Summary:

Plain Jane Judy Hopps has always placed family commitments first. But fate takes a turn when she soon finds herself working for a certain fox. Sets in AU contains fluff!

Nick x Judy

A/N: This is an AU based on a piece of work I did, you can check them out at my deviant page (walloruss)

I would like to thank Tigerman354 for the awesome ideas and encouragement to start off this story!

We hope you all will enjoy it as much as we do!

PS: Pardon the spelling or grammatical errors

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The day Judy Hopps moved to Zootopia was a mixture of feelings for the country bunny. The memory was still fresh in her mind. Exhilaration filled her and yet there was a little sensation of uneasiness. Growing up in a farm, the modern city was a new unfamiliar territory to her. Her brilliant violet eyes sparkled with excitement when she first witness the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. There were mammals of all different species and sizes such as wildebeests, hippos even porcupines. However, it was the breath-taking landscapes that struck her in awe. Imagine all different habitats coming together as one! Zootopia was a city of dreams where animals lived in harmony and any animal can be anything they wish to be. It must be true...that was what many had thought even for the bunny.

However for Judy Hopps, she learned it the hard way.

It was a hot sunny afternoon at Sahara square. So, it was not surprising to see many joints packed with hungry mammals where they could grab a bite to eat and escape the sweltering heat.

Not even Oasis Coffeehouse was spared from the crowd. While the bistro was found in a secluded part of the city, it was known for its delectable specialities. It offers from coffees, espresso-based drinks to desserts and pastries, and light sandwiches. The place was adorned with oaken furniture and brass lamps that hung from the ceiling. Piped in jazzy music, Oasis Coffeehouse quickly became a popular space where animals could hang out.

There was a dash of grey running from one table to another. It was a busy time for its waitress.

"What can I get for you Sir?" asked the rabbit, fishing out a notepad and carrot pen from her breast-pocket.

"What would you recommend?" the rhino asked, his deep voice rumbled behind the menu.

"Would you like to try our lunch special? We're serving acorn sandwiches today!" the waitress suggested with a bright smile.

There was a slight pause and rustling when the rhino put down the menu. "Then I'll have an acorn sandwich and a vanilla latte" replied the rhino crisply.

"Alright, it will be served shortly" she gathered the menu and hopped off the table.

The cafe housed mammals of all sizes and it was a little tricky for the bunny when it came to serving larger mammals. Overtime, experience gave her the upper hand when she found a way to tackle this challenge.

Judy adjusted her glasses as she made a quick dash for the kitchen. It was ironic to see a rabbit wear glasses when they are known to have perfect vision. But that was all a silly myth. She did not realize her poor vision till the age of nine. She had almost ran into a bed of Night Howlers thinking that they were some pretty flowers. Lucky for the little kit, her father had managed to stop her in time. Since then, she has relied on her trusty purple glasses.

It's pretty crowded today, she thought. She didn't have time to take a breather as customers came flooding in wave after wave. As soon as Judy swung open the kitchen doors, she was greeted by Jerry Jumbeaux, the head chef as well as her boss. He was a large, well-upholstered elephant infamous for his snide remarks and fiery temper.

"Orders up rabbit!" grumbled the elephant, gesturing to the tower of plates looming treacherously on the kitchen counter. She grimaced, clearly he wasn't in a good mood.

Shaking off the feeling, she rolled up her white sleeves. Alright Judy, Let's do this! The rabbit mustered all her strength as she placed the plates on each arm. Although her build was lean and quite small, she was pretty strong for a bunny. Carefully, she balanced the stack of plates and strode out of the kitchen.

One, four, six, nine... she was busy memorizing the orders when a sudden tap on her shoulders disrupted her thoughts.

"Excuse me, our drinks aren't here yet..." said a customer who was growing impatient.

"One second sir..." she answered, placing an order on table one. Her paws were becoming sweaty.

