let out aimed at him, Nick felt a piercing force invading his heart and it skipped a beat, the fox almost placed his left paw over his own chest as to more accurately feel the warm sensation taking hold of him and regain his composure, all he could do was keep a straight posture over his seat and keep speaking to her:

- Well… I don't want to toot my own bugle, but I do know how to make a good impression on a first date. I actually wasn't sure if you were going to go along with my little… 'trespassing enterprise' right by the end.

Judy raised her shoulders and sounded off a little giggle before letting Nick know:

- Well… I liked it, all of it. It actually felt kind of exciting as we went through the cave. That dark place, I wasn't sure what would come out through the darkness. We were like two rebels, breaking all the rules. It was so… exhilarating!

Judy said that last par while performing a simple bounce over her seat, Nick placed his feet on the ground without getting his posterior off from his chair and pulled himself closer to Judy's side of the cubicle, letting her know just as he stopped:

- You sure have gotten yourself on quite the daring streak lately, fluff. Clearly our little walk off into the rainforest brought over a side of you that I didn't know was there. I always thought you were brave and tough, but now I know you are also very bold. Very bold indeed.

Judy looked away, a little blush glowing in her cheeks as she smiled while hearing the tone of voice used by Nick, she already knew what he was referring to and she also felt like it would be for the best if she tried halting the advancement of the trail of thought brought by her partner. Judy leaned her upper body back until her head was placed by the repost of her chair, here was a small creaking as she retreated from the piercing eyes of the fox who was coming ever so close to her and showed him the palms of her paws as a sort of barrier between him and her as she told him:

- Nick… stop it. Cut it out.

Her words did not sound like an order or a sincere request to halt him, to Nick's point of view there was still some room to push the flattery and the conversation along. The fox's trademark jesting came into play but only for a fraction, there was mostly sincerity in his words as he extended his right paw forward and placed it over Judy's, lowering her paws and the barrier she had erected between them before he let her know:

- I'm serious, carrots. Right there, by the end of the night, when you grabbed on my tie and pulled me closer for another kiss… now that… *That* was bold and sexy beyond anything I could ever some up with. Got to give you some props, you managed to catch me completely off guard, and I think I liked it.

The touch Nick had placed over her paws awakened that very same warmth Judy felt the night before, the aura that the fox was exuding, it posed a powerful attractive force on Judy and she would not mind exploring that attraction further, however, they were at work, and anything more than a jest or a firm paw shake would be considered fairly inappropriate for work hour inside the precinct. Judy lowered her paws, removing them from Nick's hold with whizzing speed as she tucked them closer to her torso, rotating herself a few degrees to the left before telling him:

- Nick, stop. I wasn't trying to be 'bold' or anything like that. I was only… only…

Nick cut her off, the expression of bashfulness on her face that she was trying to hide along with her tone of voice, the volume she was using to communicate with him at that exact moment, it just added to the cuteness factor, it was hard for Nick to hold back and continue speaking flattery towards her. Nick took the chance to jump upon her words, asking bluntly of her:

- 'Only'… trying to shatter my expectations and steal a kiss from me? Got to say: Impressive move and Mission Accomplished.

Judy made a rushed gesture of dismissal just as she saw Nick punctuating the last bit of his sentence with a thumbs up directed at her, she took to showing the palms of both her paws and moving them from side to side, gesturing towards Nick as she tried to explain herself while also doing her best to keep her volume low and manageable so that no one else would hear or intrude, Nick and her should be the only ones to contribute to that conversation:

- No, wait! I didn't mean to do that. I mean… I *did* mean to kiss you but I absolutely did not mean to steal that kiss from you. It's just that you said all of those beautiful and sweet things at me and I just could not hold myself back and… and the light was just right and there was no one around to…

Judy stopped listing the main aspects of that moment, there was really no need for her to go any further, she placed the palms of her paws over her cheeks and released a groan with low volume before saying to herself:

- Ugh! Why is talking to you so difficult now?

Nick watched her in silence, not even bothering to answer to her question, either with a joke or any other response, Judy took a second to breathe in deeply, she skipped over to the main point of the talk as she said while slowly deviating her sight back to her computer screen:

- Anyways… last thing I knew… I was kissing you.

Nick came a little closer, now the fox was fully invading his partner's side of the cubicle as he confessed:

- Quite the kiss indeed. You left me smitten.

Judy had her ears and her nose twitching, unsure on how to even respond to Nick's words. Could it be that her kiss was that good? She really could not say. Nick took the time to say one last piece of flattery toward his partner, gesturing with his right paw pointing to an empty spot of air in front of him as if he was trying to draw out a comprehensive time line as he said:

- When you grabbed me by the coat and just pulled me over to the kiss, now that was an ace move. I mean… truly sexy.

Judy turned her head and the rest of her body over the chair, the palms of her paws were directed up and her fingers were grasping on air, taking the shape of small fluffy hooks as she pleaded with Nick to halt his blandishment towards her in that manner, giving off such a promiscuous and provocative way of talking, telling him:

- Nick! Please, stop!

- Is there something wrong here?

To the surprise of the two officers, chief Bogo suddenly appeared at the entrance of their cubicle, the buffalo made himself known as his voice boomed louder that the conversation Nick and Judy were having previously and his presence blocked nearly the entire entryway to the cubicle. Judy was really shocked to see the chief, she had not received any warning from any of the other officers about an assembly at the bull pen and she was also not aware of any priority calls sent to her from the chief. Anxiety and shock spoke a little louder at that moment when Judy jumped out of her seat, placed both of her feet back on the ground and turned to the buffalo in a snap to salute and greet him:

- Oh, Chief! Good morning, sir.

Bogo found that a little peculiar, he looked at Judy and asked of her:

- Has Wilde been bothering you early in the morning again, Hopps?

Nick and Judy shared a look, the fox had an unchanged expression of glee stamped over his muzzle, Judy deviated his sight back at the chief and then answered to his question by telling him:

- N… no, sir. We were just working on a few lines of paperwork, putting them over on the ZPD servers for review later just in case.

Bogo nodded his head, a slow and repetitive motion that only lasted for three, maybe four, seconds in total. He spoke up in the middle of his nodding and delivered an order just as his head halted all motion over his neck:

- Good, that is very good. Now stop everything you were doing and listen up.

Judy had both of her arms raised, her paws closed without gripping too hard and positioned close to her chest, the right paw placed slightly higher than the left one, as she placed her body on guard for whatever the chief was about to say or ask of her and Nick. Nick took that time to slowly get off from his chair, the fox left his seat behind and a soft bump from his posterior left the chair spinning slowly behind him, he took a breath ad looked up Justin time to hear as Bogo instructed them:

- The servers under the precinct are going to get a small update, thought, it just might take most of the afternoon if the size of the data transference is to be believed.

Bogo said that with a little of an annoyed tone in his voice, bordering on mumbling, he took a short breath and then continued his explanation:

- Until all of the bells and whistles for the software have been installed, or… whatever the terminology is for all of that stuff, no officer is to access the system for the rest of the day. So, save the reports you had done and do not touch your computers for the rest of your shift.

Judy nodded her head once and lowered her arms, she had already finished with the records and reports on her computer, Nick turned over and quickly began clicking at icons on the screen of his computer, just to make sure everything was in its place before he pressed the disc icon and saved the short stack of digital documentation he had been working on. The task was done, for the time at least. Nick turned back to chief Bogo and told him with a supple gesture of his paws, the palm of one rubbing over the other as if to signify the ending of a laboring task complete:

- Done and done. Anything else we can do for you today, chief?

Bogo directed his eyes at Nick, the same steely stare that he aimed at the fox whenever he were to open his mouth to speak, but that not intimidated Nick in the least. Bogo took in a short dose of air through his nostrils and then answered by pointing his right hoof towards Nick:

- As a matter of fact, there is something you both can do, Wilde.

The description followed shortly just as the chief redirected his hoof to point at a vague direction, out of view from both of the officers he was conversing with since his right arm was now hidden behind the wall of the cubicle. Even with his pointing motion gone unseen, Bogo continued to speak:

- The mayor has set out to discuss a few things with the board of investors deep in the savanna, he is on his way back to city hall and he as other plans for the rest of the day. Zeinhart gave me a call just earlier today and he asked for an escort provided by the ZPD as he set out to make a public appearance, regular and uneventful stuff, but he asked for the two of you to come over and aid him on that.

Judy took a short step forward, placing both her paws over her chest as she asked:

- The mayor asked for… *us*?

Bogo nodded his head once, his lips pressed over one another in a subtle way before he took the moment to answer briefly:

- Yes. Asked by name and everything. Don't give it too much thought.

Judy lowered her paws, her fingers tightened their grip as she grasped the air around her, her ears perked up as tall as they could go and her mouth expelled a short dose of air that she still had in her lungs before she breathed in deeply, the chance to tail the mayor of Zootopia, even if for a day, even if it turned out to be for a mild assignment, could be a huge chance for her portfolio on the force. Nick caught a brief glimpse of the way Judy's face lit up and how her eyes glistened with opportunity, he turned back to the chief, wanting to get further descriptions of the right tie for their assignment and if there was something in particular that they would have to bring along, the fox framed that question as one of his regular jokes:

- Great. Should we bring something for the mammal in charge? Maybe balloons? Confetti? One of those loud as sin air horns?

The fox performed a few gestures with his paws as he posted the question, the chief lowered his head, signifying how he had already blown over the jests from Nick and just before telling the fox:

- Wilde, leave your jokes at the door and just go get ready. You two drive off to Savanna city hall in two hours.

Nick performed a quick salute with his right paw before confirming it with the chief:

- You got it, chief. We'll be ready.

Bogo made his exit, his heavy stomping getting distant as he exited the cubicle area of the precinct, Nick and Judy were left alone in their cubicle once more and the fox took that chance to tell her:

- Alright, two hours before we hit the pavement. It's more than enough time to burn a few reps at the gym.

Nick turned and placed the chair he was sitting on closer to his side of the work desk, he then searched around in order to retrieve his cellphone and place it in his pocket, Nick turned over to Judy and then asked her:

- You want to join me over there, fluff?

Judy thought about that for a moment before saying:

- Oh, sorry, Nick. I'm actually heading over to the evidence lock up down below. There are a few boxes from our arrest two days ago that still have not been labeled. It will be quick but then, maybe, I can join you at the gym later.

The fox showed her a little wink, repaying the one she had displayed earlier, before telling her:

- Sounds like a good plan. Let's get to it.

Nick and Judy exited the cubicle together and walked until they reached the lobby, Nick was set to walk on his path up the stairs nearby so he could reach the gym on the second floor but he stopped for a moment as he wanted to ask one last thing of Judy before they walked their separate ways for the time being:

- Yo, carrots.

Nick called to his partner's attention and then he peppered her with questions as soon as she turned her head to face him, just as an effort to narrow down what might be bothering her:

- You seem to be a little nervous today. Is there something amiss? Is there some evidence we let slip? Did you forget to bring something?

Judy shook her head, proceeding then to telling her partner that everything was alright with her:

- Nick, no. It's nothing like that. I'm nervous because… well…

- Yes?

Nick leaned in closer, bending his knees and coming a little closer to Judy's face, his snout placed now so close to her, almost making it look like he would have snagged another kiss out of her, right then and there, in the middle of the lobby, where any of the other officers could have seen them. Judy looked around just for an instant, her eyes were directed at Nick and she raised her right paw to stroke the side of his muzzle, touching close to his left cheek as she answered him with the outmost honesty:

- There is really nothing the matter, Nick. Nothing is actually 'amiss' with me. I'm just a little nervous because… well… because I really do not know how to act next to you right now.

The fox showed her a little side smile, his head shook as he looked from side to side before turning to look straight at her once more and asking for further clarification on the subject:

- How so, carrots?

