Chapter Text
It had only been a few weeks since Nick returned from the police academy, but Judy already felt the effects. The sun shone a little brighter, work seemed a little easier, and she felt significantly livelier. The only slightly negative aspect of Nick’s return was that she couldn’t focus. She’d be ears deep in paperwork when suddenly, like a magnet, her gaze would drift to Nick. It didn’t matter what he was doing; she would still find him ten times more interesting than what she was working on. Sometimes he would stretch his back over the top of a chair, folding his paws in the air, and the glimpse of newly toned muscles under his lifted shirt was enough to make Judy excuse herself from her desk and stand under the bathroom fur-dryer until she cooled down.
Judy recalled the phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder”, and after Nick’s return, she realized she never agreed with anything more. The pair finally had time; a luxury that kept getting ripped from their paws. The knowledge that they would be together in the same city for the foreseeable future was enough to bring a smile to her face at any given time. At that moment, however, a smile graced her muzzle for a different reason. The rabbit sat on Jasper’s couch, popcorn in hand, as light from a forgotten movie softly illuminated the dim room they occupied. Jasper chattered between mouthfuls of snacks, making Judy’s small smile crack into a grin. Oh, how she missed them all being together. While Nick was her boyfriend, he was her friend first, and she couldn’t deny how good it felt to talk and laugh with her old friends.
Nick sat on the opposite side of the couch, also sporting a smile of his own out of fondness for Jasper. His fluffy tail filled the empty expanse of the furniture, and Judy couldn’t stop flicking her gaze to it. She wondered what it would feel like if she ran her paws through it, but she didn’t think he would appreciate her butter-covered fingers touching the sleek fur. She didn’t purposefully try to tune out the chatty zebra, but when she finally ripped her attention away from Nick’s tail, Jasper was saying something about camp Happy Connections. The last time she was paying attention, he was talking about Gazelle’s newest album. She didn’t know how he got from point A to point B, but she shook off her curiosity and directed her attention back to Jasper.
“... and that’s why I think we should get the gang back together for a reunion! It’s already been five years, and boy do I miss it! I’m even starting to miss Sasha’s incredibly loud cheers,” Jasper said with a sigh. He paused for a moment, then sucked in a breath like he was going to continue his yapping until Nick held up a claw.
“Hey bud, I think you’re forgetting about the time constraints Judy and I now have as officers. Plus, I’m pretty positive Chief Buffalo Butt wouldn’t let me skip town this early into my employment anyways,” Nick said honestly. The nickname he had for the stern cape buffalo made Judy snicker. While the sly fox just started working at Precinct One, he was already getting under the skin of their coworkers, especially Chief Bogo’s. Judy couldn’t find it in her to complain, though, because his clever quips and sly comments made it easier to cope with the judgement they still frequently suffered.
“I don’t think Chief would miss you too much, Nick. He might appreciate the peace and quiet,” Judy said. As soon as the words left her mouth, the fox’s gaze snapped to hers. His emerald green stare narrowed, and a smirk grew on his muzzle.
“Is a little bunny jealous that I'm giving more attention to another mammal instead of her? Don’t worry, Carrots, I doubt Chief can kiss like you can,” Nick said with a wink. At that moment, a popcorn kernel lodged itself in Judy’s throat, and she coughed as if she’d never breathe again. That sly fox! Who did he think he was, going around making comments that stopped her heartbeat and burned her ears. At that rate, she was never going to survive their relationship. She pictured her headstone: Judy Hopps. Died from excessive fox charm and poorly timed flirting.
“Okayyyy, we get it! I’m incredibly single. Can we focus on what’s really important now: a 2026 camp reunion?” Jasper asked with an exasperated look on his face, placing hooves on his hips. The fox and the bunny glanced at each other once more, sharing a fond smile and chuckling at the zebra’s antics.
“A camp reunion that may very well be impossible?” Judy quipped. Jasper leveled her with an unamused look.
“You’re pretty much a hero at the ZPD. You solved that really big case and brought justice to predators across Zootopia. Maybe Chief will thank you by sending you on vacation?” Jasper said with a shrug. Judy winced, looking down to avoid the curious look from Jasper and the proud expression from Nick.
“I don’t think thanking me is anyone’s first priority,” she mumbled. When she looked up, she caught a look of bewilderment on Nick’s face before it transformed before her eyes. He beamed at her and turned his body toward hers with determination. Although his expression was light-hearted, he briefly clenched a paw at his side, then let it drop.
“Well then, let me be the one to do it!” Nick said.
“Thank you for your service, Miss Hopps. Zootopia will be forever indebted to you.”
