Chapter Text
“We've been here before,
We're stuck and I'm halfway through your door.
I've said it before,
Listen, this is the last time we won't fool ourselves no more.
Been at it for days,
We are brand new but we're already set in our ways.
I find it hard to believe,
We fall to pieces way too easily.”
- Sahara Hotnights, “Hot Night Crash”
It was an icy wonderland outside the window, and the light dusting of snow landing on the glass reminded her of a snow globe settling. Almost incomprehensibly, the scorching sands of Sahara Square lay just over the wall of biome-turbines that divided the two districts. But here, the mercury dropped well below freezing. ZPD Officer Judy Hopps watched, safe in the warm confines of the squad car, as Tundratown’s residents walked home from work, every one of them bundled up into heavy hooded jackets against the ever-present cold.
The passenger side door opened, and Judy turned her head to watch her partner, Officer Nicholas Wilde, climb into his seat. There was a suspiciously broad grin on his face. His red fur was fluffier in the cold, and his emerald eyes lit up under the ZPD issue baseball cap pulled low on his skull.
In his paws he carried two steaming takeaway cups of coffee. The bitter smell floated to Judy’s pink triangular nose, making her brain awaken at the promise of caffeine. She eyed the two cups with a sidelong glance, taking one when he offered it.
“Someone looks chipper. I don’t suppose there is a red-furred vixen working the counter in there, by any chance?” Judy Hopps pointed out absently, keeping her own personal feelings relatively well hidden. But the smirk on her lips didn’t quite come off as authentic. She hid it with a sip of the black brew.
Nick looked up, tugging his police issue parka off his narrow vulpine frame. He took a sip of his own over-sweetened coffee before addressing her, “What makes you say that, Carrots?”
Judy hummed, looking out the window toward the direction he had come from, “Oh, I don’t know-- how about the fact that the shop’s slogan is ‘DRINK UP, WE’LL KEEP YOU BRIGHT EYED AND BUSHY TAILED,’ with a cute little winkie face to boot. Or maybe it’s the phone number scrawled on my cup. I don’t know, any of this ringing any bells?”
Nick’s eyes flickered to the Styrofoam cup in realisation before shooting back up to her eyes. If his fur wasn’t so red, she swore she’d see him blush. But the embarrassed smile was more than enough confirmation. Laughing now, she added, “I take it she didn’t know which was yours?”
The fox held up a nimble red claw, “For the record, it was an arctic vixen, not a red. And secondly, it’s not my fault the ladies love a fox in uniform.”
He gestured to his navy uniform and the darker tie that ran the length of his body. Judy smirked, taking a sip of her bitter drink, “And you didn’t flirt at all?”
“I’m not saying that, per se. It would have been impolite not to return her attention, Carrots.”
Judy’s raised eyebrow and snarky smirk didn’t falter in the slightest as she added, “And you’re nothing if not a gentleman, huh Nick?”
Nick made a show of adjusting his tie and sitting a little straighter, flashing her a toothy grin. “That’s exactly right. Don’t believe a word you hear otherwise.”
Judy let it go for a moment, concentrating on sipping her drink. It was plain, with just a dash of cream, the way she’d had it since she was a kid trying caffeine for the very first time. It was rather mundane in comparison to her partner’s, whose order was a mouthful: Double shot caramel latte with banana syrup, three sugars and cinnamon. Needless to say, she’d given up keeping track of his preferences, and it had become Nick’s unofficial duty to order the coffees.
Absently, she suggested, “Maybe she got the wrong cup because of your coffee choice.”
Nick paused, said coffee halfway to his lips. He looked at her, then his coffee, and then back again. His words were slow, with a hint of warning, as he asked, “What’s wrong with my coffee?”
“Nothing.” Judy could smell the sickly sweet aroma from where she sat. “It’s just what my dad would call a ‘metro-sexual’s drink’.”
“A metro-what-ual?” Nick pouted, evidently recognising that this wasn’t a compliment.
“Let’s just say your order is kinda... feminine. I’m thinking your vixen friend just assumed you’d be drinking the more –shall I say, manly -- drink.”
Nick sputtered, “I- What? That’s sexist, or it would be if it was true. My drink is so manly. Only real alpha males drink these.”
Judy raised a grey eyebrow, not bothering to hide her shit-eating grin, “Cinnamon? Really?”
Nick narrowed his eyes at her, tilting his head up indignantly. Taking the moral high ground as it were.