Judy paced her paws together, the fingers of her right paw wrapping around the pointing finger of her left paw as she fiddled around for a bit before answering:

- I feel a little nervous, but not in a bad way. I'm just so delighted to be near you, more so now than any other day now that we… you know.

The fox nodded his head once, answering to her with a simple and soft tone to his voice:

- Yeah, I know.

Judy raised her left paw slowly, passing the tips of her fingers on the side of her head as if she was suddenly looking for a straight lock of short fur out of place, doing that to conceal the slight blush making itself known on her face, Nick noticed the blush right away, the way she averted her eyes and the little smile building up on her lips, to him, it was like she was set on going out of her way to attract his affections. Judy spoke once more, getting the main point behind her nervous behavior across:

- It's like I said before, Nick. I don't… I'm not quite sure how to have a boyfriend. I don't know if I should do something different or…

Nick made his opinion known, the fox showed the palm of his left paw before saying:

- Hold up right there, carrots. You don't have the obligation to do anything.

Judy lowered her arms, placing them down and in front with the fingers of her right paw placed over her left wrist, and had her ears directed at the fox as he said:

- Just because we're… more than friends now, it doesn't mean you should feel forced to change yourself or do something. That is the most important secret about any relationship.

Nick leaned in a little closer, her raised his right paw and pointed one claw over at Judy's chest before moving it over to himself and point to his own chest just as he said:

- You're still you and I'm still me. We can both be just like we were before and how we'll no doubt continue to be. The only difference is: Now we can be a little more… intimate about it.

Judy released a puff of air through her mouth that could have been mistaken for a short lived laugh at one point, her eyes were focused on Nick still but it was clear to see that she looked much more relaxed. The bunny gave one short step forward, coming that much closer to her partner before asking of him:

- So… this is alright? There is no need to do or say anything if we don't feel like it?

Nick raised and then lowered both of his shoulders before letting her know:

- Absolutely. We already know how we feel about each other, it doesn't take an excessive amount of thinking and postulating at every moment to get that across. We just have to focus at doing our jobs and just… do whatever it is we are doing up to this point. Be ourselves, you know?

Nick made that last point of his speech while performing a slight awkward gesture with both of his paws, having them opened and moving around in separate and uncoordinated circular motions on the sides of his body. Judy watched her partner perform that gesture and then reached for him, her left arm extending ahead now that she was close enough to her partner and placing it over his left paw, the one positioned closest to her, she placed her fingers over his opened grip and pressed her hold gently over it, Nick's tail moved with a smooth swishing from side to side as he felt her touch, Judy would soon let her paw ease up and slide over Nick's unfastened grip, that soft touch sparked quite the flow of emotions between the two. Even if there was no stablished need for Judy to do or say something, her touch was more than enough to awaken the desire Nick had for her, that simple action was enough to leave the fox speechless and the two of them continued to set off after Judy lowered her paw and turned around to walk on her way.

Nick and Judy walked a few more steps together, the fox officer following close behind and turning his head in different direction as he scanned the lobby, there was quite a bit more movement compared to their time of arrival earlier that morning but he could not see the one feline officer he was looking for that day, Judy noticed the searching motion her partner was performing as he lagged behind and asked of him:

- Looking for something, slick?

Nick turned his head to the left to face Judy by his side and let her know:

- I'm looking for *someone*. That guy, Jimmy, who was here right after the last arrest, he was sticking around for a little while. He told me that his precinct needed someone on 'stand-by'.

Judy felt a sour feeling climb its way through her entire body, the bunny officer showed a face of disapproval before saying:

- I didn't know he was kept here for that, I only seen him a few times these last few days. I've talked with other officers who were kept on stand-by, not the best assignment for those involved. The poor guy must have been bored out of his mind.

Nick took a moment to halt his walking, Judy noticed that right away and stopped moving as well just as she heard Nick speaking:

- He actually didn't seem that much bothered about it. He had to stick around and work a little more but it really looked like he enjoyed seeing the workings of a brand new precinct. He told me that the coffee here tasted much better than at precinct two, can't even imagine that.

The fox finished saying that with a shuttering twitch taking hold of his upper body, a result of his mind recalling the taste of what passed for coffee around the breakroom of precinct one, even raising his shoulders and sticking his tongue out as he let out a silly and short sound of revulsion:

- Irch…!

Judy let out a single laugh after hearing it, Nick returned to a more poised posture for talking as he decided to disclose a very important point relating to Jimmy himself:

- Oh, yeah. He also didn't mind sticking around because…

Nick made sure to look both ways before letting Judy know, making certain that they were outside ear shot of any other officers passing through the lobby, Clawhauser and Fangmeyer specially, as he leaned in close and whispered:

- I'm very certain he has a crush on Fangmeyer.

Judy retreated rapidly after hearing that, a single wide stride back before showing Nick a face of disbelief and shock, both paws placed over her lips as she let out the audible tone of a gasp, looking over at the fox who had just delivered that piece of gossip with wide eyes and lowered ears while he simply stood there with slick eyes and wide grin. Judy walked close to ask of Nick for concrete clarification, asking of the fox in a loud whisper:

- Nick, is that true? Are you certain of it?

Nick nodded his head and made a wide waving gesture with his right arm before tapping his right ear twice:

- It's true, fluff. Heard it straight from the feline's mouth. No joke.

Judy waved both of her paws in the air, her ears bent up and down as she bounced in place and said:

- Oh, my gosh! That is so adorable!

Judy took in a long dose of air through her nose, she did that in order to calm down before telling her partner:

- Nick, you really shouldn't told me that. What if I let it slip and Fangmeyer finds out?

Nick released a chuckle from the mention of such a scenario, he made a single dismissive gesture with his right paw, swinging it down from a single motion of his wrist, before letting her know:

- No need to worry yourself, fluff. I know the secret will be safe for the time. Besides, even if we both know about it, it is usually better to let these things evolve on their own.

Judy nodded her head once, her ears rose up to their original position over her head and she then pointed to a spot behind her before telling the fox:

- Alright, we better get going if we want to set on what we want to do and still have time to get ready for later. I'm going to his the archives.

Nick copied the gesture made by Judy as he pointed with the thumb of his right paw over his shoulder and said:

- Alright. I'm gonna go hit the weights. In case you decide not to join me there, meet you by the carpool later?

Judy confirmed that by simply saying:

- Done.

The two officers walked their separate ways, Judy descended the stairs until the second basement level of the precinct, she took right to reviewing the dates and labels of each portion of the physical archives, making copious notes on a reserved page of her notepad. As Judy was getting to the very end of a shelf filled with boxes and references to old cases, she was sighted by Grizzolli, the bear was on his way back up to the lobby when he saw Judy and asked of her:

- Hopps? Weren't you down here already just the other day? What are you doing back here?

Judy greeted her ursine colleague before answering him shortly after by pointing her paw holding up an pencil on to the shelf she just went through and telling him:

- Just making extra sure I had this section labeled right and getting a few details copied for my own file at home. I hate to admit it, but when I was down here, helping you sort through some of these, it was kind of a rush job. My mind was on so many other things and I'm just here to kill a little time before getting out on assignment with Nick.

That excuse was enough for Grizzolli, it was vague on a few instances but the bear knew to trust Judy so he nodded his head and decided to leave her there to accomplish the task. Grizzolli showed the palms of his paws before saying:

- Well, I don't blame you for rushing a few things up. This part of the job can get kind of lame after a little while. Aside from me and Snarlov, no one else actually volunteers to get it done. Lock up the door after you finish down here, alright?

Grizzolli walked out on his way and heard as Judy answered:

- You got it.

Back up on the second floor of the precinct, Nick was lifting weights with repetitive motion, slow and steady while focusing more on the added weight he could lift more than the sequence of movements he would carry out. Nick had changed out of his uniform and on to the exercising outfit marked with the ZPD logo, he would soon garner the attention of Fangmeyer, on slow days like that one, the tigress enjoyed heading over to the gym for some time of training and calm thinking, depending on the activity she would choose for herself, as she sighted Nick seated on a chair and handling the weights, she asked of him:

- Wilde? What are you doing over here? I heard the chief had given you and Hopps an out day for the mayor's detail.

Nick continued performing his lifting movement, he took a breath once his arms were lowered and then he answered to Fangmeyer's question:

- Not right now. The chief gave me and carrots a free period to get a few things done outside the cubicle until we have to go out. I am just burning up some energy before hitting the showers and taking my leave.

Fangmeyer stepped further into the gym, she pointed a claw at Nick and then told him, harnessing her inner drill sergeant as she told him:

- If you really want to get some nice training done before leaving then get off your lazy tail and practice a little more by making some pull ups. That's the best way to build stamina. You don't want to get just one set of muscles too worked out on your body, it is never good.

Nick listened to Fangmeyer's advice, though she had it labeled more like an order than a friendly suggestion at first, the fox set the weights he had in paw down and then asked of her:

- You talking from experience?

To which she responded with:

- More than you know it.

Time passed by, about an hour and a half later, Judy ascended the steps back to street level and set out to meet Nick by the carpool just as they had agreed, she had the notepad filled with notations of her file survey held tightly under her right arm and was just about to reach the first basement floor when she was met with an unexpected presence about halfway up the stairs. A familiar looking gray furred and well-dressed buck was just there waiting for Judy to come by and leaned up against the wall, the unmistakable sound of her steps was heard coming his way and that only gave him that much confidence to greet her and say:

- Good morning, officer Hopps.

Judy looked up, the bunny shaped silhouette in front of her called much to her attention, he looked... tense, in a way, she had no idea how long he was there waiting but she greeted him politely nevertheless, waving her right paw in the air and then saying:

- Oh, hello there, agent Savage. I didn't expect to see you today.

Jack pushed his body away from the wall he was leaning on, the piercing look in his eyes told right away that he wished to discuss something important, he was ready to answer whatever question or undertake whichever task was to be laid in front of him, he was prepared to speak his mind. The bunny agent went down a single step so that he could fully step out of the shadows and look at the bunny officer, he adjusted the folds of his suit with a passing of the palms of his paws over the fabric on his chest, his apparel was of a much brighter tone of gray than his fur, giving him a very confident and self-appointed authority look. Jack was positioned only a couple of steps above Judy and that position aided his mentality for that moment in a certain way, he had the literal and metaphorical 'high ground' in the conversation, his suave voice worked in continuing the greeting as he spoke about the reason for his presence in the ZPD, although, the tone he used made it sound a little like a brag on his part:

- Well, as the servers of the ZPD are updating a whole new setting for the digital cloud needs to be stablished, more resources are being shared between each precinct and the ZBI as a whole but precinct one holds the bulk of it. Digitally speaking, of course.

- I see.

Judy said so while changing the hold she had on her little notepad, a subtle motion that really called to the attention of Jack as Judy took the small note filled item from under her right arm and placed it over her chest, hanging on to it in a way that made it look like she was hugging it. The buck had his eyes scanning Judy, moving up and down and she then saw how she stepped forth and climbed a single step closer to him, Jack's tail perked up and he hoped Judy had not noticed it, on that particular day she looked simply marvelous to him and that only enforced his will to speak up. Judy was already in a bit of a rush to leave the under levels of the precinct behind and meet up with Nick, that is why she was stepping further up the stairs, but the steady look in her eyes directed at Jack as she slowly pressed on made the buck imagine that she was inching ever so close to his position from a standing of personal interest, his emotions deluded his perception and he had no idea of it. Jack continued to speak, the same makeshift bragging tone of voice from before as he placed his paws in the pockets of his pants and spoke up:

- Yeah, there is just so much information to be passed by and it all must be done with the outmost amount of safety and surveillance. That is the reason why I am here, as the ZBI technician and specialist. We would not want all of the vital information collected by every officer in here to be lost, or worse.

Judy shook her head from side to side, closing her eyes as she performed that gentle motion and opening them once more as she was done to look at the buck and tell him definitely:

- No, we would not.

