Hello everyone,
First of all, allow me to apologize for the long update time. I won't make any excuses, it's all on me. Sorry.
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My special thanks again to Cimar for helping me with editing and making this story make more sense than in the first draft. ;P
Please remember to look at his stories if you enjoy a good read.
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I need to also apologize for one more thing, as I said earlier that some things are going to happen in this chapter, but that had to be postponed for later. Why? Because while it was in the original draft, the editing and rewriting turned the chapter into such a monster that I had to cut it into THREE parts. Therefore, some events will happen in later chapters, sorry about that.
By the way, I have also YOU (some readers) to blame for expanding this story! When I asked for an idea for a character to join the ranks of the organization I was thinking of adding just one. However, I liked the suggestions so much that I'm going to add ALL of them and even came up with few scenes that will allow them to shine a bit. So yeah, it's going to be bigger than I thought. ;P
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As for the references in the last chapter, yes it was from Ace Ventura. :)
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Moving on to some of your reviews:
GUNSLINGER99 – well, maybe… maybe not… It all depends on Nick. ;)
PapaNickWildeZPD – why would he bother with asking someone else to do it? :)
Fireflame159 – Sorry to do this to you, but there are few others planned in the future. So be ready for-
Fireflame159 - …more. ;)
Dagonn – me too, but sadly I had to postpone his entrance. :(
Whisper – resilent doesn't mean indestructible. It will make more sense in further chapters. As to 'what's the lie?' it will be answered more clearly in this chapter. And the organization will be part of Wilde Heart, though they are complex enough to have a story of their own.
Mewtwo-TheLoneShadow – the throat? That's almost instantaneous, why rush it? :D
FelisOnca – I make plans for some events, but sometimes my characters tend to do stuff on their own and I'm forced to follow them.
And thank you so much for all of your reactions, reviews, follows and favs! It makes me smile when I think that I can write more for you :) Thank you!
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Moving on!
Chapter 36
Right after getting out of the bank Nick beelined towards their cruiser, though he was cautious to avoid getting entangled with the ER team that would usually perform a standard check up on officers caught up in such a situation. He wanted to be spared this procedure as he had something far more important on his mind.
William lied to Judy.
Judy is not the most important girl for him.
*If that's the case then-*
A sudden slap to the back successfully disrupted his train of thought. "Congrats, Wilde!" boomed a friendly voice behind him. Nick recognized the speaker right away and groaned internally that his analysis of Judy's boyfriend would be delayed.
"What's the occasion, SWEET Pup?" Nick replied while turning around. He was greeted by the sight of few members of the ZPD SWAT team, along with several other officers. The one who slapped him was Wolford, now in full tactical gear with a big S.W.A.T. sign on his vest. The wolf gave Nick a wide grin. He already got used to the nickname invented by the fox, though at first, he was a bit annoyed with it.
Nick came up with it as soon as he learned that the canine was a member of the SWAT team. He argued that the name was wrong as he never before saw such a cute bunch of kids and that Wolford should be called 'SWEET Pup' instead. The fox was a bit excused by the fact that the wolf was the youngest member of the team at 24 years of age. Also, the other factor was seeing Wolford earlier in a cake shop, the canine devouring a rather large serving of ice cream. Almost the entirety of Precinct One knew that the wolf had a serious case of a sweet fang, which was hard to believe at first, as he had a lean and muscular body. The reasons for that were rigorous physical requirements for an officer to be a member of SWAT and the more important one was his girlfriend.
Alicia Lees was the ZPD's spokesmammal and communicated with the media regarding most of the cases conducted by Precinct One, with only a few minor exceptions when Chief Bogo would instead be involved. She was a career driven 22-year-old she-wolf with perfectly groomed, brown fur and piercing amber eyes. Her slim frame was the target of longing stares of all the male wolf officers in the ZPD, an effect earned by many hours spent in the Precinct's gym, as Alicia was training almost as hard as SWAT members to keep herself fit. She had also made it clear at the beginning of her time in the ZPD that she found unfit mammals completely unattractive.
Adding her sharp intellect and conversational skills that outclassed any reporter, she was a complete package. Delgato and McHorn occasionally teased their wolf friend about how surreal their relationship looked. The lion suggested that maybe Wolford was blackmailing her, while the rhino voted for the scenario that she dated the wolf out of pity.
All in good humor, of course.
Therefore, Wolford trained like crazy and was probably the only officer to spend more time in the gym than Judy Hopps, a feat that was impressive by itself. Alicia was also responsible for Wolford accepting the new nickname. It was info provided by Clawhauser, as he has seen the couple passing by the reception one day, the wolf complaining about Nick's idea.
"I mean, I'm an adult wolf! 'Pup' is a derogatory term!" he complained with a grumpy expression and paws in the pockets of his navy pants. "And I know that I like sweet things, but-"
"You're overthinking this," Alicia said in a calm manner while her eyes scanned the file of the case she was going to comment on during that afternoon's press conference. Her attire consisted of a neatly pressed, blue jacket with ZPD emblems on both shoulders, along with an identically colored knee-long skirt.
"But-"
She took a quick step forward and turned around to stand right in front of him. "I don't mind it, as long as you're my 'sweet pup'," she accentuated her words with a quick kiss to the wolf's nose. "Alright?"
Alicia gave him a mischievous look and headed towards the elevators. The female wolf sauntered away, giving her hips an additional swivel, that caused a nearby wolf officer to walk into a wall due to his staring.
According to Clawhauser, Wolford just stood there, paralyzed, for good two minutes with his mouth agape.
After that, he never minded being called SWEET Pup again.
And now he was grinning down on the uniformed fox. Behind him stood McHorn, Delgato and Snarlov, all geared up as well. The group shared the wolf's cheerful attitude, which was visible on their smiling faces. Nick had to hand it to the bigger mammals, they were decent guys, apparently not bothered by the fact that he's a fox. It was a strange experience for Nick, as wherever he went, mammals used to give him suspicious and cautious stares, sometimes even adding some distance between them on a sidewalk. When he joined the ZPD, he received similar, distrusting stares, but after his first week off duty with Judy things had drastically changed. He was truly surprised by the sudden turn, but the doe explained to him that this was a standard practice for all fresh recruits. A newcomer to the family, which the officers always consider themselves, would be carefully watched and evaluated. After he or she would prove that they're not a nuisance, but a real addition to the force, they would become a real member of the family and worth of complete trust as a fellow officer. Due to that attitude, all police officers were a pretty close knit bunch and would always have your back, whether it was out in the streets against perps or in the office, facing Bogo.
Of course with the exception of making silly jokes.
Nick got the same treatment and after a bit of a cold first week, he was welcomed in the precinct with a smile and friendly waves, like any other officer. Well, except for Clawhauser, who smiled to pretty much everyone. His achievements in the first week earned him additional points. He learned later, that after they stopped the small gang that lured mammals into alleyways to rob them, using the bloody shirt bait, Delgato and Snarlov had to pick up Wolford from the floor where he was practically rolling with laughter.
Since then, nothing stopped them from interacting and joking with Nick at every possible opportunity.
"You get to save the hostages with Hopps, no one's injured and manage to piss off Chief at the same time, bravo!" the lion sniggered.