Judy’s frown slowly quirked up at the corner. Although she was getting assigned more work at the ZPD besides just parking duty, she still faced daily bias from the mammals around her. Her heightened hearing often picked up on more than she wanted it to, and it frequently led to her hearing coworkers complain about her increased involvement. Having Nick as her partner only contributed to the muttered jabs. Most of the time, she was able to ignore it and focus on the satisfaction she felt from actually being useful. But every once in a while, it picked at Judy’s brain. It was currently one of those moments, and the knowledge felt heavy. Nick seemed to recognize this, continuing his barrage of compliments.
“Beauty and brains? I don’t know how you do it, officer!”
“As Bruno Mouse once said, ‘girl you’re amazing just the way you are!’” Jasper chimed in.
“Stop, drop, and roll. ‘This bunny is on fire!’” Nick said, fanning himself as he quoted Alicia Squeaks. Finally, the overwhelmed bunny burst into laughter. A warm feeling bubbled up inside her, slowly lifting her spirits and cleansing her mind of the self-doubt that festered within her. With mammals like them in her life, she didn’t think she could ever stay gloomy. She was eternally grateful. She sucked in a breath and pasted a smile on her muzzle.
“Thank you guys,” she said sincerely.
“We are team Judy Hopps until the day we die. That is, unless your chief lets you go on vacation. Then I’m team Bogo,” Jasper said, cracking a grin. Judy shook her head, huffing out another laugh.
“Bud, I think it’s time you let go of that dream for now. We’re in high demand. We’ll need at least a five-year advance notice,” Nick said and leaned back into the couch, offering Jasper a shrug that said, “what can ya do?”
The dejected Zebra sighed and dramatically launched himself back into the cushion of his own chair.
“Fine. No camp reunion. For now.”
***
“Hopps and Wilde, I assume you are familiar with the camp Happy Connections?” Chief Bogo’s voice cut through the bullpen chatter, drawing Judy from her sleepy daze. She blinked a few times and straightened up, looking at Nick out of the corner of her eye. He met her gaze with a raised eyebrow before turning to Bogo. After five years away from the camp, it suddenly seemed like a popular topic of conversation.
“Do we know the camp, Happy Connections. Of course we do, Chief! Practically born and raised there,” Nick said. Judy eyed the familiar cocky smirk on his lips, and her stomach flipped against her will. Why did he have to be so gosh-darned attractive?!
Bogo stared at Nick for a few moments. His eye twitching was the only indicator that he heard the fox.
“My records tell me you were employed there when you were nineteen, Wilde,” Bogo said flatly.
“But so darn youthful, you’d think I was younger,” Nick answered with a grin. The giant cape buffalo flared his nostrils and narrowed his eyes.
“Or maybe it’s the lack of maturity,” he said, grinding his teeth together. Judy’s ears flew up, and she jumped to stand in her seat, wanting to stop Nick from getting under the chief’s skin even more. Despite everyone else’s reactions to his behavior, the fox seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. Judy fought the urge to grin and instead cleared her throat to draw the chief’s attention away from him.
“Sir, why do you ask about the camp?”
Bogo sighed, sliding comically small glasses over his eyes to read the sheet of paper in front of him.
“We have reports of suspicious activity taking place over the past couple of weeks. There’s been a perfect storm of disruption and destruction, and the staff is getting increasingly concerned for the safety and well-being of the campers. It will be your job to investigate the circumstances and ensure the children are safe. Normally, I would assign more experienced officers to the job…” the Chief began, causing Judy’s stomach to churn with worry and annoyance at what he implied.
“But… one of the camp staff members specifically requested the two of you,” Bogo finished. His jaw ticked as he looked inconvenienced, but Judy couldn’t help the feeling of excitement that buzzed within her. She leaned over the table in front of her, unable to suppress a grin. The fox at her left regarded her with a soft expression, a smile growing on his own lips. Her excitement was infectious.
“We won’t disappoint, Chief,” Judy said with determination evident in her tone. Bogo nodded at the duo once, shuffling the papers in his hooves.
“Use this as a chance to prove yourselves as partners. Show the ZPD that you are more than just a diversity hire,” he said in his usual gruff tone. The other officers in the bullpen snickered at his words, causing Judy’s stomach to drop. Nick glanced at the bunny, noticing her deflate before his eyes. The smirk dropped off his snout, replaced with a serious expression. He gently reached under the table and took her paw, giving it a squeeze.
“Seeing as Officer Hopps has a great track record for proving mammals wrong, I think we’ll do just fine. Thanks Chief, we’ll be leaving now,” he slid off the chair with a calmness he didn’t feel, and glanced around the room, daring any of them to disagree with him. Judy’s ears remained plastered to the back of her head as she followed suit. When nobody said a word, her suspicions were confirmed. They were only brave enough to make snide comments behind their backs. Blood rushed in her ears as they grabbed the case file from the disgruntled buffalo and exited the room.
Guess they were getting that camp reunion after all.