A short moment of silence took hold of the conversation, Judy took to stepping up the steps once more and telling the ZBI agent as she began posting a short farewell to him:

- Thank you for all of your aid, agent Savage. I should really be going now, I have this assignment with Nick and I…

Jack extended his left arm out to the side and placed his paw against the wall, a sudden act that lightly barred Judy's way up the stairs and greatly surprised her as she tightened the hold both of her arms had over the notepad in front of her chest, the bunny officer had her eyes moving slowly from right to left as she looked right at Jack's face while the buck spoke up:

- Actually, officer Hopps… Judy, I came over here to the lower floors in order to meet up with you specifically. There is something that I must tell you, something urgent and I believe I shall not beat around the bush any longer.

Judy remained still, positioned and standing only a single step lower than Jack as the buck eased the pressure his arm was exerting against the wall, slowly opening up a path by the wall side once more and then certifying that he had Judy's time and attention before telling her:

- Judy, I've had a growing spot of admiration for you for quite some time. I found myself constantly thinking about you, not only as an officer of the law but as an outstanding mammal. Since the day I've known about you, I have been amazed by all that you have done and utterly infatuated with you.

Judy blinked twice and then had her eyes opened wide, it was so odd to her, so difficult to believe, to be the target of loving fascination of two different males in just as many days, her mind turned with incredulity as this was the kind of scenario she would only hear of unraveling during movies or subpar television shows. Judy took a step up, her body was still facing in the direction of Jack but the two of them were now on equal footing, standing over the same step, Judy's motion was both an advancement and a retreat, one step up to get to the higher level of the precinct while also increasing her distance from agent Savage in a relative manner. Jack placed both paws over his chest as he said:

- I was one of the agents that requested that the invite to join our ranks was extended to you, a request that, according to the official documentation, is still very much open. I wanted so very much for you to join the ZBI and be a crucial part of our team since it seems that every opportunity that arises you are constantly proving yourself to be a cut above the rest.

Judy shook her head and looked away, she admitted to that by saying in response:

- It's not only me, agent Savage. I have been lucky to work alongside other dedicated officers who prove to do just as much as I do in the line of duty.

Jack categorically disagreed with Judy's words, he shook his head in a more aggressive manner and with a far more mechanical way of moving, his ears flopping over his head while still maintaining a strict form of positioning, as he told her:

- No. Not even close to what you do. To what you have accomplished.

Judy watched in stunned silence as Jack gestured towards the top of the stairs before telling her:

- Judy, you could do so much more than simply patrolling the streets, cataloguing files and looking for evidence. With the resources of the ZBI and your cunning mind, your incredible determination, you could do so much more for mammals of Zootopia and beyond. You could be an indispensable asset and a top notch agent in no time at all. You could even join my division and rank would not be an issue. We could be such a great team if we joined up.

Judy raised her left foot, she took one step back and over as the tip of her foot searched around for the steady base of the next step leading up, she gladly took a bit more of a distance from Jack as she was now placed above him in terms of position and decided to ask:

- Agent Savage, are you sincerely telling me that the sole reason why you suggested me joining the ZBI was because you have taken a certain interest in my presence next to you and nothing else?

Jack had all the intentions of answering to Judy right away, she saw the look in his eyes, the smug smile on his lips, she recalled that Nick had an expression similar to that, but Jack's face communicated something much more wicked in a sense, there was no clear sign of affection in his eyes only interest and the buck agent looked frighteningly more like a hungry hunter than anything else. Jack's answer came shortly after, the verbal confirmation from the buck came as a sinuous tone of voice as he took a short breath and told her:

- Well, our desires for incarcerating felons do align and your skills as an investigative officer speak for themselves. Although, I would be lying bluntly if I said that your… other attributes were not considered when I paced the suggestion to have you join the ZBI. You're simply breathtaking.

Jack said that as he reached for Judy's left arm and gently pulled her paw closer, holding on to her by the wrist in a chivalrous gesture which alerted Judy about secondary intentions right away and the buck only added to that and to her uneasiness by telling her:

- Also, I still insist that you call me 'Jack'.

Judy watched in silence as the buck held on to her paw and pulled it closer to his own torso, undoubtedly to snag her into another kiss much like the first time they met or maybe something even more daring, as if a demonstration on charm and finesse alone would convince her to abandon everything she had set for herself at the ZPD and hurry along to work alongside him, she was having none of it. As if she was trying to escape from the hazardous grip of a hot metal surface, Judy pulled her paw away from Jack's grip, tucked it closely and tightly under her other arm and then told the buck with conviction in her voice while trying to tone down her apparent anger towards him, taking a slow breath through her nose and saying:

- *Agent Savage*, I am sorely disappointed in you. I have no intention of seeking the incarceration of every malcontent that I meet, my main goal is to make life in Zootopia better by protecting and assuring its citizens. That is my objective, the one I had set out for myself and by no one else, and I do not appreciate you putting down my precinct or my given task with your inane way of speaking.

Jack retreated almost immediately after hearing Judy's tone of voice, he had only intended to persuade her into a more favorable position as a law enforcer, never to insult her, that was a slip that Jack would remember as a bitter regret. Judy turned around, intending to climb the steps all the way up and leave agent Savage right there, underground and in the shade, but the buck agent halted her once more as he reached ahead and spoke up:

- Wait, officer Hopps, I did not mean to insult you or your position in any way, I swear it. I was merely trying to aid you, I was only trying to…

Judy turned around, the sharp glint in her eyes easily mistakable by hatred, and spoke up to him, cutting into his words and saying with an even sharper tone to her voice:

- Oh, I know exactly what you were trying to do, agent Savage. I was warned about guys like you. Using altruistic ends to justify selfish means, there is no way I would ever submit to working alongside someone so vane and entitled like you.

Judy lowered her volume and adjusted her voice to a more reasonable tone, she untucked her left arm and pointed to the ground beneath her and to herself before saying:

- I am right where I need to be, aiding this precinct, my allies and this city in solving a case that is clearly bigger than the both of us while working next to mammals that very much respect my feelings. I shall do more, just as you said, but I shall do so while in the role I know to be the one for me. I do hope you will remember that.

Judy thought about turning around and leaving the conversation just at that, she caught the sight of Jack trying to reach for her again at the left corner of her eye, she stood still and allowed him to speak once more, sincerely hoping that there would be an apology heading her way, that was not the case. Jack tried once more, to convince Judy that his intentions were selfless and that he was trying to convince her for her benefit alone, once more he spoke the wrong words as she pleaded:

- Officer Hopps, please, I was really trying to help out. As an agent of the ZBI you could be so much greater, We could do so much more.

Judy made a postulating gesture with her left paw, her arm waving in the air in a single and fast motion, her paw pointed up with a directing flick of her wrist and her pointing finger sticking out, telling to agent Savage as a point of order:

- The only true *We* in this conversation, agent Savage, are me and the other officers of the ZPD. You are welcome to join and aid us as you have been doing so far but anything more than that would be a grievous overstep on your part.

Jack had his ears lowered to the back of his head after hearing that, his jaw hanging open and his eyes directed ahead as he was unsure of what to say or do next. Jack felt defeated, utterly beaten by the sense of duty and confidence of the bunny standing now two steps over him, he remained silent and merely waited for Judy's exit so that he could stew in his own shortcomings in solitude, however, Judy still felt the need to clarify one last crucial point before making her exit, just in case. Judy tucked her left arm close to her torso once more, her ears were raised and her head was held high as she announced:

- Also, Agent Savage, I would suggest you be rid of any thoughts of me that does not fall into the strictly professional category and any advancement that does not relate to the case. I already have a boyfriend.

Judy tossed that last shred of information as she pointed to her own chest, adopting at least some of the stance that Jack had used before to both pontificate about that fact and brag to the unruly buck agent. Jack Savage felt like he had been stomped by a full on stampede, he felt his chest grow tighter and his jaw press the molars in his mouth to a near chipping point as he heard that, no barring statement could have been more effective than that one. Jack gave one step back, his left foot retreating until he was placed at a solid stance over the step right behind him, he had descended another level in that conversation and he felt the need to ask for further clarification, now showing that his confident stance had been utterly shaken by what he had just learned:

- Oh, is that right?

Judy nodded her head and turned her body to the right, gradually directing herself towards the direction she had to go, she kept an eye on Jack, shooting one quick glance at his short retreat and then telling him:

- It is true, agent Savage, so you can shake any ideas of advancements towards me out of your mind. You can rest assured that 'this' will never happen.

Judy said that last bit of her sentence while performing a small waving motion with the pointing finger of her right paw, moving back and forth as it pointed towards Jack and then to herself at least twice over as she referred to the implied involvement of the two beyond a professional standpoint. Jack at last backed off, remaining silent at the bottom of the stairs and leaving Judy be, she left him behind and climbed back towards the lobby, releasing a forthcoming sigh of relief once she reached the above ground floor and once she was outside Jack's field of view. Judy could hardly recall a time when being touched by the light of the outside had felt so good. With the bunny officer out of view, and hopefully earshot, Jack was left to stew in his own failure, the bunny agent felt like nothing around him made sense, he felt like the most logical thing to do at that moment would be to find a way to split himself into two entities so he could destroy at least one of them, the one responsible for the stream of misguided sentences that left his mouth.

Jack had only regret and self-pity in his mind both tinged with a tinge of anger, the buck tightened his grip and punched the closest wall next to him, the knuckles of his right paw stung once they made contact with the solid surface and the pain born from the attempt to relieve frustration certainly did not aid him in forgetting how he felt, he could only say with exasperated breath and embarrassed tone as he wrapped the fingers of his left paw over his right knuckles:

- Yup. Regret that immediately.

Turning over to Judy, she made a quick stop at her cubicle in order to leave her notes safely stored there, she placed a reminder in the form of a sticky note on the edge of her computer screen to transfer what she had learned during her last roam through the archives into digital format, a small list of pages to indicate the main points of her notes that should be added in digital format with suitable markings for future reference. Judy returned to the lobby and accessed the door leading up to the carpool, it did not surprise her to find her partner already there, placed in front of the cruiser and climbing over a small foothold provided by the front grill of the car in order to inspect the hood. Nick showed visible dismay in his face as the mark of the impact caused by the flying brick was still there, a blemish in the otherwise perfect paintjob of the cruiser, Judy saw as the fox passed the palm of his left paw near the spot dented inward by the stone projectile and heard as he spoke:

- My poor baby. I still can't believe that punk did this to you. Don't you worry, I'm going to buff that out real quick as soon as I have the chance.

- 'Ahem'.

Judy sounded off an exaggerated sound similar to clearing her throat, Nick turned his head to the left and looked over at his partner, tapping the toes of her right foot over the floor in a repetitive and rushed motion before greeting her with jovial tone:

- Oh, hi there, carrots. I was just waiting for you to get here.

Nick hopped down and his feet touched the ground once more, he walked closer to Judy and asked of her:

- How did the review of the archives went for you?

Judy leaned her head to the left, choosing to hide away the details of the encounter she just had and tell his partner the following description:

- It wasn't too bad. There was a little annoyance that I had to pass by on the way here, but I solved it right quick.

Nick lowered his ears after hearing the tone of voice Judy used to refer to the 'annoyance', he wondered for a moment what she meant by it and who or what could have been so cumbersome for her on the way over for her to use such an adjective. Judy made a signal to Nick with a wave of her left paw, asking the fox to follow close and get into the cruiser, the assignment that they had to get to over at city hall was simple but she definitely would not want to be late for it. Nick nodded his head, deciding in silence to ask more about what Judy was talking about at some other time, the fox entered the cruiser and placed his posterior on the passenger seat, they were off and on to their marked destination in no time at all but the rest of the work day would turn out to be fairly uneventful for the two officers.