Nick's mouth formed a grin as he looked up at them. "Gee, thanks guys. Next time I'll let you all have the chance to get some of chief's love."
The bigger officers surrounding the fox burst out with laughter.
"Nah, I'm good," Snarlov waved his paw.
"Oh yeah? Maybe that's because you already had an earful from Bogo for showing in the bullpen with a coffee coloured tie!" the wolf pointed an accusatory finger at him.
"Hey, not my fault that McHorn's coffee mug is barrel sized!"
"Wait, what were you doing with his mug?" Nick chimed in, actually interested.
The rhino in question wrapped his arm around the bear's neck and gave him a noogie. "I tried to drown him in it!" he laughed when Snarlov struggled in the rhino's grasp.
"Hey, timeout, timeout!" the bear tapped his friend on the arm.
Nick looked at them with a raised brow and an amused expression. "So this is what they call a bromance, huh?"
"Stuff it, Wilde!" the bear snapped back with a shadow of a smile, while Wolford and Delgato roared with laughter
The fox just shrugged. "Aww, didn't know you wanted to keep it a secret, my bad. I'll leave you to your cuddling then. See ya!" he waved a paw at the group and once again headed for his cruiser.
"Don't be a stranger!" the wolf called out after him in a cheerful voice.
Nick waved his paw above his head and walked on.
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The fox finally managed to get to their vehicle and climb up to the seat, slamming the door behind him. His partner would be here soon, so he had no time to waste. Nick pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number.
After a few seconds a sleepy voice answered the call. "Yeeaaah?" a female said through a yawn.
"Rise and shine, night freak. I need information," he said hastily.
"Guh… can't it wait? I just pulled off an all-nighteeeeer," she yawned again.
"It can't!" Nick almost barked into the phone, "I need everything you can find on a guy named William Twicks, if that's even his real name."
The tone of voice he used caused the mammal on the other end of the conversation to click her tongue. "Whoa, fired up, aren't ya'? Alright, alriiight…" the female let out a sigh. "Just give me some time, kay? Plus a little extra to make my brain runnin' again…"
The fox cast a glance at the bank entrance, where Judy stood, her paws finally free and a brown furred arm wrapped around her waist. William was right beside her, leading her to paramedics for a check-up. Nick's paw clenched into a fist.
"Yo! You there, Wilde?"
"Yeah…" the fox muttered to the phone. "Tell me, any update on the three from the alley?" he directed the conversation to a different direction. Earlier, he tasked his informant with monitoring the state of three thugs he beat up after switching to a savage fox.
"Nah, still unconscious, all of 'em. Their condition is stable, though. Cripes, after going blue you really learned how to throw a punch, eh?"
Nick ignored her comment. "What about the goat?"
A yawn. "Released."
Nick's eyes widened in surprise. "How? Wasn't he hospitalized?"
"Dunno', Nick. The blues questioned him aaaaand," she yawned again. "Sorry, shortly after he left against medical advice."
The fox bit on his thumb. "Alright, thanks for the info," he ended the call and put the cellphone into his pocket while taking out a different item. *Carrots will be here shortly, so I need to prepare.* As he did so, in his head Nick went over the things he heard from Honey. He was relieved to hear that those three weren't in a life-threatening condition. After all, he barely remembered what happened during his savage outburst and it worried him in two ways. One, that meant he was totally out of control whenever the savagery took over and that was really bad. Two, he had chunks of his memory missing and he didn't like that any more than reason one. He has grown accustomed to the fact that everything was stored in his mind, regardless of whether he wanted it or not. Having blank pages in his memory was greatly disturbing to the fox.
The other thing was dealing with Basker. That old bastard was roaming the streets again and now he had knowledge about Nick's wild behavior. However, Nick was rather calm about this. Given the character of the goat, he won't go straight to the police and spill everything...no. He would think of an opportunity to use this as a bargaining chip at one point or another. Therefore, the fox decided to wait for the goat to make his move and then he could respond appropriately.
For now, he had a far more serious issue at the moment.
One called William Twicks.
Nick's paws twitched at the mere thought of that name. He could feel his heartbeat increasing and blood pumping faster through his veins. Fangs were itching to bite.
He is a liar!
He lied to her!
He will hurt her!
Then another thought entered his mind.
Kill him.
Nick's eyes grew wide open and he shook his head frantically. *No! Nothing of that sort!* He slapped his forehead with an open palm. A bundle of images from the distant past tried to flood his mind. Blueprints of buildings, personnel files, medical charts... *Stop thinking like this! Good fox, remember? She said you're a good fox!* Nick slumped in his seat, burdened with the serum's mental effects and his undisclosed longing for Judy.
And said object of his longing just waved goodbye to the medics and had started heading for their cruiser.
Nick closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. His fingers squeezed the item in his paw. He would only get one shot at this, if he screws up, then she'll learn about everything. Everything was riding on his acting skill and her ability to link facts and looking through his lies.
*Alea iacta est. Eh, buddy? Give it your best shot.* The fox encouraged himself. He only wished that he could sound more convincing to his mind. But even more he wished that he wouldn't have to fool her in the first place. A lie has never weighed so much on his conscience than it had at that moment.
There was a click on the driver's side and the door swung open. A second later a grey bunny in uniform hopped onto the seat. She slammed the door close and gave him a smile.
"Hey, partner!" she chirped enthusiastically.
"Hey," he replied, already not liking how the doe sounded.
"We caught the bad guy and nobody got hurt, I call it a success!" she went on in the exact same voice.
"Well, the raccoon will probably have a bruise, but apart from that… you're 100% right," he tried to joke, but wasn't fully into it.
"Yup. So," she beamed at him, a friendly smile that loved the whole world not leaving her face. "Now you're going to tell me everything."
Nick groaned internally at the sight of her cheerful face. He was aware that under this happy exterior lay a ferocious bunny that would sprawl him over the ground if he wouldn't play along. She reminded him of an unsprung trap, just waiting for a foolish misstep on his part. A trap with bunny ears, fluffy tail and cute…
Stop.
"Okay," he put on a grin. "When I was six, I met this girl at a playground and-"
"Niick," she sang with the tiniest suggestion of a warning in it.
"Well, you have to give me a hint, Carrots. How else would I know what you would like to hear?" the fox leaned slightly to her, his trademark smirk present on his face.
Her answer was a paw shooting forward and snatching the sunglasses from his muzzle. She saw a pair of normal, round pupils staring back at her.
"Looking for a savage, Fluff?" he chuckled. "Well, here he is," he produced a small, figure eight-shaped container. "It's called contact lenses, sweetheart."
It was easy to say it, but this was Judy Hopps, so mere words wouldn't convince her.
She slightly narrowed her eyes and moved her gaze from the container to him. "Show me."
Nick nodded and opened one of the lids, presenting one of the mentioned lenses, floating in transparent liquid.
"Great stuff for Halloween, but I'd imagine that they could pull them off the market after the Missing Mammals case," he closed to container.
Her smile returned. "Why are you lying to me Nick?" she said with a dangerously happy voice.
"Moi?" he managed to reply without flinching. "You hurt my feelings, Fluff."
