AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello all! First off, this is my first story so I appreciate constructive criticism. That doesn't mean be a prick. Second off, no official schedule; I'm a college student and this is something I'm doing because I enjoy it. I know where I want to take this story, so I hope I don't disappoint. Third, this won't be a one-shot. This will be long and time extensive on my part. If you like reading, please enjoy the length. And finally, I hope this meets your expectations. Maybe this will be my first of many stories; maybe it'll be my only one. Time will tell. Peace.

"Maybe a supervisor one day!"

"200 bucks a day, Fluff!"

"Nick gonna be working with the fuzz!"

"I know a guy at the DMV…"

"Ice 'em!"

"They might be going back to their primal state?!"

"You were right; I'm just a dumb bunny!"

*screeeee, click* "I'm just a dumb bunny!"

*Screeee, Click* "I'm just a dumb bunny!"

*SCREEEEE, CLICK* "I'm just a dumb bu-"

With a start, the red fox known as Nick Wilde lurched up in his bed, eyes narrow as he quickly adjusted to the darkness. To his right was the nightstand with his dark aviators, the dimmed alarm clock, and a photo of him in front of his mother. He didn't need to look at the clock to know it wasn't time for him to wake up yet; he was nocturnal by nature so waking up in the middle of the night happened from time to time. But he hadn't expected THAT. He shook his head, his eyes turning to his left to the closet in his room. The door was open and he saw the pressed uniform and the dark tie hanging in the closet. That sloppy grin that irked many of the mammals who knew him grew across his face as the small amount of light coming into the room somehow glinted off the badge.

His ears perked up at the sound of the cars below. It was still quiet, but after leaving the bridge and moving into an apartment he still wasn't used to the loudness. Luckily he'd gotten darker blinds and his apartment was higher up to save some of the noise. Apparently the higher the apartment the more expensive it was, but there was a small range where the height was a nuisance and so rent was cheaper. Having a past as a con-fox had helped him find that height and get in on the cheaper location.

He thought about swinging his legs out of bed, but the clock told him he had a few hours before it was time to wake up. And he knew that being newly assigned to the most populous area, Precinct One, wasn't going to be a free ride. Especially if he showed up late. Although showing up late would be fun…

His head fell back down towards the pillow as he curled up into a slightly curled version of himself. He'd only had a few mammals see him like this other than his mother. None of them really cared if he looked a bit more childish as he slept, because most of them didn't want sleep. Oddly enough, his smart aleck ways and icy past made those few decide not to stay long. No one stayed long. Worked for him, made it easier to escape when something didn't go his way. Although lately that hadn't been a problem, what with the police academy and turning himself straight, all thanks to a rabbit. Even he heard himself chuckle, it was the funniest thing in the world. All he knew was that it somehow happened and it made his life better. That made falling asleep much easier.

*BLEEP, BLEEP, BLEEP, BLEEP, BLE-*

Nick had somehow rolled over, but his left paw was on the alarm clock. He thought. He closed his paw, feeling air. He lifted his head up, licking his maw as his green eyes opened. The clock was gone.

'Wait, no it's not,' was all he could think stupidly as his gaze traveled. There is was, against the wall. Broken. He groaned and pushed his head back into the pillow. A muffled, "Not again…" came out before he clambered up out of bed, leaving the sheets messy as he shuffled to the bathroom. Despite being a cop, waking up at 5:30 in the morning was a kill joy to his day. It was still dark outside, which helped his eyes, but this was not what he wanted. If his sleep schedule got off it'd be hell to fix.

The water turned on as he shucked his sleepwear. Another thing that never mattered to his short term relationships- he had specifically spent the money on sleepwear. Yes, mammals wore clothes now compared to their past relatives. Didn't make it any less hot. So, he'd bought cooler things to sleep in. Apparently being worried about a sleep appearance made him quite the stuck up.