Nick and Judy arrived at the front of city hall, there was a blue colored parking spot specially reserved for emergency response units for business hours and Nick spotted it right away, relieved after the engine turned off with the fact that they would not need to sweat searching for a spot to park and would arrive for their assignment with time to spare. Judy exited the cruiser first and walked ahead until she as positioned by the front of the steps leading to the front doors of city hall, she waited until Nick came close to her and the two looked up, watching in silence for a moment as they marveled the sheer scale of the building almost twice as tall and having its front nearly three times as wide than the precinct one building. Zootopia city hall was quite the visual spectacle for tourists, it was the nexus where all decisions related to the very inner workings of the city and the well-being of each citizen could be traced to, Judy took a short breath through her nose and said:

- It has been quite a while since we've been here.

Nick turned his eyes and his ears to point at Judy, he answered to her comment, assured that it was not just a reminiscing phrase directed only at herself:

- Yeah. It was quite a while ago that we came here together, searching for some answers. And yet… it feels like just yesterday.

Judy began to walk up the steps, slowly ascending towards the entrance to city hall with Nick following close behind, the fox wanted to ask something of his partner, he wanted to clarify a few things and he figured it would be a prime opportunity to do so before they reported up to the mayor's office. Nick poked Judy's left shoulder, the bunny slowed her walk a little more and looked up and over to her partner, Nick swallowed a thin string of saliva he had in his mouth before asking:

- Listen, fluff, what exactly were you and Benjamin talking about just before I arrived for work earlier today? Were you really bragging about the date we had last night?

Judy turned to Nick, her body facing him completely as they were on the last step of the stairs and only a few meters away from the entrance to city hall, the bunny showed the palms of her paws directed at the fox, urging him to halt that line of thought before telling him:

- Nick, no. I was seriously not bragging about anything. Benjamin just… put me in a bit of a corner and I had no choice but give him an honest answer. I just told him that I went on a date, I didn't tell him that the date was with you.

With that, Judy reached ahead and pulled the handle on the left side door of the building, she pulled it with some grit in her grip, putting her strength and the eight of her body back to pry the upper edges of the door off from its magnetic latches. With the door opened and a free passage ahead, Nick and Judy ventured inside, the bunny leading the way as she searched around, looking at the plaques bolted to every door they passed by in search of the shortest route to the mayor's office. Nick caught Judy off guard once more, the fox put a little more pep in his step so that he could catch up with his partner, place himself right by her left side and ask of her:

- Why didn't you mention my name?

Judy turned to look at Nick once more, her feet carrying her forward with the same speed than before. Nick and Judy kept marching ahead, their steps in relative synchrony as they continued moving, Judy placed the tips of the fingers from both of her paws together before answering to Nick's question:

- I wasn't sure if mentioning that we're dating now was the best thing to do. It would not have been proper for that moment.

Nick lowered his ears, it almost felt to Judy like his partner was interrogating her while on the move, she was not sure why he was doing that, maybe it was a test of some sort, most of her concentration was placed in finding the path to the office of mayor Zeinhart. Nick pressed a little more on the words Judy had chosen to answer his previous question, the fox placed emphasis on a word in particular:

- It would not have been 'Proper'. Why do you think that?

There was an elevator up ahead, an alpaca who was passing through that floor with a cart filled with disposable material had left it the doors open as he passed on through and Judy took that chance to enter it so that they could ascend to the upper floors with relative ease. As luck would have it, Judy and her partner were the only mammals inside the elevator so they would be left alone to discuss those private matters without being bothered by anyone else, however short their trip up to the tenth floor would end up being. Judy looked over at the control panel, the rows of buttons with numbers marking each floor, but, as it turned out, she was too short to reach the button marked with the number ten, she thought about jumping up and hitting the button once she was at the apex of her jump but Nick extended the kindness to reach up and press it for her.

- Thank you.

Judy said as she thanked her partner for the little gesture of support. Judy stepped back and positioned herself right next to Nick just as the fox spoke with low volume and a soft smile on his muzzle:

- Don't mention it.

As the elevator ascended through the shaft, the two officers inside took to a short moment of silence, Judy felt a small tingle inside her belly due to the controlled upward acceleration of the elevator, she really enjoyed that feeling. After the digital indicator above the door indicated that they had passed through the fourth floor, Nick took a short breath of air through his nose, there was a mixture of scents inside the elevator, all of the mammals who used it since a certain time in the morning but his own scent and the scent belonging to the bunny next to him were the dominant smells inside that finite sealed environment. Judy was just about to speak up but Nick spoke first, before she even had the time to formulate a single syllable, he asked of his partner, speaking frankly for a matter of further clarification from their previously made conversation:

- You're not ashamed by me, are you, carrots?

Judy turned to Nick, her eyes showing a piercing stare as her pupils dilated, showing that a quick shot of adrenaline was pumped into her system due to the jolt of hearing such a question. Judy suddenly felt like she felt when fighting a suspect, the tension inside her body was painful, she could not even imagine why Nick would feel the need to ask such a question, and the way he asked… it made it sound like he would not even care at all if the answer would turn out to be a confirmation, she found that unacceptable. Judy turned to Nick, dismissing his question from before with a strict response directed at him, pointing a finger of her right paw in his direction and actually causing the fox to lean back and retreat as he witnessed her snappy and decisive response:

- Nick! Don't you ever say that!

The volume on Judy's voice was a little loud as she said those words, her voice bounced a bit around the enclosed space and even sounded out once the doors opened with a sound of metal dragging on a thin track and the dinging noise of a small bell provided by a digital sound system outside the elevator, they had just arrived at the tenth floor. To the surprise of both Nick and Judy, there was a large feline waiting for them just outside the elevator, a female leopard with a hefty clipboard in her grip who was sent there to wait the arrival of the two officers and guide them to the office of the mayor as soon as they arrived. The feline was a little confused as soon as the elevator door opened, she saw Judy pointing a finger at Nick as the fox appeared to be faintly retreating from that gesture, the echoing of the bunny's voice sounding annoyed, maybe slightly hostile towards her partner, by the exchange in expression every mammal present there could surmise the same thing: This was a really awkward moment. Judy lowered her right paw and placed her arms behind her back, she turned over to the leopard and greeted her by saying:

- Ahm… good day.

The leopard performed a short bow with her head, almost like a nod, before saying:

- Good day. You two must be the officer escort that the mayor has requested for this afternoon.

Nick showed a thumbs up with his left paw in the air before confirming to that:

- That's us alright. It has been a while since we both been to this place so… we might be a little turned around.

The leopard showed a soft smile, there was the small glint of her fangs as soon as she opened her mouth to take a short breath and then tell the two officers:

- That is quite alright. My name is Chloe, I'm mayor Zeinhart's assistant and I have been sent to direct you both to him upon your arrival. Please, follow me.

Chloe directed Nick and Judy over to a waiting spot located by the corridor where the mayor's main office was located, the stretch of hallway that the three mammals had to cross in order to get there was quite long but there was ample roaming space for them to arrive there. The entire hallway was quite charming, the floor was clean and basically spotless with nary a touch of grime in sight, as they passed through such an immaculate corridor, Nick imagined how all of the other floors in the building possibly looked much of the same and he silently applauded the janitorial staff in charge of keeping that place so clean. After turning one right corner and a left, Chloe showed the dual doors leading to the mayor's office, Judy could see a plaque with the name of the mayor engraved by the right side and a set of interconnected seats of variant sizes for different mammal placed right under it, the leopard asked the officers to take a seat and wait for a moment as she went inside and told the mayor to be prepared for his next scheduled appointment for the day.

Nick and Judy sat down, there were only four available seats for mammals of their stature, Judy chose to sit by the one to her left, while Nick took the one to his right, the two turned and placed their posteriors over the cushion and remained seated next to one another, simply waiting until they were called to head inside the office. Nick could not help but feel a little antsy at that moment, he swung his legs back and forth over the seat while his feet hovered only a few inches over the ground and his paws were nicely perched over his knees, Judy had her arms crossed and her ears lowered as she waited, her eyes scanning the hallway they had just gone through and taking note of every mammal that passed by, every motion carried through the portion of that floor in clear view of her. Judy had her back fully leaned against the comfy repost of the chair, she had her shoulders lowered and her eyes directed forward as she said:

- I would never be ashamed of you.

Nick's ear twitched as he heard Judy's voice, she spoke plainly and that affirmation was enough to call to Nick's full attention as the fox turned his head to the right and down to look right at her. Judy slowly turned her head to the left, checking in on Nick's reaction, as soon as their eyes met, she continued to speak:

- There is no possible way I could ever be ashamed of you, Nick. Ever. That is definitely not the reason why I decided to not tell Benjamin, or anyone else for that matter, about us dating.

Nick felt a little uncomfortable, his tail limping and hanging low by the edge of the seat behind him. Nick raised his right arm and placed his paw on the back of his head, scratching the backside of his neck as he took the words his partner said to mind. Nick took a short breath through his nose, the fox had his eyes deviating slightly to the left as he said:

- Well… it hasn't even been a full day since we had our date. It was quite a night for the both of us. That's for sure.

Judy noticed the soft smile building up on Nick's face, the way his lips moved, the corners of his mouth remaining in a locked state as only the front parts of his muzzle and jaw moved up and down as he spoke. Nick took another breath and then said to his partner:

- I didn't really mean anything by asking if you were ashamed of me. I don't even know why it occurred to me to ask something so dumb. I can certainly respect if you want to keep us going out as a secret.

Judy shook her head slowly, her eyes closed and then opened once that motion of her head was concluded, and then she spoke in order to clarify her truest intentions regarding her newly attained relationship level with Nick:

- Nick, is not that I want to keep what we're going by as a secret from everyone around us. I never took time to understand for myself what a relationship such as this entails, so, for now anyway, I just want to be around you and figure everything out.

Judy took a short breath before continuing to speak, fiddling with the fingers of both of her paws placed separately over her knees as she said:

- Being near you it's… it's beyond anything I could ever put into words. Being next to you gives me confidence and… it also calms me down when I have too much in my mind to go over all at once. I want to understand what is like to have you as more than a friend, and then, I want to tell everyone about it.

Nick showed Judy a wide smile, the affection he felt for her caused his mind to wonder what it would be truly like, to consider keeping their involvement in a more private way against the risk of telling others about it, as he looked at Judy and her eyes blinking quick and steadily as she looked in his direction, her words flowing and making him dive deeper in thought, Nick could only feel the desire to kiss her taking hold of his mind. Nick kept seated and attentive, holding himself back by tightening the grip that his paws had over his knees, taking heed of Judy's words, he leaned a little to the side, letting his paws relax for a moment as they eased the grip over his knees and giving Judy a soft bump with his right shoulder, the fox spoke up in a sympathetic tone of voice just as soon as he heard a little giggle coming from his partner:

- I guess that's alright. I wouldn't have any problems at all with you choosing to keep things simple and private for a while. I'll keep quiet too and wait for the time you think is right. It will probably be for the better.

Judy showed a single nod of her head and the two officers turned to waiting in silence until they were called, they did not have to wait for that long as Chloe opened one of the doors near them to peek her head out and say:

- You can head inside now. The mayor just called out for you.

Judy and Nick entered the mayoral office and the two were actually very surprised with all they were seeing inside, it had been quite a while since Judy had been there and the redecorating aspects of all the items she could see in the shelves and on the walls was very appealing, Nick did not really care about the artifacts on display around the office, he was stoked to just be there. The office was quite a sight, there was a massive window on the far wall that showed the skyline of the savanna in the back in all of its color and activity, the shelves along the right side wall were completely filled with books, each volume organized in a color coded fashion and a center piece placed at a reserved spot on the middle shelf, a plate with a circular insignia inscribed with marvelous golden detail, a circle with indented outward edges symbolizing in practically symmetric detail the balance, equality and harmony that the city of Zootopia would always stride to attain as well as its mayor and all of the civil servants sworn to protect all those who lived in it. What called to Judy's attention about the insignia was the script in Latin written under the main piece of the plate: Spem Concordia Servamus, the meaning of which was 'In harmony we preserve hope'. Judy figured it must have been some part of an oath spoke during the founding of the city a long time ago.