She slightly shook her head, not taking her eyes off him. "When you growled at that raccoon, the feeling I had then, it reminded me of something. Do you know what?"
Nick shrugged. "Enlighten me, Carrots."
"That time at the Natural History museum," she stated. "When we hustled Bellweather."
"Really?"
She nodded. "Today, you were giving off a vibe very similar to the one from back then."
The fox placed a paw on his chest. "Why thank you! I did my best to be as convincing as possible."
Judy continued, brushing off his comment. "But after a moment of thought I realized that it felt more like something else we've encountered."
He raised a brow. "Which is?"
Judy's glare shot straight through him. "Manchas."
Nick cursed in his mind. He hoped that she wouldn't compare these two events.
"He was turned into a savage and really tried to kill us. It was frightening, Nick. We could've died then...and…" her gaze dropped down a bit. "I felt that same fear today as well…"
Nick felt as if his heart was suddenly dipped in a pool of freezing cold water.
Scared.
She was afraid of him. The only girl in the world who could see past his mask, the one he loved so much that it ached…she was afraid. All the plans he had for this conversation, all schemes and possible excuses, all of it crumbled into ruin. Right now he wanted to hug her, he wanted to hold this beautiful bunny in his arms and assure her that everything is alright, that he would never hurt her…
And yet he couldn't. The fear of a possibility that she would flinch away from his touch turned him into a motionless statue. Just thinking about a second female walking away from him was almost enough to make his weathered heart crack. He knew that it was borderline irrational to be controlled by fear to this extent, but…what would happen to him if he lost her?
…could have died…
His lips moved automatically, before he could even form any strategy for what he should say. "Judy I… I was angry…" he muttered, staring straight ahead through the windshield of their car. "Very angry…" his heart thumped like crazy in his chest.
"Nick?" Judy asked quietly, greatly surprised by her partner's voice. It was the one he used when his heart opened up like on the sky tram's long ago and yet, it sounded softer than ever before. That and the fact that he said her first name.
He never used her first name.
"He held you as a hostage, he pointed a gun at you…" Nick wasn't fully aware of this, but his paw, which was resting on the seat next to him, clenched its fingers, dragging claws over the material. "He pointed a gun at you…" he repeated.
Judy realized that her partner was in a strange state. His words were raw, untouched by his slick mind, but filled purely with emotion. And was that…his heartbeat? Rabbits possessed a very keen sense of hearing, which could be somewhat impaired by loud background noise, but in this enclosed, quiet space…
She could hear the faint sound of his heart beating madly in his chest.
"You're my partner Carrots, my friend, my best friend..." his voice faltered for a moment. "I joined the ZPD to help you, to be there if you needed help, to protect you…" another pause. "What's the point if I can't do that?!" his paws clenched tighter and Judy heard the tearing sound of the material under his claws. "I was so angry…" he whispered.
And he was so lost in thought that he almost jerked back when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Nick snapped his head towards Judy to see her paw, reaching for his cheek. Her ears were drooping miserably and she had a very concerned expression on her face.
"Nick…" she said softly.
Only then he realized that the fur under his eyes was getting damp. Like in a haze, Nick slowly raised his paw and touch his cheek.
Wet…
The fox retracted his paw and stared at his fingers. "I'm… crying?" he asked no one in particular. Nick let out a strained gasp and slumped in his seat, arms covering his face. "Fluff… what did you do to me?" the words that left his mouth were no more than a whisper.
The doe didn't reply. Instead, she moved her paw towards his shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" he barked suddenly, causing Judy to jump in her seat and pulling back her arm. "Please…." his voice softened significantly. "…just don't…"
"Nick," Judy slowly shook her head, her paw now resting on her chest, right over her heart. "What's happening to you? Is this about what we talked at Joey's? There is something more going on, I know it. Please….tell me what is happening to you."
The fox went through his thoughts with blinding speed. To his shock, they didn't make any sense! It was a jumbled mess of emotions, things he wanted to say to her, things he was reluctant to tell. The hope and fear, the anger and sadness. Separately, all of those items were perfectly clear, but brought together it seemed too much to process. *What is wrong with me?!* he yelled in panic internally.
"I… I don't know," and that was the truth, because he really didn't. "Maybe… maybe it's my medication," he wondered out loud. "I had to double the dosage due to my condition..."
While his mouth talked, his brain figuratively grabbed itself with both paws. *What the hell am I saying?!*
"You're talking about the season?" Judy inquired in a cautious manner.
He nodded, his head spinning. "It never felt like this. It was never this strong. I… I always had control over it," he continued talking. To his surprise, it was relatively easy to say it. Nothing seemed to hold his thoughts back, even though his mind was a mess at the moment. And then it hit him.
It was easy because he didn't stop the words to process them first. He was speaking directly from his heart.
"I was angry… angry and scared," he returned to the topic of the bank, feeling that he had to share it with her. "Angry at the raccoon for threatening you and scared that you would get hurt," he took a deep breath trying to regain control of his mouth. "I thought that the best course of action would be to frighten him and focus his attention at me. Hence the contact lenses and scary expression," his shoulders sagged. "I am sorry for scaring you…"
With a sigh, the fox opened the container again. He fished out one lens with his fingers and carefully placed it on his eye. He blinked several times, to allow the lens to adjust itself properly. Nick then turned his head to look at Judy and showed her a sad, apologetic smile. One of his eyes had a vertical pupil and looked exactly like the eye of a savage fox. After all Nick paid good money for it to be made as realistic as possible.
"Here's your savage, Fluff…"
Judy stared at the contact lens, her nose twitching slightly. "That's…" she shook her head. "Nick, back there," the doe pointed at the building of the bank, "I really thought that you would attack us. Where did that come from? You looked terrifying! You looked as if you went savage! It felt like you were savage!" she insisted on that.
"No, I did not go savage," he replied calmly. "I wanted to act as convincing as possible and like I said, I was very angry at him. That helped a lot. I don't think that I'd be able to pull off something like that without such an emotional boost," he stared directly into her eyes. "And I want you to remember something, Carrots. No matter what, I would NEVER hurt you, alright? Under NO circumstances. You can be sure of that," he stated with all seriousness.
This statement caused a tiny part of her mind to kick the majority of the brain, as if trying to point out something. She couldn't put her finger on it, so instead she shook her head with a small smile. "I know that, Nick. That's not the point. My body was afraid of you. It felt like some biological, deep rooted feeling that I should be afraid of predators."
He hung his head, his ears now low behind his head. "I am so sorry, Fluff…I just wanted to help you…" he mumbled and wiped his eyes with his forearm. "I'm sorry."
A curtain of silence fell on them. With a miserable fox staring at his own hindpaws and a tense bunny with a twitching nose.
"It can't go on like this, Nick," Judy spoke after a minute or two. "We can't be partners if things stay this way."
The fox flinched and his shoulders sank even lower. *Is this it? Did I screw up one time too many?*
"While I understand that you have it difficult, due to your personal circumstances, I need to draw a line," the doe stated with firmness.
The fox's ears twitched slightly.