He said in a spoilt drawl, nimbly changing the subject, “For the record, I’m still thoroughly disappointed we even have to be here.”
Judy gave him a pointed look, noting his languid posture as he drank his coffee. He was in one of his whining moods it seemed, and she rolled her eyes tiredly. It was one of the burdens of working with Nick Wilde. Pursing her lips she gave in, “Disappointed? Why?”
“This assignment, Judy,” he stated like it should be obvious. “It’s bullshit. And I’m not just saying that because the chief’s a buffalo either.”
Judy winced, more at the topic than his vocabulary, “Not this again. We’ve been over this already, Nick.”
He crossed his arms in front of him like a petulant kit, “Well I want to go over it again. Where does Bogo get off assigning us to ‘graffiti patrol’ whilst McHorn gets THE case?”
“McHorn is a highly experienced officer, Nick; he’s perfectly capable of chasing the lead on Doug.” Judy reminded him, finding amusement in the way he pouted.
He held up both paws, making the numbers one and zero in emphasis, “Ten months Hopps, that’s almost a whole year since Mayor Smellwether went jail bird and the ram has been in the wind that entire time. ZPD finally gets a lead and Bogo won’t give us the fucking case? We’re the reason there’s even a case to begin with.”
Judy felt her mouth tighten as she shifted gears and touched the accelerator to send the car into a purring crawl. Emotionally she agreed. She wanted the case. But she also knew why they couldn’t have it; “It’s a legal thing Nick,” she explained, “stopping him almost a year ago and then being the one to catch him now. Makes it seem like we have an agenda against him.”
“Don’t we?” Nick asked deadpan. Judy really hoped he was joking, or mistaken.
But she stopped mid-thought staring out across the street. Taking a paw off the wheel she nudged Nick, trying to get his attention. Unperturbed, Nick exclaimed, “I’m kidding Carrots, of course I’m kidding.”
“No, Nick. Look!” Judy pointed to what had caught her eye, before pulling over to the side of the road. It was a large design on the side of a house, etched in red and green spray paint. It featured a green eyeball nestled in front of a red sun, watching all those under its gaze. The fiery flames branched out like compass points threatening to spread in every direction.
Nick understood at once. This was their guy. He started unbuckling his seatbelt to get out. But of course he had to make a comment--the fox could do no actual work without one. “You know Carrots, that thing looks like that eyeball from the Hoppit movies.”
Judy rolled her eyes at her friend’s misinformation, “First of all it’s Sauron, and secondly Slick, you are thinking of the Lord of the Rings. Not the Hoppit movies.”
In return Nick just grinned smugly, “I knew you were a nerd, Hopps. Now I have proof.”
She opened her window and called out to the fox’s back as he crossed the street. “Oh shut up.” She heard him laugh as he made his way over to the painting and inspected it. Meanwhile she turned her eyes onto the surrounding building.
The house in question was an old brownstone, the type you saw in a sitcom. But the slow decay, combined with the snow covering its roof and eaves, reminded Judy of a gingerbread house instead of a classic home. It looked like it hadn’t been lived in for a decade, which she supposed explained why someone chose to vandalise it. At least the artist was considerate, she mused.
Across the street Nick reached out a paw and touched the graffiti once before running back to the car and jumping into his seat. Once in, he held up a paw, the pads stained a bright green. It was a strange contrast to his red fur but Judy recognised its significance even without Nick’s announcement, “It’s still wet.”
With the frigid temperature, it didn’t take long for paint to freeze. Which meant the culprit couldn’t have gone far on foot. They might’ve had a car waiting, Judy reflected dourly. But they’d finally caught a break, and Judy refused to be pessimistic in light of it.
She crept the car forwards, maintaining a slow cruising speed as they scanned the streets. It was a slow process, one Judy wasn’t comfortable with given her active nature. When the tension became too much she resorted to small talk, her eyes still trained on the job as her tongue worked off the nervous energy.
“What do you think we’ll find?” she queried, “Fanatics? All the graffiti has been anti-government and about sticking it to the man.”
Nick shook his head, “I doubt it. Most likely it’s some pup doing it for shits and .”
Judy snapped up to look at him, a teasing smirk on her face, “Aren’t you a little old to be saying ‘shits and giggles’?”
“Hey, I’m still kicking, Carrots.” Nick gave her a disapproving glare, grumbling in a stage whisper, “I’m not too old.”