There was a large rectangular rug covering the floor by the center of the office, the carpet was trim and had a simple but nice pattern displayed in its frame and it was also free from any wrinkles or popping folds. On the left side wall there was a large spot reserved for photos, old posters and framed documents belonging to the acting mayor, Nick could peg two different diplomas with marks of excellence stamped over the signatures, an old photo of a neighborhood that appeared familiar to him in a way though it was difficult to surmise at a glance, his eyes passed over the picture and barely had time to scan for any more details on it before he moved on to look at another piece framed on the wall. Nick's attention was very much centered on a large portrait that depicted the savanna skyline, it was really beautiful to see the city scape in such a bright and colorful point of view, Nick was no art snob but even he had to recognize that the painting was wonderful bot in content and use of shading as well as depth. Nick's eyes slowly moved down and he soon found out about what could have been the smallest and perhaps even most extravagant item in the entire office:

- No way!

The fox said in a loud whisper, Judy quickly inquired about what it was that he just saw and the fox was quick to point and whisper to her:

- Carrots, check that out. That's a tiny fountain right there. He has a tiny fountain in his office!

Judy was pleasantly surprised to find out what Nick was referring to. Over the smooth glass surface of a stand with metal legs supporting its form near the left wall of the office, there was a little adorning curio that took the shape of a diorama, contained in a bowl that occupied near the entirety of the stand, depicting a waterfall at a minimal scale. The item consisted of a metal bowl that had its sides colored in an interesting pattern, sharp curves of ink that interlocked with black white and red patterns which repeated themselves regularly, the bowl housed a sculpted rock carefully chiseled into the form of a jagged mount made to look as natural and as close to the referenced form as possible. The bowl had round edges and had the free space of its interior filled with water, a simple system of pipes and a miniscule engine made sure that the water contained inside would circulate about in a simple cycle which would transform the inanimate item into a true conversation piece worthy of motion and mention. The little fountain was connected to a wall socket near its stand and it hardly made a sound, aside, of course, from the peaceful gurgling of the water stream which remained constant. Judy released a sound of endearment from her mouth as soon as she saw the little fountain and how it looked far more quaint than opulent when placed in the office, Nick turned his sight over to her and told her:

- Right? That is so cool. I wasn't even sure someone made stuff like that anymore.

Mayor Zeinhart was in the office and he caught wind of every word in that exchange between Nick and Judy, the zebra came out from his hiding spot behind the cover of a door that served as the entrance to his private washroom, buttoning up his shirt before saying:

- I keep that mostly for sentimental value. It was a gift from an old friend.

Zeinhart assumed his spot behind the desk, a massive piece of furniture made of the most expensive and resilient wood around while having most of the contents over its frame, the documents, office utensils and other sundries, organized in a near immaculate manner. Zeinhart remained standing and putting the finishing touches on his attire, placing the outer wear of his suit one arm at a time and then turning to his assistance before telling her:

- Thank you for the help today, Chloe. You can go back to your tasks from before, I'll handle the rest of my schedule for the day.

The leopard performed another bow with her head and excused herself, leaving the office and closing the doors behind her as soon as she had returned to the hallway and made their way back to her desk. Zeinhart was just finishing with adjusting his suit before he heard as Nick said:

- She seems really nice.

The mayor agreed with the fox's comment, posting shortly after:

- She is a real gem that one. She's been with me since way before the election.

Zeinhart still intended to talk with both Nick and Judy about matters of city hall and the true reason why the two officers were summoned there for their morning assignment, it was nothing critical or truly vital that needed to be tended to right away so he had adopted a very relaxed manner of moving and speaking. Nick picked up on the laid back vibe that the mayor was putting right away, he stood up straight while having his shoulders lowered and his arms crossed but Judy, on the other end, was not giving an inch to relaxation at that moment, even if she still could have done so in the presence of the good natured zebra. Judy was standing at full attention, her shoulders were lightly raised while both of her arms were tucked to the sides of her torso with both paws clutching tightly, she also made a case to place her ankles together and position her ears as high as they could go, Nick launched a little side glance as he saw Judy positioned like that and he found it truly adorable, he turned his eyes back towards the mayor and pressed his lips shut as to not release any humorous sounds.

As mayor Zeinhart reached down to one of the drawers in his desk to retrieve a few last things that would put the final touches in his outfit, the zebra spoke up just as his hooves performed a selective motion over the contents of the drawer:

- I apologize for the delay and for not being readied up just yet. I just came back from a really long drag of a meeting and I am fixing to change into something a bit less formal before we head out.

Judy kept standing at full attention but her left ear twitched for only half of a second before she asked of the mayor:

- Head out where, sir?

Zeinhart did not answer to Judy's question right away, instead, he pulled up a pair of ties out of the drawer, both different in color and pattern, they were tucked inside of the drawer along with a variety of other similar dressing articles and they unraveled just as soon as they were pulled out from their respective spots. The mayor held on to the ties in plain view of the two officers and was placed at an irresolute position so he asked for an honest opinion out of the other two mammals in the room:

- What do you guys think? Stripes or plain color?

Those were the two options that he was leaning towards in terms of clothing, showing a red tie with white diagonal stripes on one side and a plain navy blue tie on the other. Judy was very confused as she heard that, her ears lowered and she did not even prepared for answering a question like that, to her it looked so… trivial. Judy relaxed her arms and tried pointing ahead, maybe perform a simple pointing gesture that would satisfy the mayor's wardrobe choosing:

- Oh… ahm… I'm not quite…

Nick noticed right away how Judy seemed to be having a bit of difficulty in interacting with the mayor in that scenario, the fox cut into the talk, as if he was on par with the situation even before it had presented itself to them, and gave an educated piece of council to the mayor:

- Pick the plain one. It matches your suit while placing in nice contrast with your shirt. Plus, it tells everyone 'I am very cool and poise but I'm ready to get stuff done'.

The mayor followed Nick's advice and began tying the plain navy blue tie around his neck, the zebra then tucked his shirt down and said:

- Alright. I think we're ready to get going.

Judy interjected, the bunny was still none too clear about where they were headed and what they would be doing so she decided to raise the volume of her voice slightly, raise her right paw and then ask of the mayor:

- Mister mayor, I'm sorry, but if you could just let me know ahead of time where exactly are we headed, that would be very useful.

Zeinhart turned to Judy while having both hooves over the extent of his tie, passing them over the silky fabric of the accessory before asking of her:

- Didn't chief Bogo tell you what you were to do as soon as you arrived?

Nick shrugged that question off by raising his shoulders and then clarifying:

- The chief just sent us here after telling that you called us by name. Said that you requested some police detail for an event. There weren't a lot of details involved but we both figured it might be some high profile police escort.

Zeinhart nodded his head and then said:

- Well, you're not entirely wrong.

The zebra moved towards the two officers standing at the center of his office, a slow gesture of his hooves was shown as he pointed to the massive window on the far side of his office, his feet clacking across the ground as he approached Nick and Judy while telling them:

- The automatic bank by the western savanna has been officially cleared of all damages, there is to be an inauguration ceremony there in only a few minutes and I am the one who is going to make the ribbon cutting.

Nick raised his arms, the palms of his paws in clear view as he placed them in front of his chest and then spoke up:

- Woah! The bank at ATM march is already fixed?! That place was a mess the last time we were there. That was fast!

Zeinhart posted a short explanation about the reason behind the quick repair work:

- Yeah, I have a friend in the local construction crew and he owed me a solid. Didn't even have to plead for him to go out of his way since the wife of a friend of his cousin keeps money in the same bank.

Nick followed the conversation at each point but Judy was having a little bit of a hard time connecting all of the dots in her head, Nick showed a wide smile before saying:

- Well, either way you swing at it, I'm just really glad that the mess is cleaned up and everyone in the west savanna can have their finances back in order.

Nick felt like he had almost forgotten about a crucial point that related to that conversation, he turned to Judy and asked of her like it was no big deal at all to discuss that sort of thing at that precise time and in front of the mayor of all mammals:

- Speaking of 'finances'… did anyone even bothered to return that big bag of cash that we got back from the punks who hit that bank?

Zeinhart noticed the sudden expression of apprehension that appeared on Judy's face, by the looks of things even the bunny officer was not sure if the bag with the money collected as hard evidence had its contents returned. The mayor reassured the two officers that everything was indeed back in its proper place by telling them while showing the underside of his hooves:

- You can rest easy. Chief Baggins from precinct two sent out a report that the stolen money was safely returned to the bank managers and accurately rebalanced into the accounts. They were thrilled to have it back since the insurance claim had only been filled and reposted a day later.

Nick imagined right then and there how the bankers must have looked after receiving so much extra income that would be no doubt redistributed between them, for some reason a pack of obese cats wearing suits and rolling around on a rug made of money popped in his mind. The mayor continued to speak as he recalled an important side note that was placed in the aforementioned report:

- I believe that the hand out of the report and the stolen goods was handled masterfully by a young feline officer named… James. I think that was his name.

Nick had his ears perked up, he called to the mayor's attention and asked of him:

- Hey, Jimmy came by to do that? That guy sure gets around.

Mayor Zeinhart nodded his head once more and then pointed at Nick before adding:

- Why, yes. I've heard he was one of the officers who answered the call and aided in apprehending the bank robbers. He was commended for his efforts after arriving back at his precinct.

Nick turned to Judy and showed her a thumbs up, giving off a soft smile before saying:

- Good for him. He totally earned it.

Judy had remained silent during most of that conversation, it was a little odd for her to witness the mayor and her partner talking and shooting the breeze as if they were old acquaintances, but then again, she already knew that Nick had the effect to dazzle others with his conversation skills. With that final exchange of information, Zeinhart pointed at the front door and inquired about leaving for the scheduled appearance at the re-opening of ATM march, Nick agreed with the zebra and soon all three of them were out the door. Mayor Zeinhart said just as they got to the elevator that he would leave with a transportation of his own and that they would arrive at the appointed place at roughly the same time, Nick and Judy would drive ahead and open way through any unscheduled traffic upfront while the mayor followed behind. After that was agreed upon, mayor Zeinhart pressed the button on the elevator control panel that would take them to the underground garage underneath city hall.

After their arrival by the below ground carpool, Nick was charged with retrieving the cruiser so that they could start out on their route over to the west side of the savanna, the fox gladly took hold of the keys and rushed over to the level above ground, going up the stairs and exiting through the front doors of the building so that he could enter the cruiser, start it up and drive it towards the garage, now with explicit authorization by the mayor, to let the cruiser come inside so that they could exit together. After Nick drove into the garage and placed the cruiser in position to leave, Judy insisted that she was given the wheel to drive, Nick agreed without fuss and politely slid aside to occupy the passenger seat while Judy lead the escort and it proceeded much like she imagined and an escort job for the mayor of Zootopia would make quite the addition for her report. The drive through the savanna went at a calm pace, the cruiser guided the limo where the mayor was situated nicely through the streets at a marginally low speed, Judy had both paws on the steering wheel while Nick made the case to adjust the siren at a low repetitive setting and confirm that they were heading on the right direction, however, Judy could not help but wonder a few important things that took most of her attention away from the task.

Judy had important points of the case in her mind, the drugs that the robbers had used and could not be analyzed so easily, the chaos with the wasps and the jamming device, the crisis with the lead-spewer when Nick got hurt, it all mixed together in her mind and it was almost unfathomable to imagine that the collective fear and confusion relating to every situation could all be directed to one single point of origin. Add to that the fact that she still had a lot of work and evidence to go through and her less than optimal interaction with agent Savage back at the precinct and the result were her nerves sparking without rest as she tried to get every subject in her mind in order. Judy shot a side glance at Nick, the fox looked so relaxed and his presence nearby did a lot to calm her down, she thought how his company put her at much ease and she also really wanted to exchange more words and affections with him, but the escort of the mayor and their duties at the ZPD were to take priority. Judy blinked twice, raised and then lowered her shoulders, straightened out her back over the driver's seat and tightened her paws grip over the wheel, it was all a way of her to temporarily expel the weight of those distractions from her mind, she was certain she would give more than enough thought for those later.

