The Oddest Two, a Zootopia Fic

It was the end of the holiday season here in Zootopia, Nick and Judy were just finishing up the last case of gift theft and were now left with almost half a shift of nothing to do. "I just can't believe people would steal presents" Judy scoffed, clutching her little carrot necklace her best friend and favorite partner got for her. "Yeah" Nick replied, "There are much easier and safer ways of getting a quick buck." Judy shot Nick a slightly annoyed look. "Let's go to the break room," Judy suggested. "What? You? On break?" Nick retorted, "Who are you and what have you done with the real Carrots." "Oh come on, I take breaks every once in a while," Judy said. "Whatever your say" Nick responded, already heading out the door.

Judy was quick in pursuit, shoving Nick playfully as she passed by him, knocking him off balance. "We haven't even had our coffee and you're this full of energy" Nick laughed. Judy was undeniably happy as she got to spend some time with Nick outside of him pestering her while she worked. She liked Nick, as annoying as he could be while they were on the job, they always seemed to pull through in the end, and Judy had to admit Nick had since rather... interesting connections. They had opened up to each other, the unlikeliest of friends, partners in Zootopia's biggest case, now best friends. Judy sat at a table swinging her legs and resting her chin on her paw watching Nick as he fetched their coffees. Nick returned with two Styrofoam cups. "Alright, decaf for the little ball of energy, and normal for me" Nick smiled, taking a sip. Judy doesn't normally drink caffeine unless she really needs the boost, which she didn't need at all right now.

Now that she thought of it, she really hadn't taken many breaks. She can't remember the last time she sat across from Nick with nothing but coffee. She looked up and made eye contact with Nick, who gave her his usual gaze. She gave back a quick smile, playfully kicking Nick's shins. Nick's attention was diverted by a friendly tiger by the name of Adam, that brought up a chair to their table. "Is this your guys' first winter here?" Adam asked. "Sure is" Nick responded. Adam continued, "this is usually the slowest time of the year for us. Everyone's too cold or something to worry about stealing." Nick let out a small chuckle in response. "Does that mean I should go home?" Nick asked sarcastically. "No that does not" responded Judy, dashing Nick's hopes away. "A bunny bossing around a fox" Adam laughed, "not something you see every day." "It's only cause she's pretty" Nick cooed, shooting Judy his iconic flirtatious look. "Oh ha ha Nick," Judy responded, "don't you think it's time we got back to work?" Judy left her half full cup of coffee and quickly exited the break room. "That's the first time I have ever seen Judy leave something unfinished" Nick noted. "She seemed to be in a rush" Adam commented, "I wonder if she forgot something."

She closed the door behind her and sat at her desk, paw clutched at her necklace pressed against her chest and ears pressed flat against her back. She could feel the thumps of her heart through her vest. Is this really happening? she thought to herself.

Nick grabbed himself a bagel and meandered back to their office. He opened the door to Judy adamantly filling out paperwork. "I thought you didn't have any work to do" Nick quipped. "I didn't" Judy responded, "I'm finishing up the paperwork you hid under the couch cushions." "I woulda got to that stuff eventually," Nick said, laying down on said couch. "Yeah right" responded Judy. Nick made himself comfortable and closed his eyes, "Wake me when the shift is over" he yawned. Judy was too busy to even think about trying to keep Nick up. As she flipped through the paperwork, she noticed the only thing he did was write Judy's name wherever it asked for "partners name." She smiled, but upon coming across the name "Cottontail", she became as red in the face a bunny could get, glaring at Nick who was now fast asleep on the couch. His breath soft and his muscles relaxed, she couldn't help but be calmed by his dormant state, resting her head on her paw, focused on the rising and falling of his chest.

Judy snapped out of it, wondering how long she had been staring and resumed her work. Within a few hours, she had finished off all his paperwork that she didn't want to know how long has been left unfinished, getting up to stretch her legs. Truth be told Nick probably could have gone home early, but Judy hated the idea of signing off before her shift was done. She also wasn't fond of the idea of being alone.