"You didn't tell me about the side effects of your medication. You've been hiding things from me, instead of talking with me to resolve problems that you had," she counted off his blunders, making the poor fox look even more miserable. "I can tell that even know something else is bothering you but you won't even let me in to help you."
And the bunny wasn't finished yet. "It bothers me to such a degree, because I know that you can do better, Nick," Judy reached out to place her paw on his arm. This time he didn't move away and accepted the soft touch, internally relishing the feeling. "You have great qualities, so please don't blame me when I say all this, because I can't just step aside and see my friend letting them go to waste due to bad decisions."
Nick bit his lip and nodded silently at her words.
"Alright," a faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Let's make this right, partner. Work with me and we'll get you through this, ok?" her soft voice did wonders for his strained nerves.
Another nod. Nick didn't trust his tongue enough yet to speak.
"Good, then for starters, tomorrow please report to Bogo about your meds and how they affect you."
The fox raised his head. "But-"
She raised a paw to stop his answer. "Yes, he'll most likely be angry, but he has every right to be. He may even suspend you, but that's how it works, Nick, even if I hate the idea of not working with you as my partner. Even if it would be for only a day, a week, or even the entire season."
His face was burdened with doubt. "If I'm suspended, who's going to be your partner?" he didn't even try to hide his distaste for the idea.
Judy folded her arms while raising her brow. "Does it mean that much to you?"
The fox realized how his earlier words must have sounded and he turned his gaze away. "You know the answer to that, Fluff…" he mumbled with embarrassment.
His reaction and words made her smile. "And you mean a lot to me, that's why I want to help you."
The words she said had reached his ears, which shot right up, but his mind was aware of only one part.
...you mean a lot to me…
Something in his mind clicked. It wasn't a brilliant revelation, or a mind blowing, mental discovery. It felt as if someone simply flipped a switch somewhere in the deep recesses of his brain. A constant no instantaneously changed into yes.
"Judy…" he began with a slightly hoarse voice and a bit glazed eyes.
The bunny's ears twitched.
His gaze was fixed on the dashboard. "For… for the past months I thought that this is something I can deal with on my own…"
Hearing this, the doe's ears slowly straightened up to full alert and her eyes locked on her partner's expression.
"But now I know that I was wrong," he let out a strained sigh and suddenly winced when sharp pain spiked in his head. "I tried, but it's seems to be too much to… handle… for me…" his voice wavered when he noticed a slight blur in his vision. The fox shook his head, trying to clear up his vision. "I was reluctant to tell you…" the blurring increased. "Because I thought that you… you would…" he grabbed his head with one paw when another explosion of pain had him squeeze his eyes shut.
Judy said something, but he could not make out the words through the veil of suffering. Nick knew what was happening. His mind decided to tell her the truth, but his body was fighting back. He felt her paw gripping his own and he managed to open one eye and turn his head to the doe. Nick could barely see her with the blurriness that attacked his vision, Judy now being just a smudge of grey and blue.
Still, he pressed on, doing his best to break through his emotional shell from the inside, his fear of her reaction temporarily forgotten. The years of holding everything inside trained his own body to automatically block any honest words to come out of his mouth and now this mechanism was working with full force against its creator.
"J-Judy…" he mumbled, the rapidly growing pain and dizziness making it hard for him to speak. "I-I…" stammering, he released the grip on his own head and tried to reach out to the Judy-shaped blur with a trembling paw. She caught it with both of her own and said something again, this time louder. Was it his name? At that point nausea joined the other symptoms, another factor that tried to force him from talking. He turned his body towards her, though almost fell to the side when another sharp pain pierced his mind. This time it was strong enough for him to whimper, which caused Judy to say new words, but he couldn't understand anything. *Ah… Judy… my love… if I could only…* With strength born from desperation, Nick hauled himself to his knees and managed to seek out her paws with the other one of his own, though the extreme migraine left him almost blinded.
"I-I am… sorry," he stammered, his tongue refusing to let him speak freely. "J-Judy… I… I'm a…"
Savage.
That last word failed to leave his mouth when his vision finally blackened completely, plunging the fox into cold darkness. His unconscious body toppled forward and with a small twist of his torso, Nick fell down onto Judy's lap.
"NICK!" the doe let out a shrill yelp at the sight of her collapsed partner. His head landed on his side, muzzle towards her, right on her thighs. "Nick!" she yelled again, her small paws embracing the fox's head. "What's wrong?! Talk to me!" she patted his cheek several times in a frantic gesture.
He wasn't moving or responding.
Judy struggled to take control over the panic she felt building up since her best friend started to act weird. He didn't respond to her words and looked as if he was in great pain. Then he starts swaying and stuttering her name. Her name. He never used it before in her presence and now he did it repeatedly before falling down on her. And he was heavy! she thought with a groan. Heavier than she would have imagine a fox would or should weigh. With him laying on her legs she was stuck, unable to move from under him. A sudden thought entered her mind, suggesting that it could be connected to his reaction to confessing very personal things. She has seen this before, when he tried to tell her about himself and suffered severe physical reactions such as migraines and worse. What he told her then was already something very sensitive. She looked at his face.
How intimate was what he was trying to say just now that it made him faint?
Remembering her training about first aid, she decided to check his breathing. She put her palm next to his mouth and relaxed considerably when a faint breeze of air brushed her fur. From what she could recall, it was considered best if an unconscious mammal would be laying on its back. Therefore, the bunny did her best to roll the heavy vulpine, but in doing so, she almost rolled him off her legs and onto the car's floor. With a short gasp, shutting her eyes, she quickly grabbed his arm and pulled back with all her strength, arching her back and hauling Nick once again to her thighs. The doe breathed with relief and leaned slightly forward.
When her eyes opened again they needed only a fraction of a second to snap wide open. Her mouth was only an inch away from his muzzle and his slightly parted lips. It was weird, as she was slightly embarrassed by it. And then she felt her cheeks heating up when she realized her embarrassment. What was there to be embarrassed about?! They were friends, best of friends, so there was no point of being flustered by such closeness.
Besides, there was that time at the beginning of their work when after one of their shifts she pulled a prank on him at the precinct. It turned into a wild chase through the corridors, which ended in the females' locker room. Nick jumped after her without a second thought and the awkwardness was much higher then, than it was now. Especially, when they heard voices and Judy, without any deeper thought, pulled them both into her locker to hide. As it turned out, it was much smaller from the inside than it seemed from the outside. Which was a given when she was stuck in it with her partner until the coast was clear. So, yeah, there was no shame in a bit of closeness now and then...
Right?
Then why she could feel her heartbeat increasing and why was she tracing the line of his muzzle with her finger?! Judy blinked and quickly jerked her arm back. This was wrong on so many levels, she had to focus on first aid, not some random thoughts. Slapping her cheeks with both paws, Judy returned with her mind to the first aid treatment basis. As she recalled, in case of fainting, it was recommended to loosen any ties, collars... belts…
The red color came right back to her cheeks and she had to slap herself even harder to rid her mind of the image of the fox's belt. Instead, she fixed her eyes on his neck and tie. Deciding to have it done as quickly as possible, her fingers swiftly untied the black strip of material and undid the second button of Nick's shirt - he never buttoned up the top one - to allow him to breathe easier. She sighed with relief when she registered that his chest was steadily moving up and down. However, Judy froze when she noticed that her fingers were already on the third button of his shirt. Paralyzed with shock, the doe blinked. Then she blinked again, just in case she was imagining things, but yet her paw was still there, ready to undo the button. And her eyes grew wider when the bunny realized that she couldn't move her arm away.