Nick and Judy were arriving at the ATM march, there was a small crowd of citizens and reporters gathered there to welcome the mayor and his escorts for the speech and the unveiling, standard stuff for an event such as that, although, the exaggerated proportions of the event, with the balloons, the cameras and the crowd of mammals were omitted by the mayor before their departure and Judy did not appreciate that. Judy decided to park the cruiser near a side street, some spot with ample space away from the crowd where Nick and her could coordinate better while having easy access to the cruiser itself shortly after the event was over, they would both have to stand by until the communication arrived from the mayoral staff accompanying Zeinhart giving them the cue to join in and take positions near the sidewalk in front of the bank, it all sounded easy enough. Nick could only catch a few glimpses of the building as they passed by but it looked like legit new and that impressed the fox greatly, he could only guess what few but massive improvements were made during the reconstruction of ATM march since the outside of the building looked brand new.

Nick turned his head to the left and he saw Judy looking outside her window, the bunny scanning the crowd of mammals from side to side for any potential threats, she was so determined to do a good job, he noticed how she placed her left paw over the knob of the door and was just about to push it in order to step outside, just waiting for their cue, he was ready too. However, something appeared to be amiss, Nick squinted his eyes as he noticed Judy's right paw clutching the air repeatedly as if she was squeezing a rubber sphere within her grasp to relieve some stress, the fox leaned a little closer and poked her right shoulder before asking of her:

- How are you feeling over there, fluff? Everything well?

Judy turned her head to look at Nick, a snappy motion as she raised her shoulders slightly after feeling his touch and then swung her head to the right while letting in a small gasp through her mouth. Judy release a thin puff of air through her lips and then said:

- Nick, I'm feeling alright. I just… I wasn't expecting this much of a crowd. That is a lot of mammals.

Nick leaned a little more, the palms of both his paws placed over the right side edge of his seat to offer him some leverage and support as he said shortly after taking another look at the crowd in the distance:

- Yeah, you're right. That is quite the turnout.

Judy turned her head to face forward once more, she placed both paws over her chest to feel the strong and steady beating of her heart while collecting herself for a moment, reminding herself that there was no reason to feel nervous or even overwhelmed due to the sight of the crowd. Nick retreated for a moment and adopted a straight seating stance over his seat in the cruiser once more, the fox placed both of his paws over his lap and heard attentively as Judy told herself in a low volume to her voice that could still be identified by him:

- It's alright. We'll just go out there and stand nice and ready. This is just an assignment like any other.

Nick and Judy waited for their cue to exit, though it was still a little further off to arrive, the two officers remained seated for the duration of their wait but Nick still wanted to talk to Judy, there was something important that he still wanted to talk about with her. Nick took in a long dash of air through his nose, the sound of the air being drawn deep into his nostrils was caught by Judy as both of her ears twitched and pointed in his direction, her eyes following to point in the same direction only a short second later. Judy first thought that her partner may have drawn such a long breath to calm his own nerves, or that maybe he was just bored and wanting to get into the action already, she was incorrect on both accounts. As Nick absorbed that breath of air, refreshing his thoughts, he could sense Judy's scent so vividly, his eyes were closed but he could still construct a perfect picture of the bunny beside him in his mind with her scent alone, he opened his eyes and looked over at her before saying:

- Judy, you said before that you wanted to 'understand' what this feeling you have for me is all about. Is there anything I can help you with when it comes to understanding it?

Judy raised her right paw, she moved it up and down with a slow motion of her wrist before saying:

- Nick, it's not that I… Look, what I want to understand is how to... handle this feeling better. I want to have you near me, I want to…

Judy suddenly felt the words trapped inside her mouth, her cheeks puffed up as she could feel the blush building up on her face, she made an effort to speak as she gestured towards Nick with both of her paws, looking at him with all of her fingers pointed in his direction before saying:

- I want to hug and kiss you and feel like I felt last night. I want to… catch that nice feeling of us together. Nick, I feel as if I have you alone… I might just want you all to myself.

Nick had the sweetest of smiles on his face, the fox found the prospect of having Judy simply jumping over him to snag a kiss very appealing, it would certain quench beyond any doubt the desire he had since seeing her for work that morning, to have if only a single kiss from her. Judy placed her paws together, her fingers interlocking as she took a second to let what she just said sink in for Nick and for her own mind, Judy was looking down for a moment but she turned to look at her partner shortly after and then asked of him:

- Does that make me selfish?

Nick had his eyes opening a little wider after hearing that, it was a question he was certainly not expecting out of his partner. Nick placed his left paw over Judy's right shoulder before telling her:

- Judy, that doesn't make you selfish. I think… I think those moments, when we want to be near the ones we care for, just make us more expressive of what we truly want. You don't have to think of yourself as selfish in any way.

Judy showed a little smile, her partner kept his paw over her shoulder as she looked away, turning her head just enough to the left to check if the cue for their appearance was already given, no signs of that just yet. Judy had her ears scanning around, even if the sounds coming from the outside of the cruiser were slightly dampened by the enclosed space of the vehicle's cabin, Judy placed her left paw in front of her lips before saying:

- They're certainly taking their time to make an appearance.

Nick raised his left paw to point outside, gesturing towards the windshield before saying:

- Classic strategy for crowd management in any event. Leaving them waiting just enough to spark some more interest. We'll probably only have to wait a little bit more.

Nick and Judy placed their backs on the repost of their respective seats, Nick kept shooting quick glances at Judy and only meeting her still form over the seat, now looking much more at ease than before. Nick decided to push a new point of the subject to her, a daring move that took only a minimal level of calculation on the part of the fox as he began by saying:

- Carrots, if I ask you something… will you be willing to do me a little solid?

Judy turned her head to look over at Nick once more, the tone of his voice sounded quite detached and steady, she had the feeling that he wanted to ask something very serious and impersonal of her. Judy answered to Nick, giving him the cue to post out his request, she showed that she was very willing to placate his request so she simply told him:

- Sure thing, Nick. Whatever it is, you can just ask me.

Nick leaned a little closer, his muzzle was placed near Judy's face and he whispered the one thing he wanted more than anything else at that moment, requesting of Judy with soft voice and a piercing, although very soft, look in his eyes:

- Judy, I want you to kiss me.

Judy was taken aback by the fox's request, her ears pered up and her head leaned back for a moment as she looked at her partner, his request was indeed something very personal but she was not quite sure that was the time for overwhelming shows of affection, with their assignment lying in wait in front of them. Judy leaned back, retreating from Nick, showing a little smile and a pushing gesture with the palm of both of her paws which did not actually entered in contact with the fox himself, Judy spoke up, looking straight at Nick while letting a small giggle make its way out along with a single word:

- Nick…

The fox already had a good idea what his partner was about to say, he interfered by shaking his head and telling as such:

- I know. I know what you're going to say. We are at work and we really should be focused on the duty we have ahead of us for today.

Judy closed her paws as she softly gripped the air in front of her, the bunny was certainly surprised to hear that her partner could read her so well at that point, only her tone of voice and a single word was necessary to communicate all that she wanted to speak at that moment. Nick placed a gentle plead in front of him, extending his right paw a little closer to Judy before telling her:

- The thing is: I have been craving a kiss from you since we've seen one another earlier today, It's something I have been trying to deal with as we started today's shift. I have been trying to play it cool but… I just don't think I can hold it back anymore.

Judy thought for a moment, how she was acting and even thinking in the same wavelength as her partner just earlier, she wanted to tell him that much but she decided to remain silent for the time being and see for herself where Nick would head out with that line of thought. Judy had taken a short breath through her mouth and was just about to say something when she stopped herself by placing the tips of the fingers from her left paw over her lips and waited for Nick to continue speaking:

- So… this is what I'm suggesting, fluff: You give me one kiss, just one little kiss to set my mind straight. After that, for the rest of the day, I'll be a model officer, no jokes, no slips, strictly work.

Judy lowered her left paw and her fingers fiddled in the air for a short time, her pointing and middle finger rubbing against the base of her thumb, she made it appear as if she was considering that option in great length but, truthfully, she already had the answer for that proposal set and peaked excitement for the chance to have a kiss from Nick. Judy moved her eyes around, checking the interior of the cruiser cabin, she knew that the glass placed on the windows of the cabin was tinted and it appeared very dark from the outside point of view of any mammal that would happen to pass by so no one would see the two of them kissing, there was still no sign of the mayor starting the event any time soon so they still had some time left for themselves, Judy sought that opportunity to play a little bit with Nick, she was already certain that she wanted to accept his proposition, even if the fox did not have to go out of his way and modify his behavior to make her lean towards accepting it. Judy raised the pointing finger of her left paw upward, she moved her paw towards Nick and asked of him furthering the little game she was playing with the fox, one of which the rules she came up with o the spot:

- Just… one kiss?

Nick leaned closer to Judy, repeating the terms of the deal that he proposed and of which he was willing to plead endlessly in order for her to accept it, not knowing that she already had a positive outcome for it in mind, the fox showed the pointing fingers of both of his paws aiming towards her, magnifying the meanings of direction and significance of what she had just asked and then saying:

- That's all, just one. And then… all work, all day long.

Judy tucked her left arm closer to her torso, she turned her body slightly more to the right over her seat so that she would face Nick with relative comfort and then she confirmed the agreement to the deal posted by Nick, leaning only a few inches closer to him, a dreamy and sensual look in her eyes, a soft smile on her face, she was improvising the most provocative and confident look she could come up with on her face as she said:

- Very well, mister fox. Just one kiss.

Nick took in a long breath of air through his nose, inhaling deeply and long while he let it show a large smile and then leaned in slow and close to snag the preliminary portion of the deal, his smile diminished gradually and his lips puckered softly as he approached Judy's face, anticipating the kiss like a soft impact that would bring great closure for that moment. Judy was playing her proverbial paw, leading Nick on for the kiss while keeping most of her true emotional state concealed, she had a feeling that Nick would be able to tell it right away, she reached forth with both of her arms, gently placing her paws on the sides of Nick's muzzle and the fox felt himself wholly powerless in her hold, closing his eyes although not entirely as he still wished to see Judy, lowering his shoulders and letting them as lose as he could as he let Judy's hold guide him on and preparing his lips for what he felt would be the inevitable outcome as he felt the soft touch and pull of her paws on the sides of his jaw. Judy stretched her upper body just enough so that her mouth could reach Nick's, the bunny officer closed her eyes and let herself be lost even if for just a moment on the kiss, their lips touched one another and Nick could feel the warmth he felt just the night before rising up again, only… it did not last for very long.

Before Nick could register that moment, before he could reach forth and give Judy a nice embrace while pulling both of them deeper into the kiss, he felt as Judy distanced herself from him. Nick waited just a little more after the single instance of suction performed by Judy's lips, his muzzle still puckered, prepped and primed for more kissing but no more pressing was felt on his lips, the fox had his brows frizzling as he could not believe that the kiss had ended so soon and he began feeling sorely underwhelmed about that. Judy felt that the little kiss she disclosed was more than enough for her partner, she certainly felt satisfied after feeling the warm breath of the fox brushed against her whiskers and the soft touch of his lips over hers, she lowered her arms and looked over Nick with a wide smile on her lips and simply told him:

- There, one kiss, just as we agreed.