Judy walked up to a sleeping Nick, clutching the carrot around her neck once more by habit, the clock on the wall reading 4:34, almost quitting time. She was about to wake Nick when an alarm went off. Nick jolted awake, falling off the couch with a thud and Judy ran outside to chief Bogo who was already outside their office. Nick slowly followed her out, rubbing his eyes. "We've got a silent alarm going off at a bank in the northern outskirts of Little Rodentia," Bogo stated, "You and Wilde are to go there first, being the smallest. Backup will be right behind you, but it'll take us time to follow once we're at the border." Judy's eyes lit up and she bounced up and down with the news. "Get going!" Bogo said seemingly reluctantly. Judy grabbed Nick who was still recovering and rushed outside to their car, Nick barely keeping himself from tripping. Nick hopped in the front seat, starting the engine, "so where we going Judes?" "The northeast entrance to Little Rodentia" she responded, "the bank is only 10 seconds on foot from there" looking at the map on her phone.

Nick sped through the streets of downtown, this being his favorite part of the job. Sirens blaring and speed limits being shattered, the thump of your racing heartbeat as you dodge past cars. Judy, however, hated not being in control, getting a hold of anything she could and gripping hard.

"Watch out for that car! " Judy pleaded. "Oh come on Carrots, I'm used to this kind of stuff" Nick responded. "Could you, at least, use both paws?" Judy begged. "Fine," Nick answered, "if it'll make you feel better."

The car came to a grinding halt as they reached their destination. The two entered Little Rodentia, the streets around them buzzing with activity. "It's only ten blocks in," Judy said. "Lead the way," Nick responded, "I'll be right behind you." The two carefully avoided the toy sized life forms as they dashed through the street, sirens closing in behind them.

"I have a visual on the bank," Judy radioed, "there is a Guinea pig just standing out front." "Keep a visual, do not engage," Bogo responded, " We have cleared up the roads and are sending in our wolf unit."

Judy kept a keen eye on the guinea pig, and after a few seconds, two wolves take cover behind buildings to take a look at the scene. Judy's radio beeped, "This is Bogo, I just got word that the owner of the bank of a Guinea pig wearing a brown suit." "That looks like him" Judy responded. "Alright, Wolf squad, you're free to move in," Bogo ordered, "Hopps, Wilde, provide support and keep your eyes peeled."

The two wolves zoomed upwards, Judy took aim over a local dry cleaner and Nick started slowly circling the perimeter, looking for anything out of place.

Seconds later the radios beeped and a wolf's voice started "Area is clear, we have the owner here unharmed." "Alright good, Hopps, you may be the only one small enough to see inside, move up" Bogo ordered.

He had been right, even Nick, the second smallest officer, would have struggled to see through the front door. Judy walked up to the owner, "Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD, are you the owner of this place?" She asked. "Ah yes, yes I am," responded the guinea pig who was wringing his paws, "a-and my name is Sam." "It's okay, you're safe now," Judy reassured him as she sat down, trying to act as relaxed as possible. "I don't see anything out of place around here" Nick radioed, approaching the bank. "Alright, follow standard procedures, I'm taking a few of us back to the station" Bogo stated over the radio. "Copy that," Nick responded, rolling his eyes a bit, "man that guy is loud."

"Alright Sam, you ready to explain what happened?" Judy asked. "Ah yes," Sam responded, unlocking the door, "if you'll peek your head inside I can show you what happened." Judy pressed her face onto the ground, peeking inside the bank. "A fairly large mouse walked in casually, and once he walked up to me, the camera systems went offline and he demanded fifty thousand dollars. I was forced to comply and activated the silent alarm. Once he was out the door I locked everything up" Sam said, Judy recording with her pen. "You were alone?" Judy asked. "No, well yes. My employee had left for a dinner break just a few minutes before, and my next guy was coming in at 6:00," Sam said, looking at a clock that read 5:49.

"Alright," Judy said, "we've got a freelance mouse detective on the way, and I'd like to bring you to the office for a few more questions and see if we can get a good description out of you. "Sure thing," Sam responded, "let me just call my tellers and tell them to head home."

The rush of adrenaline had well worn off as Nick and Judy drove back to the precinct, barely breaking the speed limit. Judy held Sam in her paws as they rode silently. "Sorry to bother but uh... would it be possible if you could... slow down a bit?" asked Sam. "Don't worry," responded Nick, "I-" "Nick," Judy cut in. Nick's ears lowered slightly as he slowed down, riding just under the already low city speed limits.