"Judy! Orders from table eight!" called a waiter, waving a flimsy piece of paper in the air.

"I-I'm on it!" she could feel a plate slipping dangerously.

"Order for table 5 is up!" yelled the chef causing the rabbit to jump slightly but she quickly regained her balance. That was too close!

"Coming!" the bunny was moving swiftly through the crowd when she saw a kit in her way. Oh shoot! She swerved instantly and missed a footing. Everything was in slow motion, she watched helplessly as the plates flew from her arms. The distance between the floor and her grew closer. She shut her eyes tightly, ready to brace the impact.

The next thing she knew was a loud crash and then silence.

"HOPPS!" her name rang loudly in her ears as she opened her eyes.

Sweet cheese and crackers...

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It has been a year since Judy has moved to the city, Zootopia. The same day last year, when business at Family Hopps farm was taking a dip for the worse. It was an extremely tense and difficult time for her family. Business became slow as more and more villagers started to move away in search for better prospects. To aggravate matters, the amount of harvest was minute due to recent climate changes.

It was night time when Judy felt shuffling under her sheets. She rubbed her eyes groggily to see one of her younger siblings, Amelia. She was sniffling.

"What is it sweetie?" she held her younger sister in her arms.

"Momma and Papa has been fighting a lot lately..." she mumbled sadly, Judy was taken aback by the remark.

Pulling the covers over them, Judy hugged her sister closely. "No, it isn't like that" she comforted her sister, putting her back to sleep.

"Yes, it is" she insisted, trying to fight back a yawn. Her little sister was right, their parents had been fighting, mostly about the farm. It was starting to take a toll on everyone.

"Shh...it's going to be alright, I promise" Judy patted her sister gently to sleep.

A good ten minutes went by when she noticed her sister slow rhythmic breathing. Scooping the kit in her arms, she went to put her sister in bed. She was making her way back to her own room when her sensitive hearing picked up something from the kitchen.

"We've managed to break even this month..." the older male rabbit declared after calculating the last pile of receipts on the table.

"We can't go on like this Stu, who knows what will happen in the next few months," the female said quietly. Judy inched over the stairway railing.

"We'll be fine! The berries are doing much better this time, we can use them to earn back our losses," he tried to convince his worried wife or at least tried to convince himself.

Bonnie took a deep breath, "Stu...We should sell the farm" she said quickly. Immediately, Stu clenched his fist before slamming it hard on the table. This caused their elder daughter to jump slightly in the darkness.

"Sell the farm!? What are you thinking Bonnie?" she knew her husband would be against this idea but what other choice did they have?

"It is the only way Stu! We can't afford any more losses...not with the next litter arriving soon" she touched her swollen belly.

That final statement made her husband clamped his mouth shut before he started rubbing his temples. Judy tip-toed quietly across the living room and peered through the kitchen door. Dark circles surrounded her father's eyes, she has never seen him so exhausted. Her heart sank.

Bonnie sighed, placing her arms around her husband's shoulders "I know it's hard Stu," she said gently "but it's the only way we can get the money."

He stares at his wife for a lingering moment "...alright" her husband gives in.

No. Judy knew how much the farm meant to her family, especially to her father.

There's got to be a way, think Judy think.She was biting her lower lip when she found herself staring out at the window. A sudden flash of light danced across the sky caught her attention. Her violet eyes followed the source of the light before they widen slightly.

An idea clicked in her head. The City! That's it! A bubble of hope was rising in her chest.

"Mom, dad! I've got it!" she burst into the kitchen.

"Got what bun-bun?" her parents were shocked by the sudden outburst, their expressions grew concern.

"You don't have to sell the farm!" Judy explained.

Both her parents looked at each other briefly before their confused expressions settled on their older daughter.

"Don't you see that's our ticket out of this mess!" she pointed out of the window.

"What do you mean dear?" her mother asked in bewilderment.