Judy sniggered as she looked back around, looking once again for anything out of the ordinary. In the frozen streets of Tundra Town very few people were out driving, the icy surface of the road being too slick for most cars. So everyone walked the streets or took the train. Fortunately, even foot traffic was subdued for once, and it didn’t take long for both of them to spot a likely suspect.
Shuffling down the street was a mammal in ratty clothing. Grey hoodie, baggy jeans and a gym bag slung over a shoulder. With the hood drawn up, Judy couldn’t identify the suspect’s species. But what she did see practically confirmed it.
On the cuffs of the mammal’s jumper were bright smears and even from this distance she could make out the colours of green and red against the grey fabric. The mammal was only of a middling size; a head taller than Nick but Judy caught a peek of the suspect’s hooves. Antelope -maybe, or deer? Nothing they couldn’t handle, it was too small to be a cow at least. The duo didn’t exactly have a glorious history with members of the bovine family.
She turned to report all this information to her partner but was cut off by an order from Nick, he’d already seen it. Pointing over to the side of the road, he told her, “Pull over here, Carrots, I’ll approach on foot. If he runs you cut him off, ‘kay?”
His face was lit up, green eyes bright and ears perking up on either side of his favourite hat. Judy swore that if his smile got any more eager his tongue would hang out, and she’d never let him live it down. But she hesitated, “You sure Nick? I mean you’ve only just healed from that time with...”
“Carrots, I got this,” he told her, squeezing her arm gently with a red paw, “nothing’s going to happen.”
Judy felt the warmth of the touch like a fire, heating her to an almost painful extreme before he pulled it away. Quickly, in an attempt to avoid blushing she pulled the car once again to park, “Fine. But if you wind up in the hospital it’s your own fault.”
“Ha ha, Hopps. Don’t you worry your cute little tail, I feel like a million bucks.”
With those last words he was out of the car, too swiftly for Judy to remind him to bring his parka. She sighed in resignation; despite having nearly ten years on her, Nick was like a kid sometimes. But she couldn’t fault him for being overzealous; it had been scarcely a week since he was given the all clear from the doctors and his casts had come off. Penance for the time he had gone toe to toe with a bull. Now finally able to move freely once more, Nick was a ball of restless energy.
Not to mention, the fox was vivacious in this climate. Even the lightest humidity caused him to pant and sweat, but in the cold of the tundra or the shade of the rainforest he was bursting at the seams with joy. Though, he did have to have an extra cup of coffee in the morning (on top of his usual three) in order to fight off his natural instincts to hibernate in the colder temperature. Judy as well, but she didn’t favour the chill as much as he seemed to.
She watched him strut down the street, out of place without a jacket. Judy moved the squad car forwards slowly, in case Nick needed her suddenly, but kept her eye on the fox. His auburn fur stood out in the white and blues of Tundra Town’s streets, like a lighthouse in the dark.
He approached the hooded figure casually, calling out to the creature’s back. His face maintained that bright smile from earlier, friendly in all aspects. The classic Nick Wilde charm.
It was lost on the hooded figure as it turned around to face the fox police officer, and Judy caught a picture of the creature’s equine snout. A horse then; or more likely a pony, given the height. The horse’s mouth dropped open wide as it caught sight of first Nick’s blue uniform and then the white and black squad car not far behind. She could already guess its course of action.
The horse bolted, going from zero to forty like a bullet from a gun.
Judy expected Nick to hop back in the car where they could pursue easily, but was startled when the car radio crackled to life. Nick’s voice was laced with static. “Carrots, he’s heading down an alleyway, taking a shortcut through the block. Take the car around and head him off, I’ll follow on foot.”
Anyone else would have argued that they were both the same rank; he couldn’t just boss her around. But Judy shrugged it off; they were partners. And it was actually a good plan.
She gunned the engine, enjoying the throaty roar as it was allowed to run free. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Nick tearing down an alleyway after the suspect. She spared a second to reply and turn on the sirens, before powering into a sharp U-turn, “Roger that Nick, I’m on my way.”
She approached the corner perhaps a little too fast to be safe on the icy surface, but she enjoyed experiencing the squad car’s unique tires operate; they’d been specifically designed for this terrain. Hundreds of hardened studs protruded from the tire’s rubber surface, finding purchase like the crampon shoes worn by mountain climbers. There was a delightful crunching sound as the car swung around the bend, narrowly missing one of the few other cars on the streets.