"Must think a hell of a lot of myself, huh?" he asked himself, remembering the same question as the door had slammed in his face years ago. Different door, mind you, but a door all the same. He smirked as he jumped in, feeling the hot water splash into his ears. "Yeah, yeah I do." Thank the lords above that Judy didn't hear him say anything like that, he'd never hear the end of it.

Turns out he wouldn't get to. He was dressed, mostly, when a knock on his door happened. Wasn't that loud, so he knew it wasn't anyone too big. He looked down, considered himself dressed well enough, and opened the door. The first thing that he saw was the black tips of a pair of long ears. He froze as he heard a squeak and let his eyes fall. Sure enough, those long ears belonged to a short, furry mammal he knew. And that mammal wasn't looking at him, she was busy admiring the white wall across from the door.

Judy Hopps just stammered out, "G… g… good morning, N…Nick." He chuckled. This had never bothered him, but he knew his partner was quite sheltered in the past.

"Morning, Carrots. Didn't expect you here." Seriously, he hadn't. As far as he knew she rode the bus straight to the station. How'd she even know he lived here now?

"Well, you uh… you did kind of… just move in. I figured going to work would be a… nice way to start the day."

Drats. She'd helped him move in. Helped may be a big word for her, as she'd only been able to get a few boxes in. She'd help set up quite a bit though and that was appreciated. He felt his head hit the door frame. 'Gotta remember to pay more attention when she's around,' he reminded himself. It made her annoyed, which was fun for him, but could cause problems. Like now.

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that, completely forgot." She just nodded. "Hang on, let me put on some coffee." He sensed movement and saw her ears perk up, if only slightly.

"No time, we can get some on the way," his new partner told him, turning. "We might be late as…" She squeaked and turned away. Again.

Nick cocked his head. What was going on with her? He looked down, realizing his shirt wasn't buttoned at all and he was still slightly wet. His smile disappeared before coming back slightly larger as he quickly made a joke out of this… situation.

"Carrots, you survived a naturalist club," he reminded her, seeing her slightly jump. She must have had quite the education that day. "And after we got Flash, you remember that slight scuffle afterwards with some young lions? He was barely twenty, he showed a lot more than I am now."

Her ears showed a slight bit of color. "That was the job and this is… different. You're my friend. I expected you to be dressed and I just got… surprised." His laughter came out without meaning to.

"You sure that's all this is, bunny?"

"I was sheltered, okay? It makes me uncomfortable!" Her ears drooped and she turned around, purple eyes blazing. Nick felt his throat tighten and a gulp came out. He'd maybe teased a bit too far this morning. He gulped and turned his back, fumbling with his clothes and getting presentable, finally grabbing his mPhone and glasses off the nearby desk. He could hear her foot thumping. She was in a hurry and his joke had gotten out of paw. Oops.

They walked side by side down the hall and got in the elevator. Nothing was said, but Nick knew she wasn't happy. She got so defensive sometimes. As it clanged, he followed her out of the box, down the small mail area and outside. Five minutes later had them at a coffee shop, and ten later they were walking into the main area of the Zootopia Police Department's Precinct One. It was pretty quiet for the morning, but suddenly Nick felt a large, furry paw his back. He jolted forward, his hot coffee hitting his muzzle and shooting across his uniform, the scalding liquid making him bark in surprise. He turned, seeing a fellow officer holding an angry leopard who had his front legs cuffed behind his back. The leopard immediately froze at the look Nick gave it, before struggling more as the much larger Rhino pulled him to booking for whatever he'd done. Nick looked down at his blues, feeling the cup in his paw almost empty, seeing a fresh stain in his new uniform forming. His fur would have raised in annoyance, had it not been wet against his chest.

Judy hopped forward with a snicker. She turned around, and Nick noticed Clawhauser behind the desk almost laughing. "Guess you got a karmic prank in return for this morning," she bantered at him.

Nick groaned. This new job had him here less than a month and this was the start of his day. He wasn't exactly looking forward to the rest.