Nick felt confused for a moment, then he saw the smile on Judy's face and figure things out on the spot, she was trying to play him, tease him, the fox thought of that as something fiendishly genius coming from his partner and he would have been proud of her for pulling one up on him, if not for the fact that he was now thoroughly annoyed. Nick leaned a little closer to Judy, the stony look in his face letting her know right away that he had picked up on something that was very much out of place, he pointed a claw of his right paw in her direction and asked right out:

- Are you trying to hustle me, fluff?

Judy raised both her paws, placing them near the front of her chest with her palms pointed at Nick, asking in turn for further details on the reason behind that question, only by saying:

- W… what?

Nick then continued to point with his claw, moving it back and forth with a motion of his wrist as he pointed at his muzzle and then back at Judy before telling her:

- 'That'… wasn't a kiss. That was barely a smooch.

Judy lowered her paws, her mouth opened but no discernible sound came out of it, her lips closed shortly after and pressed over one another in an awkward smile, the bunny had her ears lowering over her head leaning to different sides in uneven angles, she really did not know how to respond to that and so she hesitated to air even a single word. Judy took a short breath, she wanted to speak up and try to explain herself but Nick was already preparing to put to his own amends in that moment, ready to show Judy what he truly meant when he said that he wanted a single kiss out of her.

Nick reached forth, both of his paws were soon placed over Judy, his left paw touched the right side of her belly, his paw caressed her and wrapped alongside her like a serpent beginning to entrap its prey, soon enough, Nick pulled her closer for an embrace, the gentle push of his arm wrapped around Judy's lower torso pulling her towards him as her posterior dragged over the cushion of the driver's seat beneath. As for his right arm, Nick had placed it at a comfortable angle in front of him and on approach to Judy, the fingers of his right paw touched Judy's left cheek, the palm of his paw enveloped the side of her face and cupped her left cheek before he delivered a cozy massaging motion as his soft grip increased and then relaxed without much force. At that precise moment, as the warm and gentle hold of the fox encompassed the entire left side of her face, Judy could feel time slowing to a crawl, an exhilarating tingle invading her muscles and the sense she was floating on air just as soon as she could feel the pressing of Nick's chest over her entire upper body, he had brought her as close as she could be to him. Judy had ample chance to get Nick to stop but she did not want that, the bunny felt as the fox positioned her while holding on to her, the palm of his right paw guiding her to a renewed kiss and this one was made to last.

Nick lowered his muzzle over his partner's mouth, and as soon as he and Judy touched lips once more, Judy could feel as the fox's mouth surrounded her lips damn near completely, the moisture of his mouth and hers increasing and mixing together in such a carefree and cozy way but the most important part of that kiss made itself known just as soon as Judy realized that Nick's entire upper body was set in motion as a method to keep her tied to that moment. Nick's arms moved nicely in a set of independent motions, they would move up and down by the lower part of her shoulders and at the back of her head, the rough palms of his paws massaging her in a very enticing but not invasive manner, his chest acting as if following the motions of a smooth wave and working in conjunction with his neck as he would intermittently alternate between pushing forth and add a touch more of pressure to the kiss or pull back and take a short breath before recommencing the short cycle over. Judy released a loud hum through her throat, her ears perked up as soon as she felt a little something adding to that kiss, she had just opened her mouth as she figured the interval between draws stablished by Nick when she felt a small caressing that quickly passed over the vertical extent of her front lip, the bunny pulled in a sharp dose of air through her nose and thought:

"Sweet peas! Did he just use his tongue? Is that alright?"

Nick felt a sudden pull, he felt as the tiny paws belonging to Judy reached for and grabbed the lower part of his forearms, grabbing with a precarious hold to the sleeves of his uniform and pinching lightly on the fur by his triceps, the fox was convinced that whatever he was doing with the kiss he was doing a fine job at it. Nick opened his eyes a little more, he could still see Judy being pleasantly absorbed into his kiss, as he passed the palms of his left paw in her back he could feel her steady breathing and the strong palpitations of her heart now resonating through her with great intensity. Nick had used his tongue in a sort of instinctive way, his mouth had opened and his tongue escaped outward through his teeth, his body was sure on the course of action but his mind alerted him right away that he may have been a little too forceful in doing so, that is why he retracted his tongue immediately after feeling its tip touching Judy and flickering the edge of her lip upward.

Judy could feel the power of the kiss starting to die down, Nick eased the grip he had on her, his gentle touch soon became a remaining impression over her body just as his paws started to drift away. Judy opened her eyes and she saw the fox slowly separating his figure from hers. Judy felt a spasm building up inside her body, the bunny elevated her shoulders and felt her entire frame trembling with bliss, Nick's kiss and the subsequent allure of his hug were the highlight of that day for her, there were no doubts about that and she could barely formulate a thought even after regaining her composure, she could only listen while being completely stunned by what she had just experienced as Nick told her with a tone of voice that sounded very much like a triumphant boast whispered to her:

- Now, 'that' is a kiss.

Judy could feel as if she was slipping in and out of that moment, standing on the brink of asleep and awake, her entire body was tethering back and forth and she found herself unsure if there was any need to blithe that moment with any more words. Nick smiled satisfied with how that turned out, and he was prepared to apply himself on the fulfilment of the next portion of the deal, assuming the role of a model officer for the remainder of the work shift. Nick took a look outside the windshield of the cruiser, he could see mayor Zeinhart just outside and the zebra was on his way to the podium specially set up for the short speech he had prepared for the grand reopening of ATM march, the wave that Zeinhart had performed with his right hoof in the air was the cue Nick and Judy had agreed on for their appearance as escorts in the event. Nick leaned forth as he got a good look at it and then he spoke up with rushed words:

- Carrots, that's our cue! We've got to get going.

Nick turned to the door and pulled the knob, the fox made his exit and dashed off to assume his place next to the mayor as he took to making his speech, Judy was left inside the cruiser cabin, still feeling a little dazed after the kiss and only realizing a little later that Nick had exit the car without her in toe. Judy turned to the door on her side of the cabin and began undoing the safety latch as she muttered to herself:

- Oh, dumb fox. Going off without me.

And shouting out just as she got the door open:

- Nick! Wait for me!

---

The hours passed by, the assignment given to Nick and Judy came and went without a hitch, the reporters had many questions for the mayor about the incident leading up to the destruction and eventual reconstruction of the bank, Zeinhart had to take his time with his speech as the zebra insisted on thanking every single one of the construction workers who worked day and night until the corner building was spotless and ready for access from the public. The first attendant of the ATM march also received an honorable mention, a chinchilla house wife who was the first in line to get the payment for her over-week janitorial services gladly entered the march and accessed her account, certifying all of the mammals present that the location was not only pleasing in terms of aesthetics, it was also safe and functional.

Nick and Judy waited around, the two officers performed short surveillance rounds in the vicinity of ATM march to make sure that no problem would arise and that every single one of the new implemented security devices was installed and working nicely. Nick and Judy also made some time to ask a few questions of some reporters who were interested in learning about the brunt of what transpired in there, both of the officers were concise and clear on their answers, by the end of the improvised event, after the speech, the ribbon cutting, the post ceremony questions, Nick and Judy returned to the cruiser and drove back to precinct one. On their way back, Judy opted for taking a scenic route towards the center of the savanna, they still had to fill in a report to chief Bogo about their assignment but there was no rush so the drive through the savanna was slow and methodical.

On the whole drive back, Judy looked towards Nick with a touch of suspicion in her eyes, she thought it strange how her partner was quiet the whole way through the drive, just seated quiet and proper on his side of the cruiser, not even daring to open his mouth to speak while displaying a soft smile on his muzzle. Judy got in her mind that Nick may have been up to something, maybe some silly surprise that awaited for her upon her return to the ZPD, in reality, Nick was taking to being as still and quiet as possible, making a point to be as well behaved and focused an officer as he could be as per their agreement. For some reason, being a 'model officer' in Nick's own mind equated to acting in the parameters of some fantastical form of programing, he was almost a bit disgusted to be acting like that, like a machine waiting for instructions, but in his mind a sealed deal was in effect and he had to act on it. Back at the ZPD, almost half an hour or so before Nick and Judy's arrival back in the precinct building, Agent Donovan entered, he was there to pick up Jack so that they could all move on to their next appointed task before the end of the day.

Donovan entered through the front doors of the precinct with his pocket watch in one hand, checking the time marked on it and his surroundings to check if the buck from his team was somewhere in the lobby, however, there was no sign of him. Accompanying the wolf agent into the building was the other portion of his appointed and selected team, the artic vulpine named Skye, following close to her superior officer and approaching from his right side, close to the paw that the wolf used to hold on to his bamboo cane, before asking of him:

- Ugh, where is he? You told him just earlier to be right here once he was done with all of that technical malarkey.

Donovan closed his pocket watch and placed it back inside the right side lapel pocket of his suit, the wolf looked over to the right as he was putting the time piece back in its safe place and saw the image of his second in command, standing right next to him with her paws on her hips and standing at a very irked stance as she scanned the lobby. Skye was quite the contrast from Jack, the buck was usually so lose and expressive, a real jack of all trades as he jokingly referred to himself; Skye was far more focused, determined to keep a professional appearance as she stepped through any situation, her suit always pressed and aligned to her figure, her piercing blue eyes frequently studying every detail of every room she entered and cautious of any changes in the environment seized by her, she was always an icon of competence although she did know how to convey a little fun from time to time. Donovan checked on Skye, her wine red suit placed in astonishing contrast to the white coloration of her fur, the elder wolf let out a smile before saying:

- Now, now, Skye. The technical part of our work is one of the most important parts of our stablished alignment with the ZPD. We both know that Jack is up to the task, there must be a good reason why he isn't here at the moment.

Donovan looked ahead and spotted Benjamin stepping into his post, behind the front counter, carrying with him a blue plastic bag of chips that he had just retrieved form the vending machine by the break room of the precinct. Donovan thought prudent to ask the one mammal who watched most movement by the lobby about the location of the wandering buck agent, he turned to Skye and told her:

- Stand by in wait. I'll inquire where Jack went and we can leave shortly after.

Skye moved off, deciding to wait for the wolf's return while seated in a bench she spotted in the distance, Donovan moved near Benjamin and inquired about the whereabouts of Jack, just as he said he would. The cheetah by the counter recalled that not that earlier he had seen the bunny agent moving up the stairs and then disappearing from view as soon as he ascended to the second floor of the precinct, Donovan felt obliged to investigate it further. Donovan arrived at the second floor, he scanned the area and concluded that he was the only mammal in the proximities, that is, until he heard a sound that conveyed utter frustration, the sound of a fist beating up repeatedly and hastily against a training dummy followed by loud grunting paired with the consecutive bashing against hardened foam surface.

Donovan could hear the sounds coming from the gym, there appeared to be a single mammal partaking in the use of the exercising equipment so he decided to check it out, he already had a pretty good idea of who it was. Donovan approached the wide open doors of the gym and looked inside, he saw Jack taking an aggressive approach to a self-imposed combat training as the buck slouched forward and delivered punch after punch against the training dummy stand in front of him. Jack looked to be far more focused in inflicting harm than actual discipline in combat, the bunny agent was focusing in attacking a single spot with exaggerated hits from his right arm, leading up with his shoulder in a boorish stance, almost as if he was trying to puncture a way right through the dummy with sheer strength and repetition, he was so focused in pouring every single drop of aggression he had within that he did not even notice as Donovan approached.

The wolf agent was horrified to see his young agent colleague attempting to strengthen himself in such a manner, that was certainly not approved ZBI protocol and that display of harsh emotion out and about under the precinct one roof was certainly not how the buck was taught to behave while out in the field on duty. Donovan noticed that Jack had removed the outer wear of his suit, the jacket that belonged as a main point of his attire was placed haphazardly over an exercise chair next to him and the white T-shirt covering the bunny agent's torso had its sleeves rolled up in quite an bellicose manner. There was certainly something amiss in that scene and Donovan decided to just step in and speak on it right away, shouting to the bunny agent:

- Agent Jack Savage, what is the meaning of this?!