Why am I doing this?! Why my own paw won't listen to me?!
Her mind screamed those questions, but failed to supply any answer. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the fact that her owner seemed to be very preoccupied with something, Judy's paw moved a bit and the next button became undone, revealing a bit more of the cream fur beneath the shirt, right down to the lower part of his sternum.
The doe's eyes were dragged to it almost as if by a magnet. And the sight reminded her of a certain event many months ago. That time in the alley, when Nick took off his shirt and held her to his chest. Back then she was too shocked to pay attention, but now she recalled that his fur felt… different. In her life she only had a chance to get this close with her siblings - bunnies. The feeling from her childhood memories from all the hugs and snuggling with her sisters was something uncomparable with what the fox's fur felt like. It was silky and fluffy in touch, quite thick due to the winter season and surprisingly… pleasant. It was like a comfortable, furry mattress that you would love to lay on after a tiring day just to enjoy the warmth.
Warmth…
Once again in this short period of time Judy blinked at the sight before her. She discovered that her paw had taken advantage of her tangled mind and was currently rubbing the exposed cream fur of Nick's chest in a slow, up and down motion.
There was a second when everything froze. From her arm to her very thoughts.
It lasted only a moment before she blinked back into time and reality. She moved in a blur, yanking her paw from her partner's chest with the use of her other paw. The doe's heartbeat spiked, nose beginning to twitch furiously and she had to force herself to keep her breathing under control, let alone begin to calm down. What she just did was something completely shocking to the young bunny. Never before had she imagined such a situation, when her mind was occupied with the thoughts that she just started looking at her partner not just as a friend and partner, but as a male, and apparently by her actions, an attractive male. However, right after this observation formed in her mind, the little, persistent voice in the back of her head cackled with a great dose of sarcasm.
Just? Liar. You had those thoughts looong before today.
This made her shoulders sag a bit. Did she? Judy let out a guilt-heavy sigh when she recalled those embarrassing moments of her time together with Nick. When she lost the family tree bet and thought that he was going to kiss her, or the time when she saw Jackie kissing Nick and wondered how it would feel to taste his lips.
Judy shook her head frantically. It was so wrong to think like that! This was just curiosity, pure curiosity about uncharted lands! A bunny finding a fox attractive could be considered an abomination by society. Even being a properly raised doe, Judy has heard about interspecies relationships in Zootopia and had managed to see one or two, including her always bickering neighbors. Still, it was all about pred-pred or prey-prey couples and that already was very rare. A pred-prey combination was unheard of.
Then why…
Very slowly, as if scared what this move would imply, Judy raised her left paw and placed it on the unconscious fox's head. From there she gently ran her fingers through the red fur down to the base of his ears.
Why was it so mesmerizing to look at him at times?
He looks so calm...and peaceful….
So vulnerable...
The doe sighed and closed her eyes to shake her head. She removed her paw from Nick's head to rub her forehead so she could clear her thoughts. After calming down a bit, she realized the most likely reason to it, - uniqueness, the sense of forbidden fruit. She was always the bunny that pushed the boundaries, that defied the odds and broke the stereotypes. Faced with something no one has ever done or ever been, Judy felt that drive to prove that all of it is possible. What she felt right now was surely the effect of the nature of her character. Just an unusual attraction, not genuine feelings. That had to be it.
Judy looked down on the slowly breathing fox.
To counter her logical assumption, a tiny spark ignited in her heart, daring to whisper the boldest of questions.
But what if…
Nick let out a quiet groan.
Judy's entire body flinched, tensing from the sudden sound from the fox. Looking down, she noticed how he winced slightly and tried opening his eyes.
*Wha… what happened?* Nick felt dazed and confused after his mind jumpstarted his consciousness again. As seconds passed he began noticing more details about his surroundings. Under his head, a strange softness combined with something harder beneath it. A familiar scent that pleasantly enveloped his nostrils as well as a soothing quiet that permeated wherever he was. The fox managed to lift his heavy eyelids to gather some visual information about his current situation. The first thing he saw was a face covered with grey fur and wearing a nervous smile.
"Oh… hey Carrots…" he muttered and relaxed, closing his eyes once more. His slowly awakening mind was putting together the information from his senses piece by piece, until the picture became clear enough for the fox.
Nick's eyes snapped open to stare at Judy with horror. This reaction was immediately followed by flexing his back and stomach muscles to haul him up right. However, that was stopped by the bunny's paw when she placed it on his forehead and pushed him down, hard. Surprised and embarrassed, he ended up on her lap again.
"S-stay down, you dumb fox!" she scolded him, although her slight hesitation at the beginning chipped away a bit of the authority from her statement. "You fainted, you need to take it slow, alright?"
"B-but I-" he tried to argue, yet was silenced by her intense glare. Nick yielded, though couldn't help but notice the small blush on her cheeks. Seeing this, the fox swallowed hard.
"Carrots…" he said in a hoarse and nervous voice. "Did… did I do or say anything weird?" he couldn't remember what exactly happened, but tried to calm himself by arguing internally that she still had her clothes intact, which meant that he didn't go savage.
*Probably…*
"If fainting in the middle of a conversation could be considered less than normal, then yeah, you did."
Part of him felt relieved, even if the rest of the fox remained tense. "Uh... fainted?" his memory regarding the moment he passed out still remained blurry.
Judy nodded, her face now calm and serious. "Yes. You started saying that you're 'something' and went out like a candle, right on my legs."
Silence followed her answer and during that wordless moment, Nick slowly rose from Judy's lap, sat right up and moved back to his seat. All in complete silence.
"Sorry for using you as a pillow…" he mumbled eventually, avoiding looking at her.
Judy nodded as a sign of accepting his words. "No problem, just try not to scare me like this again, okay?"
Nick rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed gesture. "Uh...right...sorry…" he hung his head while saying those words and this caused him to notice the state of his shirt. "Fluff? Why is my tie gone? And what happened to my shirt?" the questions were rather rhetorical, but he needed to speak them out loud to get them off his mind.
The first response he got was in the form of a subtle change in her scent. The usually sweet and soft aroma shifted into a blurred, nervous one. His ears twitched ever so slightly and he sneaked a quick peek at the doe from the corner of his eye.
"The… the basic first aid for someone unconscious is to let them breathe more easily, so I loosened the buttons," she muttered an explanation, but it wasn't enough for him.
Nick never bothered with the top button of his shirt, as he joked that he didn't like being choked by something. Hence, when Judy undid two more buttons, quite a bit of his chest became exposed.
*Did she…*
The fox showed her a practiced smirk. "Carrots, if you wanted to see me naked that much, all you had to do was ask," he teased her and paid close attention to her reaction to these words.
