Chapter one - Friends and Partners

I don't consider myself too complex. I have simple needs and goals and I am quite easy to read, or so I've been told at least. Happened on my very first day in Zootopia, in fact.

-Come on, Fluff! They are getting away!
The bunny didn't reply, as she was focused on not losing sight on the criminals they were chasing. They were drug dealers that managed to escape a raid on their hiding place.
She, being a bunny, was quite fast, but the two wolves, a cheetah and a panther seemed to be even more so. After 20 minutes of pursuit, they were still capable of giving them the slip. It was thanks to her partner's nose that they kept track on their whereabouts every time that happened.
-This way!- Guided the Fox to the street going to their right in the intersection, and 200 meters ahead there they were, climbing through the window of a storehouse.

Since I was little, I wanted to be a Police Officer. That is simple. I didn't want to be some kind of invincible cop that every day could catch any criminal in the city, had never missed a shot and was famous everywhere. Just to be a Police Officer and do what I could to make the world a better place.

-Agent Hopps and Wilde requesting backup in a storehouse in Kalving Street. Two wolves, one cheetah and one panther, possibly armed. Over.- Called Judy through the speaker in her shoulder while they approached the main door.
- Roger that, Hopps. Sending two units on your way.- Clawhauser's answer came through the device barely a second after.
Her partner, Nick, took the dart gun from his belt, which she also did, and, on his mark, opened the door and stormed inside.

The hard part is what you do to get there and the obstacles you face on your way there. For me, was the training. It was made for larger mammals, stronger and more resilient to the trials. I was smaller and weaker than any of them. Chances were that I would give up very soon. Luckily for me, I didn't, but I went through hell at that time.

They moved through the big building, checking carefully the corners as they moved forward and covering the other in turns. It was full of wooden boxes, piled pallets and other stuff, making a sort of labyrinth. It was pretty obvious that the place was abandoned quite some time ago.
Suddenly, a bullet passed close to Judy's face, embedding itself in some planks near her, and forced the two friends to take some steps back and take cover.
- I hate that we are allowed to have only dart guns while the criminals use real fire weapons. It's not fair.- Said the fox to his partner while he tried to see something over the pile of bricks they were hiding behind.
The bunny sighed .- For the hundredth time, the ZPD does not provide with lethal weaponry so the criminals get to be in prison. If they die they can't be punished.
Nick looked at her, surprised, as if he just understood that.
- Wait, seriously?
Judy raised one eyebrow in disbelief. He should know that, if not by logic at least because of the many times he has been told.
- Is it already the hundredth time? Do I get a prize for it?- Said the fox smirking, making her punch his elbow.

Now, I am a cop. All the hard work its paying off. I am what I always wanted, I help people, I have friends I can count on in the ZPD... and I have the best partner I could possibly ask for. Even though I would kill him sometimes.
He has always my back, as I have his, both in work time and outside it; he knows me to the point we barely need to talk in dangerous situations, and we have plenty of them in our job. And most importantly, we trust each other with our lives.

More bullets missed their target as they moved to better positions. Neither the fox nor the bunny had shot more than two or three darts each, but their supplies were getting low already.
- Any plan, Carrots? Please, tell me you've got one that doesn't involve a hole in our skins.- Asked the fox while reloading and checking things around the corner.
- GET OUT HERE, COPS! WE ARE MORE THA-ACK!- The perp's threat, one of the wolves, was silenced by a dart shot by Judy to his neck, who didn't need to aim since the shouting gave up his position.
- Aw, why did you do that, Carrots? Now I'll never know what he was saying!- Nick's humor, always out of place, never ceased to amaze the female bunny. Even after a year of being partners, he managed to say something like that.
More bullets, in retaliation to their comrade's falling, flew too close for their tastes. They needed to do something until reinforcements arrived or they would leave in plastic bags.
- Nick, do you remember The Leopold's case, 3 months back?- Asked her, with a mischievous smile. He understood and smiled back.
- Oh, you sly bunny.- Said turning the corner and moving ahead, closer to the criminals, while Judy went the other way and knocked boxes and other things over to draw attention on herself.