Overhead the sirens blared like a cacophony of preschoolers learning to play music; obnoxiously loud and frustrating. Every pedestrian flinched in reaction. And that was why Nick usually insisted on being the one to engage them; he got to annoy a whole street of mammals, instead of the usual one at a time. Judy Hopps smirked at the thought as she swung hard around the second turn, eyes on the lookout for the sprinting horse. With its long legs and body built for running, it’d be impossible for Nick to catch it.
This was why she skidded to a halt in surprise when she caught a glimpse of red fur in front of her. Nick was sitting languidly on a milk crate with the handcuffed equine mammal face first in the snow beside him. He was grinning like the Cheshire cat as Judy pulled into a park across the street. She wound down the window slowly, openly staring.
“Took your time, Hopps!” he called out.
“How the heck did you catch him? I’m pretty sure this violates the laws of physics.” Judy returned as she unbuckled her seat belt and hopped out of the driver’s seat. She was genuinely impressed.
“Laws? Hah!” he guffawed as he pulled the culprit to his feet.
Now free of a face full of snow, the horse whinnied loudly, “That’s not fair! You cheated fox.”
“It’s not cheating,” Nick drawled without dropping his smug smile, and tapped his head to illustrate, “it’s called using your brain.”
So many things happened then; it wouldn’t be till hours later that Judy remembered them all in order. Judy opened the door to the back of the squad car, oblivious to the lone car turning onto the street a good distance off. Nick was already guiding the prisoner across the road, as she was intent on the operation going as smoothly as possible. It was a quick motion to move the junk off the seats; a mixture of police gear, cold weather clothing and empty takeaway cups.
The first time she noticed anything wrong it was the sound of the unseen car accelerating. The loud revving of the engine made her pause, looking up. On the road, Nick and the suspect froze as well. Their heads whipped around to see a medium sized red sedan headed straight for them, already a moving blur.
There was just enough time for Nick to jump out of the way before it hit them. More specifically, there would have been. Instead of diving clear of the oncoming vehicle, Nick planted his feet and pushed the horse square in the back, hurling him forward into Judy.
Time seemed to slow as it happened. Judy watched as Nick made one last effort to jump out of the car’s path, his arms coming up to protect his skull as his legs sprang up. He was almost clear when it collided, the grill impacting with his legs first and sending him spinning. His body hit the windscreen and tumbled over and onto the cold hard road behind it.
That was all she saw before the horse, thrown by Nick moments before, collided with her. Both of them went to the ground in a tangle of limbs. For a terrifying moment Judy thought she’d be crushed when the horse fell over her. Intentionally or not, their prisoner caught himself on his elbows and knees, holding his weight off her. Quickly coming to her senses, Judy rolled out from underneath him and rushed to where Nick had fallen.
She skidded to a stop on her knees, thankful for the reinforced knee pads that were a part of her uniform. ZPD’s first fox police officer lay in a crumpled heap, making no sound. Judy’s heart clenched as she rolled him over, his red fur made it near impossible to see any bleeding at first glance.
Behind her she heard the suspect mumble, “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...” but she couldn’t afford to give herself the same luxury. First things first; check if he’s breathing.
Carefully Judy placed her ear to his chest. A lifetime seemed to pass before she heard it, the distinct thump of his heart beating. She sighed in relief, only now noticing the puffs of air culminating from his snout.
“It’s going to be alright Nick, you’re going to be alright.” She said, more to herself than the unconscious fox next to her. The second step was to see if he was bleeding anywhere, but she couldn’t tell where red fur started and crimson blood would begin. Starting to panic slightly, she skipped to the next step...
She heard the crunching of hooves on ice behind her before the suspect spoke again, “Shit, um. Is he okay?”
Judy turned to the horse, surprised he hadn’t made a run for it whilst she’d been indisposed. His hood had fallen off, and there was genuine worry in his brown eyes. She was further surprised to see that he wasn’t a horse or a pony, but a zebra. And only a colt at that; she estimated him to be around fourteen, given his size. Nick was right it seemed, only a kid out getting his kicks.
She snapped herself from her examination and pointed at the front compartment of the squad car, “I need you to watch him while I call in an ambulance. Let me know if anything changes; breathing, consciousness, whatever. I’ll be right over there, okay?”