And react she did. Her ears shot right up and entire body tensed like a string. The nervousness in her scent almost drowned the cruiser's cabin. "No, I don't!" she yelled at him, blush shamelessly decorating her cheeks. "I just wanted to make it easier for you to breathe! Your shirt looked rather tight...so… I..." her voice trailed off as her ears gradually fell behind her head. That was due to her realization of what she just blurted out. She saw the fox on an everyday basis and stopped paying attention to how his body, so well toned after the training at the academy, filled up his blue shirt. She had no idea why this explanation was the first that came out of her mouth.
"Tight?" he repeated innocently, curiously eyeing the doe.
"Sh-shut up!" she snapped at him. "Stop embarrassing me!" Judy pulled her ears over her face to hide herself from the world and especially from Nick. "I panicked! You fainted and you know how bad I am with bare fur!"
Nick's face lost its smug expression and his ears lowered a bit in shame. He was so curious what was she thinking to do what she did, that he forgot the simplest explanation possible.
She just wanted to help.
He let out a guilt heavy sigh, berating himself for overthinking things. "Sorry, Fluff," he apologized with a soft voice. "My bad… And thank you," the fox buttoned up the shirt.
"You're welcome," she mumbled from behind her grey shield.
Nick took his tie from her and put it on properly, at least by his standards. He still felt a bit weak and the haunting migraine wasn't entirely gone. Like a persistent parasite that only waited for him to lower his defences. And with the passing of that emotional moment, gone was his courage to tell Judy the truth…
Still, this situation helped him realize that he had reached a breaking point. This was it, he couldn't put it off any longer. His mother was right to give him a deadline, to force him to come clean with his problem. Judy deserved to know the truth.
And he wasn't going to deny that anymore.
"Carrots…" the seriousness in his voice caused Judy to finally lift her ears and look at him. "I'm sorry, you are right… There is something wrong with me," his migraine intensified for a moment, like a warning sign. "and it's more than just side effects from pills," he said while staring down at his paws. "I wish I could tell you right now, but it seems I can't…"
It was obvious for Judy that he referred to the fact that he just fainted. Now he looked up to her with an apologetic smile. "Three days…" he said softly. "Can you give me that long? Three days and I will be ready to tell you what's affecting me."
She heard sincerity in his voice and could also see the pleading in his emerald eyes. She could feel that he truly wanted to open up to her. The doe then noticed one more thing - his paws were slightly trembling.
Oh Nick…
Judy reached with one paw and placed it on his wrist. "Okay, Nick. Three days."
Seeing her smile, the fox's face brightened a bit. "Thank you."
He would have enough time to brace himself for this and also talk to his mother and Miss Shavala.
Yes, three days will be enough.
.
.
Their return to the precinct was a quiet one, as none of them felt that anything else needs to be said at this point. They both understood.
The rest of the day was spent on pure formalities regarding the hostage situation at the bank. Judy was ordered to go for a full check up in the medical office, while Nick was stuck writing a report. He hated writing reports and it always took him longer to do it than his partner, although this time he was grateful for having something to busy himself with. The fox still wasn't done when Judy joined him and Nick had another opportunity to watch how quick she was in filling up the papers. Even with the big advantage he had, Nick barely finished first.
"Don't tell me you actually enjoy writing these things!" he lamented, seeing how fast she did her part when he had to slave through his.
"No, but the faster I'm done the more time I have to do other things, Mr. Slowpoke," she stuck out her tongue at him.
"Har, har…" he muttered, sliding off his chair. "Anyway, our shift is over I could really use some rest."
Judy's ears fell behind her head in concern. "Would you like me to walk you home?" she hopped off her own seat and walked up to him.
Nick chuckled. "Mom, I'm an adult and can get home on my own."
"Well, after today I'm a bit worried about my little kid," she quipped back, but Nick noticed a not-so-playful edge in her voice.
The fox leaned down to her, supporting his paws on his knees. "Uh-huh, you just want to know where I live," he gave her his trademark smirk and a look from half-lidded eyes. He never told her where his home was and surely wasn't going to do that now. One of the things he learned through his life was that you needed a place, even a tiny one, where you can hide or rest from the world.
He definitely wasn't going to disclose the location to Judy, he wasn't that mad. If she'd come down to pay him a surprise, friendly visit, it would be all over.
She put on a pout and glared at him. "No fair! You know where I live!"
"I do, but I discovered that on my own, Fluff."
"So what? You're saying that I should spy on you when you go back home?"
"Well, that would mean that I would have a stalker to report," he allowed himself a chuckle. However, Judy did not share his good mood. Instead, her ears fell down miserably and she looked at Nick with concern.
"Why, Nick? Would it be so bad for me to know where you live? I don't even need to look inside! It just would be better if I'd know in case of an emergency."
Nick cursed internally. *Fluff, if you would come, then there'd definitely be an emergency.*
He let out a sigh. "Two things, Carrots. One, my life has practically hammered into me a lesson about having a place where you can hide from the world. Two, did you think this through? A fox inviting a doe into his den? Shame on you, officer!" he shook his head theatrically. "What would your mother think about this?!"
She socked him on the arm with a playful smile. "Don't you worry about my mom! She knows full well what kind of a fox you are!"
"Oh really? Do tell," he stated, grinning at her with half lidded eyes.
"A blueberry addict with great respect towards females and would never do anything to shame them. However, even if anything of this sort would happen with me, she told me that if it's you then she's okay with it."
Nick's eyes snapped wide open so fast that his eyelids almost made a cracking sound. He got shot with a tranquilizer dart before in his life, but it's paralyzing effect was nothing, compared to how he felt right now. While his muscles managed to lock the jaw in place, not allowing it to drop down, his mind turned into a battlefield between reason and serum driven lust for the bunny. What was the worst, his lustful side was armed with images and ideas about where this could lead them, strongly suggesting that a bedroom would be a nice destination.
It all lasted for a mere second, before Judy wrapped her paws around her stomach and burst with laughter. "Got you, Slick!
Seeing this, Nick's lungs began working again, along with his strained heart. Mentally, he slapped himself for falling for this kind of thing. This doe was seriously bad for his health.
"Veery funny, Miss 'I'm bad with bare fur'," he muttered. It was a miracle that he managed to speak normally like this after her words. Nick felt mentally drained and decided that it was high time to leave towards home.
"I gotta go," he turned towards the door. "See ya."
Then he felt a paw grabbing his elbow. "Wait! I'm sorry if that bothered you," she walked up to his side. "What happened to 'don't let them see that they get to you'? You used to laugh at this kind of jokes…" Judy asked him with an apologetic smile.
He let out a tired sigh. "I did and I still do, but I'm rather drained after this day and I really need to rest, Fluff. Sorry for being grumpy…"
Judy let go of his arm, albeit hesitantly. Still, she couldn't argue with that. Few things happened and she saw with her own eyes how exhausting their cruiser conversation was to the fox. "Okay… sorry…"
A small smile appeared on his face and he gently pet her head. "See you tomorrow."
Judy watched him go and disappear in the corridor. She deflated, letting out a heavy sigh. The doe really hoped that after their talk maybe her partner would be at least a bit more open about himself, but apparently he still was-
Her phone let out a sound of a text message.