"I can work in the city!" their daughter rambled on, "we can save the extra money to help the farm, I'm sure there are many job-"

"Absolutely not!" her father's stern voice echoed through the room.

"B-but dad!" she thumped her feet in exasperation.

"No, I will not have my daughter roaming around the city," he was grabbing his daughter by her shoulders "that place is crawling with predators!"

"Dad, times are different now!" she shook her father's paws off her. "Zootopia's a place where preys and predators live in harmony!"

"Harmony? What harmony?" she could feel his anger rising. "Remember your Grand Uncle Terry who was attacked by Bonson Grey?" he was pacing around the kitchen.

"That no good fox! He caused your Grand Uncle to be bed ridden for life!" he huffed.

"That was ages ago! It was a raging feud between Grand Uncle Terry and Bonson!" she argued.

"No more arguments young lady, my decision's made up" he thumped his feet down.

"Why don't you trust me? I'm practically a grown rabbit now!" she piqued.

"I can't risk losing you!" he confessed.

Silence hang over them.

The last thing she wanted was to get into a fight with her father.

"Please dad, I don't wish to fight with you" Judy placed a paw over her dad's arm. "I know how much the farm means to you and mom" she squeezed his arm gently for assurance "I promise you, I'll be fine."

Stu stared into those huge violet eyes filled with determination. He turned to his wife who nodded gingerly taking their daughter in her arms.

"Fine" her father admits his defeat. "But you are bringing a fox taser with you!" he added.

A huge smile lit up her face. "I won't let you guys down!" she pulled her parents into a tight hug.

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Since then, Judy has taken up different part time jobs ranging from house cleaning to working in factories. However, she could never quite settled into one of these jobs. She often found her capabilities overlooked or ridiculed by larger mammals.

Today, Judy Laverne Hopps is a waitress at Oasis Coffeehouse. At least she was a waitress at Oasis Coffeehouse…

She was in Jerry's office, siting on one of his large chairs. His office was modest-looking except for his desk which was messy and filled documents. She twiddled with her paws, luckily no customers were hurt from the accident. Nonetheless, judging by the number of plates broken and food spillage, she was in big trouble.

"I knew I shouldn't have hire a bunny, they can't even get a simple job done right!" he growled, slumping against his own chair with a loud thud.

"B-but sir, I can explain-" she defended.

"No buts! You're fired rabbit!" the elephant's mind was made up. Her ears were raised in alarm.

"And forget about your pay slip for this month, you are covering the losses you made today!"

"Y-you can't-" she took up from her seat. She couldn't afford that, not with this month's rental due soon.

"OUT!" the elephant bellowed.

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It was a long journey back to Grand Pangolin Apartments.

Judy sighed as she pulled out the keys to her apartment and opened the door.

Darkness fled as she flipped on the lights to reveal a tiny room with undesirable wallpapers. There was a bed which was squeaky whenever she tossed and turned during the night. Next to it was a small desk with photos of her family back at the burrow. There was also a television which could keep her accompany when she was bored. It wasn't home but it had to do for now.

Judy gathered her things before making her way to the showers. She was not used to sharing showers with random strangers at first. Once, she let out a yelp when she ran into a naked porcupine. Judy's presence had startled her causing quills to shoot from her back. It was Judy's quick reflexes that had saved her from a nasty accident. Since then, she decided to shower in the night where there were fewer mammals using the showers. Turning the tap on, the cool water hit her. She scrubbing her fur when she winced slightly. She searched her arms to discover a few cuts from today's fall. Great...

It was almost eight when Judy was done. She dragged herself back to her quarters.

Throwing herself on the bed, there was a loud squeak as she propped her body using her elbows. She then pulled out something blue under her pillow. It was a special sketch book which she got it as a birthday present from her parents. Her paws flipped open to one of the pages to reveal her work. It was a lovely sketch of a dress which she did when she was younger. It was a red velvet dress which was to be made of silk and crafted with careful stitches to show off its exquisite embroidery. It has been her lifelong dream to become a fashion designer one day where mammals would wear her very own fashion line. She pictured it, models would wear her designs and walk down the runway. Finally, it's her turn to take the runway where she takes a bow to receive a standing ovation.