They arrived at the precinct and had Sam answer a few more questions, and had begun to get details to get a sketch drawn of the perpetrator. "The mouse stood a bit taller than me, a-and his nose a bit crooked," Sam said with his eyes closed, imagining the moment again. "His fur was a deep grey, and he was wearing a b-blue shirt and brown pants... I think," Sam continued, "Oh and his left ear had a cut on the side, it looked old, just the fur was missing."

"I can't believe Bogo won't let us leave till we finish this paperwork" Nick complained. "Oh come on, it's nothing compared to what we had to do earlier, and we get to take part in a bank robbery investigation" Judy grinned. "Yeah I guess" Nick responded, forcing himself to write more than Judy's name.

As they were finishing up, there was a knock on the door, it was Sam. "Hey, you're name is Judy right?" he asked. "Yea, what's up?" Judy responded with a grin. "I was wondering if you could possibly give me some company for a few minutes, I'm still a bit shaken up," the guinea pig said. "Sure thing pal!" Judy said, picking him up and placing him on her desk. Nick rolled his eyes in protest of staying longer, letting out an exaggerated yawn only to be met by a cruel glare from Judy.

"I've never met a prey police officer before" Sam noted. Nick winced at that word, despising it ever since his concrete depiction of the way things were was shattered by the likes of his natural enemy. "I'm the first of my kind," Judy said, puffing out her chest with a confident smile. "It kind of makes me feel safer that not every police officer is-" he stopped himself short as if she could feel his fur burn at the glare from the fox behind him. "Predator?" Judy asked. Nick felt slightly betrayed, "Most of the animals here are really nice, I've always found that it's best never to judge an animal by its fur."

The minutes stacked up and before they knew it, Bogo was at their site requesting the paperwork, the clock already past 8:00. "I want you two to take this man home, then you're free to go," Bogo said, collecting the papers and leaving.

The three went in Nick's car, the stars shining dimly through the lights of the city, the sound of the engine humming along right below the speed limit, with the occasional sputter. Nick yawned, and Judy couldn't help herself from following suit, her ears and arms stretching, followed by the slow relaxation as she made herself more comfortable.

As they arrived at their stop, Judy got out to escort Sam, "You coming Nick?" asked Judy. "Are you kidding? It's way too cold" Nick responded, cranking up the heat. "Alright," Judy responded, closing the door behind her. As she tiptoed trough Little Rodentia the wind hit, a shiver rolled through Judy's body. Her ears down as she clutched the rodent in her paws. "Right over there," Sam said, "the blue one." "Alright, you're all set," Judy said, softly letting go of the rodent. "T-thanks," Sam said, shivering from the absence of the warm paws that once enveloped him. Judy watched as Sam opened up his door and scuttle in.

Judy turned and started back, the lights on the street barely illuminating past her knees. The wind felt like a burn against her uniform, she held her body as she finally got her way to Nick's car, the windows fogged and an orange blur reaching over to her door. A greeting of warm air rushed out at she jumped in the car, slamming the door behind her. "A little cold?" Nick laughed. The vigorous paw rubbing gave away the answer. Nick turned on the defroster, causing cool air to spill out near the windows. "Is that really necessary," Judy asked, reaching for the heat. Nick grabbed her paw in response, "How else will I see through the windows, if you really need to be warm you could snuggle up with me" Nick grinned. "No, I'm fine," Judy said, turning her head away. She looked out the window, trying to find something to distract herself from the firm beating of her chest. She felt a warmth, a soothing feeling, but at the same time a nervous feeling eating away at her. Her thoughts were scrambled and she couldn't even think of anything to say, so she kept her focus out the window.

Nick let the idea go and started driving back towards Judy's house, the streets relatively empty as the time ticked towards 9:00. Not a word was said the rest of the trip, which bothered Nick a bit. It's the longest they had failed to even crack a joke at each other.

They arrived at Judy's apartment and they walked to Judy's door. "Hey, did you leave your door open?" Nick asked as Judy was grabbing her key. Her attention was drawn to the door which was slightly ajar. "No, I'm positive that I locked it this morning" Judy responded, putting her paw on her tranquilizer. The two looked at each other and nodded, Nick pushing the door open and Judy taking aim.