She pulled it out of her pocket, her face still slightly depressed over her talk with Nick. The doe tapped the screen a few times and read the message. Her face immediately regained her usual cheerful light and she wanted to jump from joy. Judy once more looked towards the door.
"Dumb fox," she chuckled and then read the message again.
Bush Ave. 31, basement.
Do me a favor and call before dropping by.
N.
.
.
The morning of the next day was no different for Nick from the previous one. Once again during the night he was visited by a hellish nightmare about him and Judy, so on his way to the precinct he applied himself a heavy dose of early caffeine attention booster, so vital for every nocturnal mammal. And he would need his brain to be fully awake for the meeting with chief Buffalo Butt.
An unavoidable report about yesterday's events and definitely about his breach of protocol when he rushed the bank robber in his attempt to save Judy's life.
He already had a taste of how the sermon would be like, after the talk Judy had with him. And though the buffalo's appearance and voice were far more intimidating than her's, the fox felt less anxious than he was yesterday, talking to his beloved.
Still, he didn't like the idea of suspension. That would mean Judy being on the streets without him. While most of the city was relatively safe, there were still areas where cops were welcomed with flying bullets and sharpened objects. Judy would most likely call him a worrywart if she heard him say that out loud though. She would be right of course, as due to the serum effects he was overly protective of the girl he considered his potential mate.
Nick froze dead in his tracks.
*Did I just think… mate?!* the realization hit him like a freight truck, almost causing his legs to fold under him. For foxes, mating was something almost sacred. Choosing a mate was a decision one made only once in his or her life. Becoming mates was something far more significant than anything else for a fox. After mating with your chosen one, nothing would be the same anymore. You ceased to exist as a single entity and entered a union stronger than anything you could think of. For instance, cheating was an abstract term for a mated fox, it simply didn't exist for them. Trying to persuade one to cheat on his or her mate could be compared to trying to persuade gravity to stop working. It was so important that a simple act of marriage couldn't even dream of measuring up to it.. He shook his head, more to cause some physical shock than trying to get the thought out of his mind. He was very well aware that the latter was impossible, except if he'd chop off his own head.
Defeated and emotionally drained from the mental battle only he was aware of, Nicholas Wilde dragged his hindpaws towards Bogo's office.
.
.
Unknown to Nick, Judy was already half through her talk with the grumpy buffalo. He went through the report from yesterday's events, his face not betraying anything regarding his thoughts on it. They were in the middle of her personal justification for her actions at the bank incident.
"...just as I stated in my report, all citizens were kept safe and we stopped the suspect with no damages to the facility itself," she summarized her explanation with her back straight and head held high.
Bogo, who listened to her words with folded hooves in front of his face, eyed the doe over them and then shifted his gaze to the documents on his desk.
"Thank you for your summary, officer Hopps," he tapped one of the files with a hoof. "But I have already read this in your report," he took off his glasses and put them down on the desk. "What I want to know is how far are you going to go with breaking the procedures of this department?"
Judy blinked hearing his question. "S-sir?"
The big mammal leaned over his desk. "I am sure you're aware of the basics when it comes to hostage situations, Hopps. First responders avoid confrontation and call for back-up!"
Judy stood up on the chair too large for her size. "Sir! If we hadn't of acted than that raccoon would have shot that pregnant female!"
"And if you would have failed, then more mammals could have died!" Bogo smashed his fist on the desk. "This job is not a gamble, Hopps! You should know that!" he snarled at the bunny.
"I do know, but-"
"Procedures are in place for all officers to act based on logic and for the best possible outcome for everyone involved, not just one mammal, Hopps!"
The doe waved her paw in the air. "Then you're telling me that I should have sit by and watch her die?!"
"Sometimes you have to make decisions, Hopps!" this was said also as a snarl, but with lower volume and to Judy's surprise, she noticed how Bogo's fist clenched for a moment. Her gaze went up to meet his and she immediately understood after looking into his eyes.
He knew.
Bogo was well respected by all police officers not just for his stern, but always fair leadership. The other factor was the fact that he struggled for the seat of the Chief of the Police from the bottom up. He was no political nominee, but pushed his way through every step of his career, spending his share of time out in the streets, dealing with the worst possible dirt the city had to offer as much as other officers, if not more. Whenever he scolded anyone, one could be sure that it was never personal and always meant for the good of the ZPD, the city and the officer in question. He was harsh, that much was certain, but his sermons consistently had the goal to temper rookie mammals into better cops.
Now he stood up and walked over the the window, his hooves folded behind his back.
"You're a fine officer, Hopps," he grumbled to the glass. "You got the right attitude for the job, but you still need to learn a lot. About how difficult it can be sometimes, how hard it is to the make the right choice," he glanced at her over his shoulder, "and there will come times where there are no good answers. In those cases you can only minimize the casualties..."
He stared outside for a while before returning to his seat, all to the respectful silence of the bunny.
"You followed a gut decision and this time got lucky that nobody was hurt. I will overlook that you broke the rules, but this is an exception!" he pointed a finger at her. "Therefore, for breaking the rules this time you will be suspended only for three days without pay and are to reflect on your actions!" the buffalo announced his judgement.
Judy had mixed feelings about this. On one paw she was glad that Bogo recognized her efforts and intentions, but on the other…
"Chief! What about Bellweather? We can't delay the investigation! If she has the serum-"
"Do you have any leads?!" he cut in. "All you gave me in the report is that you can possibly track the origin of the forged papers, which we don't have, as Cerbero won't hand them over until he's done with his internal investigation, damn him," the buffalo slammed his fist on the desk again. "What you have is the only trace we got for now and it's not bringing us any closer to that ewe! You reported that she has received aid in her disappearance and even our own archive is compromised!" he was furious at this point.
"I assigned you to this case because of your past achievements and the fact that you've already stopped Bellweather once, but seeing that we're running out of time and it's spinning out of control, things need to change…"
Judy's ears twitched nervously, along with her nose, when she picked the tone of his voice. "Sir… you're not-"
"You're off the case," he stated with his arms folded over his massive chest. "Officers from the Detective Bureau will take over and you are to hand over any and all information to them when they'll arrive."
The bunny could feel the shock spreading out through her small body. "Sir! It's our case! We can do this! We-"
"This is not about who solves a case, Hopps! The good of the city is what matters, regardless of whose name is in the final report!"
"I know that, but-"
"That's an order, Hopps!" he bellowed, not letting her finish.
"Si-"
Bogo leaned over the desk enough for his irritated face hover over the doe. "An order!" he growled and pointed at the door. "Now, out of my office. I have one annoying fox to talk to, so don't test my patience."
Gritting her teeth from the helplessness of this situation, Judy Hopps saluted to her superior. She got down to the floor and left the room without saying anything more.
.
.
"Hey, Fluff," a familiar voice in the corridor got her attention and she turned her head towards it, her ears hanging low.
"Oh, hey Nick," she put on a smile, but she could tell by his expression that Nick didn't buy it for a second. He threw his coffee into a nearby trash bin and approached her quickly. Crouching right in front of the doe, he put his paws on her arms.
"Carrots, what's wrong? Was it that bad with Chief?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.