Alas, it was a faraway dream.

Due to commitments to her family, she never had a chance to study fashion. It's been so long since she decided to push all her dreams aside and lock them safely away.

At times like this, Judy would quietly sketch. It helped put her mind at ease after a long hectic day. She enjoyed the peacefulness of her apartment. Though given many months back, it would be an entirely different scenario. Her first neighbours were a pair of antelopes and to her unpleasant surprise were really loud rowdy animals. Somehow, Judy was struck with good fortune when they decided to moved out a few months ago. Good riddance, she thought as she smiled and waved goodbye to them. She later learned that her new neighbour was going to be a cheetah which set an unsettling feeling down her gut.

The day came when the cheetah arrived. "Nice to meet you! I'm Benjamin Clawhauser" chirped the cat. "H-Hi, I'm Judy Hopps" the rabbit was greeted by a warm handshake. A huge relief was lifted off her shoulders. He was a really nice she did not expect next was for them to quickly become good friends.

There was a sudden knock at the door before it swung open to reveal an over-sized cheetah with a huge bowl of popcorn in his paw.

"Who's ready for movie n-nig-" his sentence stopped midway upon seeing the depressed bunny.

"Hey Judy, are you alright?" he asked, taking a seat by her bed.

"Hey Ben, sorry maybe tonight isn't a good time for movie night" she sighed over her shoulder.

"What's the matter Judy?" his voice filled with concern.

She turned around to face the cat, sitting crossed legged "I got...fired today" she announced. Her eyes avoiding the cheetah in front of her as she swung back and forth.

His concern expression changed into shocked. "Oh, I'm so sorry Judy..." he gasped, paws covering his mouth.

"The rental is up soon. How am I going to find a new job in time?" she laid back against her bed.

The cheetah looked around nervously the small apartment when something caught his eye.

"Well, maybe you don't have to…" he began.

"What do you mean?" she rose up from her position, her head quirked to one side.

"What I mean is...why don't you join the company I'm working for?" suggested the cat.

The bunny was still confused. "Which is?"

"Wilde!"

"The Wilde?" her mouth was slightly agape "Are you crazy Benjamin Clawhauser?" she smacked him by the arm. Wilde was one of the leading fashion lines in Zootopia. Top designers were working for the company and they were killing fashion shows.

"They've never hire any preys before let alone a rabbit!" she went on.

"But I've seen your designs Judy! They're magnificent! You could be the first rabbit designer in Zootopia!" he exclaimed, pointing to one of her best works.

There was a pause as she stared at the design in front of her. "Those are just...sketches silly cat" she sighed, snatching the book back before placing it back under her pillow.

He made a small noise of protest, "I don't see why Wilde won't take you in with the mammal inclusive programme in place recently" he huffed, arms folded.

"It doesn't work that way Ben...Many mammals are still skeptical about the programme" she explained.

"Aww c'mon, I can put in a good word or two for you in front of Finnick" he begged.

"Who's Finnick?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, he's my manager but he's really cool! I'm sure he'll take you in!" the cheetah was beaming with confidence.

"Look Ben, this all cra-" there was a serious tone in her voice but she was soon out matched by the cat.

"I mean what are the odds Judy?" he insisted "You don't have to take up part-time jobs anymore" he continued "You could actually work with top designers! Don't you want that?"

The proposition was tempting.

"Please Judy…" he pleaded with his puppy-like eyes.

Could she say no to those puppy eyes? Nope, she can't.

"Alright, I'm in..."

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Reviews are appreciated! Thank you :)

In the next chapter...

"So you're the fuzz that Clawhauser has been talking about?"