The zebra colt swallowed hard before nodding, his eyes seemed to bulge at the responsibility he’d been given. Judy waited until he kneeled down beside her and said with a voice barely above a whisper, “Okay.”
“Great,” she said as she stood up, patting him on the back. She swiftly made her way to the open front door. Leaning in, she pulled the radio handset to the cord’s longest length so she could keep an eye on the two boys as she talked. Pressing the bar she identified herself, “Dispatch, this is Officer Hopps. Do you copy?”
It was only a few moments of silence before a burst of static signalled the response,
“Heeey Judy, how are you doing? What’s going on out there in the big city?”
Benjamin Clawhauser was Precinct One’s receptionist, radio dispatcher and company bookie. A large bubbly cheetah, he was in a word flamboyant, and always eager to chew the ear off his favourite rabbit officer. Judy struggled to keep the growl out of her voice as she replied, “Not now Clawhauser. I need an ambulance dispatched to Snowcastle Way in Tundratown. We got a 480” It was the code for a hit and run.
She glanced up down the street, only now noticing the car’s disappearance. They didn’t even stop to check. In a somewhat shakier voice, “It’s Nick, Ben. He’s hit.”
“Christ, 10-4 Judy. I’ll get on the horn now; you just keep an eye on him you hear?”
Judy nodded uselessly, but was distracted by a cry of pain. Quickly, she replied, “Roger that Ben, I’ve got to go.”
She didn’t even spare the time to replace the handset, in the time it would have taken, she was already at the fox’s side once more. She saw Nick coming to with a litany of curses, his breathing short and harsh in pain. The colt waved his hands around in panic, “He just woke up out of nowhere sir- I mean ma’am. Shit, he’s hurt, I think it’s his leg. Fuck, its- it’s broken.”
Judy saw immediately what the equine teenager was talking about. Midway down one of Nick’s calves, the bone was jutting up in two places that caused his pant leg to tent awkwardly. She knelt down beside her partner again, trying to keep an overwhelming sense of panic down. There was nothing she could do, except talk to him.
She placed a paw on his shoulder, watching his green eyes search blankly for a moment before finding her face through the haze of confusion. He tried to put on a brave smile, but failed pathetically.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck me!” he cursed, and she knew he was holding back for her benefit, he could be a lot more colourful with his words. He knew she was uncomfortable with vulgarity, so he tried. Still his pain needed to vent, “This kills C-carrots. F-fuck!”
When Judy attempted to smile, she was sure she failed as miserably as he did. Not sure what to say, she joked, “Maybe later, once you’re better.”
It was the kind of humour she knew he and Officer Delgato enjoyed; the tigress and fox had idled through a day more than once trying to make the other uncomfortable with innuendos. They had only succeeded in making Judy blush like a beetroot from her parent’s farm. She thought she’d explode at Delgato’s lewd suggestions .
Nick glanced up at her, his face blank before he huffed out a pained laugh, “You’re fucking joking at a time like this, Carrots. I’m dying over here!”
“You’re not dying Nick,” Judy resisted the urge to swat him for his melodrama, a good decision given the circumstances. Eager to keep him talking and out of shock, she asked, “But just in case I’m wrong, tell me where it hurts?”
“Everywhere. I’m pretty sure I broke my everything, and my leg’s on fucking fire-.” Judy pushed him back down when he attempted to lift himself up to see the mentioned limb. She was certain a visual confirmation of his injury was the last thing he needed.
“It’s okay Nick, you’re going to be fine.” She told him, relieved to hear the sound of sirens far off, “I called it in. An ambulance is on its way, they’ll get you to the hospital. You’ll be okay, I promi-.”
She was cut off by his abrupt laughter; it was so hearty it threatened to drive the fox into cardiac-arrest. Half-thinking Nick had finally snapped and half-worried he couldn’t breathe, she grabbed his shoulders properly to stop him from worsening his injuries in his fit. When he finally slowed down enough, she asked him, “What’s so funny, fox?”
He seemed to have done some damage despite Judy’s efforts, because he hissed in pain, “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. You had to fucking say it didn’t you, Carrots?”
“What?”
He looked her in the eye, a much more authentic smile on his muzzle. His white canines flashed as he mimicked, “If you wind up in the hospital it’s your own fault.”
He took a moment to lick his lips, Judy returning his smile as he added--before descending into another fit of laughter--“You fucking jinxed me, Hopps.”