Judy placed a paw on his forearm with a grateful smile. "It's… well, I'm sure he'll explain it to you too, as I guess it's your turn in a moment."
This time, he didn't even have to try to read her mood, it was plain as day. "Alright," he stood up, releasing her arms. "Want me to tease him till he explodes?" he said with a small smirk.
She punched him softly and a shadow of a smile graced her face. "Don't, we still need a chief," Judy somehow managed to say that in a joking manner. Something for which she was grateful to Nick.
He smiled back, looking down to her. "Hey, if anything happens, you'd get my vote!" with that last quip he walked past her and headed to Bogo's office. "See you later, Fluff. Keep your ears up for me!" When she assumed that he was out of earshot, Judy mumbled under her breath. "No promises there, Slick."
.
.
Nick's ears flickered a bit when he was about to knock on the door to chief's office. His sensitive hearing picked up what his partner said and it bothered him. *What could Buffalo Butt have said to bring her down like that?*
He was most likely about to find out.
Nick knocked on the door and awaited an invitation from the chief. Once he got it, the vulpine marched in and took his place on the seat in front of the massive desk. The buffalo was awaiting him with a sour look on his face.
"Wilde."
"Sir."
The big mammal gave him a sharp look of his narrowed eyes. "I'll get straight to it, Wilde. For what you did, I have every right to suspend you, if not fire your sorry butt," he stated in a low voice.
"I'm well aware of that, sir," Nick was quick to reply.
"I'll give you a chance to give me a reason not to do that," Bogo leaned back in his seat.
*So now it's on me, huh?* he thought and rubbed his chin with a finger. "Hmm, maybe because you like me? No, forget I asked. Honestly, if I were to come up with a reason, that would be that you need me to solve the missing serum case."
Bogo's expression didn't change.
"I have dozens of other officers that could follow up on this case, Wilde."
Nick simply shrugged. "But none of them with sources of information like me."
"You'd be surprised," the buffalo's voice remained unimpressed.
This time the fox leaned slightly forward. "Right back at you… sir," he dared. In his calculations, it wasn't that dangerous to say this. He's been reading mammals since he was a kid, and with the exception of one particular bunny, he was confident to find something about anyone. And right now, even though he could have had him punished right off the bat, Bogo was delaying that. It was up to Nick to find out why.
"Is that so?" the big mammal muttered with folded arms. "Then you can pass on the information to others and we'll make good use of that."
Nick's ears twitched. "Others?"
"Hopps already knows, you're both off the case. The Detective Bureau will take over," he leaned forward. "So, about those sources…"
Nick felt a rush of blood through his veins. He was becoming angry. Why was this case taken from them? Did the chief thought that they weren't capable enough? Was it about the bank where he broke procedure?
"Sir," despite the rise of his heartbeat, he kept his voice calm. "May I ask why?"
"That would be rather obvious," the chief replied, placing his hooves on the desk. "You're still a rookie and while Hopps has an impeccable duty record so far, she has less than a year of experience on the force. They way things are going, you're both too green to handle it!"
Nick scoffed at this and folded his arms while maintaining eye contact with Bogo. "I bet that's the same thing she heard before the Missing Mammals case," he muttered with a slightly annoyed voice.
The reply was a fist smashing on the wooden piece of furniture. "You forget your place, Wilde! This is not some game or a con! Lives are at stake here! I will not take any second chances with this, so you two will step aside and let experienced detectives take care of this," a hoof pointed at the fox. "For that, you will provide them with your sources. That's an order."
Nick's instincts were tingling, something was off here. "No." He would drag this on until he was sure what was actually going on.
The buffalo furrowed his brows. "What did you say, fox?"
Nick put a paw to the side of his mouth. "What I said was, 'no'. I will not be giving you that information," Bogo was about to speak when Nick raised a finger. "Here's the thing, chief. It won't work. My sources are mammals that would sooner punch a cop in the face than talk with one, detective or not. I'm different, I can approach them. Many of them may not like the idea that I'm blue now and that's where Carrots hops in. She can convince them, she can make them listen and talk. That's why you'll need us both on this case, sir."
It was a solid argument, one that couldn't be easily brushed aside. Nick wasn't exactly hustling him, but rather explained how Bogo would be crippling the investigation by taking them off the case. Therefore, he was greatly surprised to see Bogo's irritated expression.
"Are you questioning my decisions?!" the buffalo growled with a low voice.
"Sir?"
"You're not going to sneak yourself back into the case, Wilde! I won't allow two officers with no real experience in such cases to ruin an official investigation!" Bogo continued in the same manner of speaking, but Nick's ears caught one subtle change. The wheels in his head began spinning, but he had to be absolutely certain about his hunch.
"So you're going to keep us away from it because we don't have enough experience? Or is it because you think that a bunny and a fox would be seen as laughing stock?" he allowed himself an annoyed tone and added a tiny emphasis on few words.
And there it was! Barely visible, but Nick saw the briefest moment where the corners of Bogo's mouth twitched.
*Well, whaddya know. We have one, crafty boss!* He had to hold back a smile.
"I have capable mammals under my command, I don't need greenhorns to distract them. That's not up for discussion, Wilde! I have made my decision!" the buffalo pointed a single hooved digit at the fox. "This topic is over. We still have your punishment to discuss."
"Ack… right…" Nick groaned, the excitement over his discovery simmering down. "Um… first offence?" he tried a smirk.
Bogo put his hooves together in front of his face. "Suspension. Three days, no pay and if you ever pull off something like this ever again then you're going to be fired before you even know it!"
"Er… okay?" this sounded way too simple. "Sorry to ask, but… no sermon? No lecture?"
This time, Bogo actually showed a smirk. "That's going to be on Hopps. You are to tell her that she is to instruct you on the importance of procedures. She is allowed to use any methods necessary to carve them into your memory and I will ask her if you told her exactly that." Bogo's mouth widened in an evil grin. "Dismissed."
"Uh…" Nick was pretty certain that he'd prefer to have Bogo lecture him.
The fox let out a sigh, as he had one more item to discuss, just like he promised Judy. "Er… sir? There is just one more little thing…"
The buffalo raised a brow with a stoic expression now. "What is it this time?"
"Well, I'm not sure if you're aware, but we have December…"
"I'm familiar with the concept of calendars, Wilde. Get to the point!" Bogo huffed at him.
"Right, the point is that it's fox's mating season and I'm on medication. Rather strong medication… and I just discovered that it might affect my behaviour a bit..." Nick muttered, bracing himself for his boss' answer.
Bogo was silent for several seconds before answering. "Enough for you to run into a bank full of hostages without a second thought?"
Nick scratched the back of his head and tried to reply as truthfully as possible. "No, I don't think so," which was the truth as his reaction then was caused by the mixture of his feelings for Judy and the effects of the serum, which forced him to be overprotective of her.
Bogo eyed him for few more moments before putting on his glasses back and picking up one of the documents from his desk. "Report to one of our medics to discuss this topic with them in detail. We'll continue this after I hear their opinion on this. If that is all, get out, I have work to do!"
Nick wasn't entirely happy with prolonging this topic, but what could he do? The fox saluted and strolled to the door.
This is going to be a long three days...