Jack turned his head to look in the direction of the voice calling out to him, his ears perked up and he soon turned his head back in the direction he was facing previously as to not employ eye contact to the mammal he had just recently identified as his superior officer. Donovan pointed ahead and stepped forth, clanking his cane against the floor while he continued to speak and reprehending the young bunny for his conduct, although not in the way one might expect:

- Your fighting stance is completely off, you are exceeding the amount of strain your body is meant to take on each hit and you are making a whole entire mess of things in this gym. I know I was not the one to tell you to fight like that in 'any' situation. What is the matter with you?!

Jack fell silent, the buck agent tucked both arms closer to his torso and remained turned away as to avoid facing the wolf directly. Jack noticed as Donovan began to walk around and tried to get a good look on his face so the buck turned his face a little to the right, still avoiding a direct line of sight with the canine in charge. Jack spoke up, apologizing for that mild breach in compartmental and training protocol by saying:

- I'm… really sorry, boss. I was only trying to figure some things out and…

Donovan moved by Jack's left side, he leaned his upper body forward, trying to match the angle of his field of view with the buck's height and noticing something right away just as Jack began turning his head to the right, a certain glint near the eyes of the buck. Donovan raised his left paw and pointed at Jack before asking him:

- Have you been crying?!

- No, I haven't! Let me be!

Jack raised his left paw and made quite the rushed and contemptuous gesture with a flicking motion of his wrist, as if he was trying to slap Donovan's paw away from him and hide away the fact that he had shed a few tears of frustration since coming to that gym. Donovan moved away, looking over a t Jack and then asking of the bunny agent:

- Son, tell me what has happened to you? Are you hurt?

Jack turned to the right until he was facing the exercising chair right behind him, he reached forth to grab his jacket and flung it over his left shoulder before saying:

- I spoke with Judy… officer Hopps, I told her how I felt, the reason why I wished for her to join our team.

Donovan quickly put all of the pieces together in his mind, he clacked his cane once against the ground, it did not make a loud sound but it certainly served to put a little emphasis as Donovan asked out loud:

- You are still on that? Frankly, Jack.

- No, I know. She already told me she is staying right here and that is not even the worst of it all.

Donovan wanted to speak his mind and continue reprimanding the young buck for his actions but it would appear that Jack was already feeling quite bad and adding to it would certainly not aid him in any way. Donovan allowed the buck to continue with his explanation uninterrupted, Jack continued to speak while gesturing with his right paw in the air and having his left paw hanging on to a sliver of the coat with his pointing finger shaped like a hook to hoist it around as he said:

- I was totally honest with her about my feelings and intentions, fat lot of good that did me. She already made up her mind and is set on being a part of precinct one, there is just no way to change her mind about it. And, to make matters worse, she told me that she already has a boyfriend. I was too late in telling her how I felt.

Donovan gathered the facts he had just heard and figured right away, if that bit of information was accurate then it would mean that Nick must have already confessed to Judy, the nudge that the wolf had given the fox officer at the bar was heeded in full, although he did not expect to have all unveiled so fast. Jack continued to speak, taking to seating himself over the frame of the chair from where he had only seconds earlier retrieved his jacket and saying in a spur of the moment vent of emotions:

- I should have known right on the spot, she has a boyfriend already because of course she does. I mean, honestly. How could a treasure of a bunny like her have not been taken at this point? Who even is this 'boyfriend'? I bet he is one of those bulky hares that all the girls are going gaga for.

With that next line from Jack, Donovan soon came to realize that his bunny cohort had no idea that the 'boyfriend' in question was actually Nick. Aware that disclosing such a piece of information would only enrage Jack even further, Donovan opted for concealing the topic through false ignorance and speak out:

- That's… a possibility.

Donovan moved a little closer to Jack, the wolf sat himself down right alongside his cohort, using the strong grip he had on his cane as a means to balance himself out before taking a seat, and then saying:

- Chin up, Jack my boy. You spoke honestly and that is a feat not a lot of mammals cannot claim when speaking to a significant other. I am quite certain that it was not that much of an embarrassment to speak as such with officer Hopps.

Jack felt the warm touch of the wolf's paw over him, the canine's grip nearly encompassing his entire shoulder line as a means to ease up his nerves at that moment, Jack certainly appreciated it. After a short moment of silence, the buck taking the time to adjust his posture over the seat underneath him, Jack spoke up:

- After I told officer Hopps all that I meant to say, she said she was 'disappointed' at me.

Donovan's response to that was to quickly raised his paw away from Jack's shoulder, hearing that particular word from the bunny made the wolf retreat like he had just triggered an explosive outcome. Donovan swallowed a slim portion of saliva before speaking with hurriedly words:

- Oh dear, That is actually so much worse.

Jack lowered his head over his knees and his ears flopped ahead as they followed the motion of his upper body, Donovan tried cheering up the buck one last time by asking of him:

- Do you want to go grab a drink, maybe tell me about what's troubling you?

Jack raised his head and then inhaled a long dose of air through his nose, trying to lock down the last few bits of emotional baggage he was still carrying along, the buck did not turn his head to face the wolf next to him but he still answered with a slim of assurance in his voice:

- I guess… I could use a drink.

Donovan raised from the chair and called Jack to come along, the wolf already knew that his cohort had quite the pension to act in a dramatic sense when some things did not went as he wanted it to be, the bratty and conceded child that he was still trying to mold into a respectable agent would show up occasionally but there was really not much issue with dealing with that from time to time. Donovan delivered a single pat on Jack's back so the bunny would rise from his seat with chin held high and to tell that they were to make one quick stop before heading out:

- Come, let us go wash your face before heading out.

Everyone in the ZBI already knew all too well the Donovan Howlbert had the heart of a parent, he treated every young agent under his care and tutelage as a child of his own, but both Jack and Skye were special cases. The artic vixen and the gray buck were separately plucked from the lives of hardship they once knew as their own and brought into the employment of the bureau of investigations under the watchful eye of one of their most seasoned agents, Donovan tutored and raised the young pair as his own children and brought them along on every single one of their missions. They were an expertly crafted team of agents, even if the animosity between the vulpine and the lagomorph was palpable on many different occasions, Donovan would often say that it was just a way they demonstrated love and competition between one another as most dedicated siblings often did. Donovan always wanted children of his own, but fate veered his life in a different direction, the fighter turned law enforcer, teacher, guardian, surrogate father figure of two promising agents.

Judy and Nick had only then returned from their assignment, the two officers exited the carpool and were wandering together through the lobby, they moved towards their shared cubicle to fill up on the paperwork and the report for the day and neither of them caught agent Donovan or Jack leaving as soon as they entered the office area of the ZPD. Nick, however, did notice the figure of an artic vixen seated on a bench, far off by the eastern hallway of the precinct, he wondered who she was and what exactly was she doing there at the ZPD but he guessed by her fancy attire that she must have been a reporter placed in wait before interviewing chief Bogo or some other employee from city hall that was sent to relay some information, Nick decided to not bother her with prodding or questions of any kind. Skye was simply waiting for Jack and Donovan's return and the vixen would have met eyes with the fox she had heard so much about since coming to Zootopia but she was far too distracted staring at the screen of her cellphone, she had actually been very excited to meet Nick in the flesh but her chance for that day had gone by without her even realizing it.

Donovan, Jack and Skye left the ZPD behind, the bureau trio entered their fancy black car parked by the front of the precinct and drove off with Skye behind the wheel as it was customary. Nick and Judy finished their shift and exited the precinct together, their tasks were already finished for the day and they could both head out home and relax for a bit, the two officers had changed into sets of civilian clothing, Nick in his natural green shirt, tie and khaki pants and Judy dressed in a buttoned up T-shirt with a checkered pattern stamped on the fabric and a set of long dark jeans. They were just walking out the front doors of the precinct and went down the steps when Judy turned to her partner and said:

- You barely said anything to me ever since we came back from the ribbon cutting.

Nick patted his chest, passing the palm of his right paw over the upper half extent of his tie, just before answering:

- I gave my word that I would be a model officer to you. No jokes, just work. That was our deal.

Judy turned her body to the right to face Nick, taking a single step without deferring her sight away from the fox as she performed a short strafe around him at a small distance until she was placed right in front of him and just before saying:

- Well, I would have never agreed to take the deal if I knew 'this' was how you're going to be acting through the rest of the day. That's certainly not what I wanted to happen.

Nick had his ears twitching to the sides and then up as he heard that, he looked to Judy and leaned a little closer to her, bending his back a little forward and letting his knees buckle down for a bit as he approached her eye level and asked of her:

- You didn't? But that was what we agreed upon, me focusing on my work after one kiss.

Judy deviated her eyes for a bit, looking to the right, seeing the walls of the buildings in the distance bathed in a beautiful orange hue, she would soon look over at Nick once more and tell him while placing two fingers of her right paw over her lips and tapping over them as she said:

- You... used your tongue. I didn't know that…

Nick retreated after hearing that, the fox looked on with wide eyes, the fur on his tail standing on end and his ears perked high as he said:

- Oh, damn! I didn't know if that was okay with you. I just got really into the kiss and I was really hoping you wouldn't mind it or notice it and I…

Judy took one step forward, reaching for Nick's chest with her left paw and placing her fingers over the right side of his chest, calming him down and assuring him that what he had done at the time did not bother her at all, telling him:

- Nick, it's alright. I actually… kinda liked it.

Judy had her left paw retreating slowly after saying that, tucking her arm close to her torso and closing her grip, having a soft smile on her face and certain look in her eyes that caused the fox to freeze with a certain level of bliss swelling in his chest. Nick had his tail swinging from side to side, now very glad to learn that Judy had noticed his daring approach to the kiss they shared earlier and even more glad to understand that she apparently had enjoyed it. Judy approached Nick once more, taking a step forth and undermining the step Nick had taken to retreat for her in unnecessary apology, she placed a paw over his chest once more, now delivering a soft double tap over his chest with the tips of the fingers from her left paw and telling him:

- Earlier this morning, you said so yourself. You are still you and I'm still me, we don't have to go out of our way and act differently for the sake of one another. I don't want some cold and distant 'model officer', I want you.

Nick closed his eyes, he inhaled a long dose of air through his nose, utilizing such strength as he absorbed the air into his lungs that his nostrils nearly closed entirely due to the force of his breath, the fox looked over the bunny in front of him, a new level of intensity in his eyes, just as he told her:

- You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now.

Judy removed her paw from Nick's chest, the bunny placed her arms on her back, letting them hang low near her back side as her right paw held on to her left wrist, she could feel the strong beat of her heart in her chest and the vibration of her pulse, she wanted to tell Nick right then and there that their wants aligned perfectly, it was not the right time. Judy settled for asking of her partner, swinging her body lightly from side to side while keeping her paws hidden behind her back, hoping that the fox would air an affirmative answer as she said:

- Nick, would you like to… come over to my place later. We can sit down, eat, maybe watch something and just… talk. If that's okay with you that is.

Nick adored just how polite Judy was as she posted that question to him, the tone of voice she used communicated that she was covertly hoping to act on something more enticing than mere talking, he was certainly hoping for it as well. The fox had his tail wagging a little faster now, he showed a slick smile and his ears lowered at a small angle over his head before answering:

- That sounds awesome, fluff. I just have to go over to my place and store a few things away. I'll meet you later?

Judy revealed both of her paws, she answered while showing her paws opening and closing as they were positioned in front of her chest:

- Right! Definitely! See you later.

Judy and Nick took a few seconds as they said farewell to one another, for the moment at least. Nick took off towards his apartment, walking slowly as he thought about bringing some snacks or maybe a few soft drinks to toast alongside Judy during his visit; Judy moved back to her apartment as well, she walked at a moderate place at first but then she rushed forth, she wanted to get back post haste so she could give her place a quick rinse and get ready for what would have been officially her second date.