The place had been destroyed; the desk was in pieces, the mattress ripped to shreds, claw marks streaked against the wallpaper. The door to her mini fridge ripped open and the contents missing. "Holy shit," said Nick, "this place is ruined." The light bulb was the only thing untouched, the rest was torn apart.

They called the precinct and had the place sealed for investigation. Within a couple of minutes, the overnighters showed up and took a look at the area. In the meantime, Nick spoke to Judy's landlord, a progressive grey wolf named Cynthia. "I figured this would happen eventually," sighed the wolf, "I'll deal with it tomorrow."

Nick walked over to Judy, who was sat down against the wall outside her room. "Are you alright?" Nick asked. "Yeah," Judy mumbled, "It's just been a really long day." Judy's ears drooped low and her face buried, her focus on nothing, and her arms wrapped around her legs. "Let's get you to my place and we'll be back at it in no time, " Nick said. "Is it really alright?" asked Judy, whose eyes fixated on the fox. She paused for a second before continuing, "I'm fine getting a room at a hotel." "That's crazy," Nick retorted, "c'mon it'll be like a sleepover." Nick extended his arm and pulled Judy up. "Thank you Nick" Judy croaked. The two walked down to Nick's car and got in, the heat still lingering.

"Can we stop at a gas station or something?" Judy asked. Nick pulled into the nearest overnight convenience store and they did a bit of shopping. Nick found some junk to buy and Judy got some essentials, a cheap toothbrush, mouthwash, a fur brush, and a sealed salad, just in case Nick had nothing she liked. She was sad to see that the small space labeled "carrots" was empty, but she had other things to worry about. Nick waited at the door as she hit ring out and the two made their way to Nick's apartment.

Judy realized she had never been in Nick's apartment as they walked up the stairs. The got to his door and Nick unlocked it, taking a step inside with Judy in pursuit. The first thing she noticed was the smell. It wasn't bad, but it was... different. She looked around and noticed his choice of furniture was almost as bad as his choice of clothing. "The bathroom is right over there, and I'll set you up on the couch," Nick said. "Okay," Judy responded, exploring the place as she made her way to the bathroom. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, but it was still messy by her standards. The bathroom was a bit better, but she would have preferred it spotless. She changed into a full flannel outfit and brushed her teeth while outside Nick was scrambling to make his place more presentable. He picked up all of the trash and quickly wiped down his countertops. He found one of his only clean blankets and a spare pillow and set up the couch.

Judy emerged, smiling at the fact Nick was trying to clean up a bit. She slumped down onto the couch, wrapping herself in the blanket, finally being able to fully relax. "Thanks Nick, this means a lot" she yawned. "Anytime Carrots," Nick smiled, "Just call me if ya need me." Nick turned off the lights and escaped to his room. Judy closed her eyes, feeling a bit safer than before.

*Tap* Judy's eyes bolted open and her ears raised in alarm as she stared out the window facing the couch. She could barely see through the window considering the darkness, but she didn't really want to know. She was frozen for what seemed like an eternity when she heard the tap once more.

She picked up her pillow and noped herself into Nick's room. "Nick?" Judy asked, barely being able to make out Nick's bed. "Hmm?" Nick responded, "everything alright?" "I was just a bit nervous and I was wondering if... if I could sleep in your bed tonight. Nick shifted over, " Sure thing." Judy hopped next to him and placed her oversized pillow down. "Thank you so much," Judy said, pulling covers over her. "No problem Nick said, closing his eyes.

Nick was deep in thought about the events of the day when he felt a tap on his leg. He opened his eyes to find Judy fidgeting, her ears twitching and legs kicking. Little squeaks escaping her every so often. Nick knew she was shaken up, but didn't think it would transition into her sleep. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in. He hugged her as best he could while lying down, her head nestled under his. His frame cupping the smaller one. He slowly ran his thumb through the fur of her cheek over and over, in a slow, circular pattern. After a few seconds, the fidgeting died down and Nick could feel her muscles relax. The bunny was now breathing in a slow, steady rhythm. He finally closed his eyes, the sound of light hail pattering the roof like a white noise which lulled him further into a deep sleep.