We have been partners for around a year, but we worked together on the Nighthowlers case, half a year before Nick came out of the academy. He was a con artist back then, and I was forced to team up with him even if I couldn't trust him at all. He had tricked me once before and crushed my spirit on my very first day on the force. He helped me unwillingly because I had recorded his voice in a not very appealing situation for him and blackmailed Nick to get him in jail with it if he wouldn't cooperate. Who would know at that time that we would become so close as we are now?

The fox got behind the last line of defense, leaving the remaining three criminals hiding behind some boxes and containers. They were obviously low on ammo right now, since they wouldn't fire so much. One of them, the cheetah in front of Nick, was already out of it, by the looks of it.
At the other side, Judy made a risky move and came out of hiding, shooting a dart that missed in the panther's direction. The criminal shot against her, aiming for the chest, and made her spin with the force of the bullet. She landed on the floor, screaming in pain.
- HOPPS!- Shouted Nick while coming out of hiding too in her direction, just to be tackled down by the cheetah, who punched him in the face, took his dart gun and threw it away. His comrade, the wolf, came by his side and aimed his gun at Nick's head. The fox stopped resisting, face up and with both opponents looking down on him.
The panther started walking, victorious, towards the wounded bunny, who had a paw on her chest to block the blood from leaking. And by the looks of it, with a red pool already forming on the ground under her, it wasn't working much.
- So, this is the infamous officer Hopps. Pride of the police department, first bunny on the force, hero of Zootopia, and so on, and so on.- He knelt beside her, not even bothering in pointing her with the gun anymore.- Look at you now, "hero". You should have stayed in your carrot farm. Here, you are only a cute stuffed mammal.- The wolf and cheetah laughed at this. But not even the panther saw the smile on the bunny's face.
- Don't call me "cute"- Said, not grimacing in pain any more.
As if on call, Nick took a dart from his sleeve and pierced the wolf's leg with, who winced in pain before collapsing. The sound alerted the other two, who didn't see Judy stand up, grab the dart gun and shoot the cheetah with it.
That made the panther look at Judy once again, realizing the trick, and tried to punch her, but Nick had already jumped over him and used his legs to choke him and his arms to blind his sight.
Judy used that distraction to pull another dart from her pouch and stabbed the criminal, who felt the weakening effects.
- You... tricked... me.- Managed to say before losing consciousness.
- It's called a hustle, sweetheart.- Recited Judy while cleaning the tomato sauce from her uniform, barely moments before a groups of officers stormed into the building, only to find the two friends, mostly unharmed, and the four criminals asleep on the floor.

I am enjoying every moment with Nick, both at work and on our free time. We hang out and eat together, go to the movies or just chat at home with take out food on our hands. He helped me find a new apartment close to him and move out of the old one, he has come with me to Bunnyburrow to meet my family and he was with me the first time I got shot and took care of me, physically and emotionally, until I recovered.
I spend almost every waking moment with him, and I treasure each of those moments. And that, I think, is my problem.

The four criminals pawcuffed were led to the police cars to be taken to the ZPD's cells until their trial. Behind them were Judy and Nick, the second caressing carefully his face, which hurt from the punch he received from the wolf. It was starting to swell, but it wasn't too bad. It just hurt.
- You think I can convince Chief Bog to give me vacations to recover from this?
Judy laughed, knowing how improbable that was.- Unless you want to spend two weeks doing paperwork, I suggest you don't try. And we both know how much you like that. In fact, I take it back: tell him. Maybe he will make you write our reports and then I will have some free time.
He smirked, the same way he always does, like he was enjoying that banter, which he was.
- Sly bunny.
- Dumb fox.- She replied, smiling at him while jumping on the car other officers had brought from where they had left it.
- You know you love me.- Continued Nick, this inside joke being almost everyday's bread and personal pleasure of the duo.
- Do I know that?- Judy faked thinking about it before answering, looking directly into Nick's green eyes.- Yes, yes I do.

Yes, yes I do.
I really do.