DISCLAIMER: The rights to Zootopia and its characters belong Disney, and any other company associated with the movie. This was not made for profit, simply out of sheer love and joy I have for this wonderful movie and its insanely lovable characters.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story takes place a year after the events of the movie. To those of you who want to avoid spoilers, I do not recommend you read this story before watching the movie (then again, I don't know who would read this who hasn't seen the movie), as there will be plenty of references to the events of the movie. You have been warned.

- I should also mention that my plan for this fanfic is to update it with a new chapter once a month. Some chapters may come sooner or later than planned, it depends, but I'm shooting for at least one month in between them

RATING WARNING: M. Though I will try to stick as close to the movie in terms of spirit as I can, there will be a couple of instances of foul language (I'll try to keep it as minimal as I can), mild to explicit sexual themes, and a slight bit of violence. I will give each chapter a respective warning that fits with the contents, but be warned that if you plan to stick through with it, you will encounter more adult themes down the line.

This chapter is purely rated K+. Absolutely nothing you have to worry about here. But if you don't have a problem with the rating, then please sit back and I hope you enjoy~

[CHAPTER 1: SLOW DAY AT WORK]

A year has passed since the devastating "Night Howler Case" had nearly torn the gleaming, prosperous Zootopia, apart. Thanks to the stellar work by Zootopia's finest, the animals have remained at peace since. Predator and prey were at each other's throats, and things might have gone worse if it wasn't thanks to the harmonious efforts of star ZPD officer, Judy Hopps and, the ZPD's newest recruit and first fox officer, Nicholas Wilde.

Though still considered the newbie of the precinct, Nick participated in a good handful of tough cases alongside his resourceful partner Judy. They've dealt with illegal street races, stopped shady black market trades, and even put a stop to an attempted kidnapping. Nick has gone above and beyond in proving his worth as an asset to the force, though he's quick to say that he never would have solved any of these on his own, and Judy is the reason why he's a police officer in the first place.

Of course, this has led to rumor floating around the station that the two tiny mammals might be an "item". This hasn't gone unnoticed by either of them, though they normally just shrug the notion off like it's nothing. "Normally" being the keyword.

It seems that for the past few weeks or so, nothing nearly as wild or dangerous as what Precinct 1 normally deals with. Usually it's just some rambunctious teenager out to cause mischief or petty vandalism; nothing a police alarm and a quick call to their parents can't fix. While the officers can at least be pretty thankful that the streets of Zootopia haven't been as swamped with crime as it normally is, it's also made the atmosphere at the station slow-paced and dull. It's just not the same without Bogo barking orders, or Clawhauser's constant overly-chipper greetings- or near-incomprehensible ramblings about his favorite pop idols- the other officers haven't even cracked as many jokes at each other as they usually do. While relatively peaceful, not everybody in the precinct was at ease.

The normally wily, wise-cracking, suave, red fox himself, Nick Wilde, was leaning back on his swivel chair, feet propped up on top of his desk, hands behind his head, and staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. At this time Nick would be coming up with ways to get under Bogo's skin by taunting him about how he knew about his secret affinity to Gazelle's music, but he just didn't have the spirit for it. It's been hard for the vulpine to explain to himself just why he's not in the mood to cause mischief; the quiet atmosphere at the station has given time for Nick to clear his mind off work and think about the other aspects in his life.

Nick is absolutely happy with his new position, there's no denying that being a police officer is one of the best things that have ever happened in his life. Nick's mom is more than happy with his new position, and with his new steady income, it's also made it easier for him to visit her more often. Nick and Finnick no longer work together, but the two foxes are still in good terms with each other. Finnick's own life of crime has slowed down, though for different reasons that Nick is quick to tease him about- dating. The two taking shots at each other like that isn't going away, and they wouldn't want it any other way. Finally, there's Judy. Not only could Nick not have asked for a better partner, but he has never bonded with anyone like he has with her.

Even outside of work, Nick loves spending time with Judy more than anyone else. Nick has dropped by Judy's apartment several times (and also makes fun of her neighbors whenever he cans), he's shown Judy all over Zootopia- from the markets of Tundratown, to the glamorous streets of Sahara Square, to even cozy little cafes in the Rainforest District- and they've both even met each other's families. Things couldn't be going any better between them, so Nick couldn't understand why he's been more apprehensive to approach her.

The fox broke out of his pensive state, pulled his feet back from the desk, and jumped out of his seat to stand up, stretching out his arms and letting out a soft yawn. Nick turned on his heel and stepped out of his cubicle; he thought that seeing what the other officers were up to would break him away from his thoughts. He shuffled around the station, scanning for whatever would catch his attention. Officers Fangmire and Delgato were chatting by the watercooler. Nothing important, just talk about a baseball game. Nick then saw Officer McHorn glaring at Clawhauser from using the donuts from the break room to build a tower with them, which inevitably collapsed. The rhino crossed his arms and exhaled through his nose as Clawhauser responded to him with a small grin and an embarrassed "oops". This got a small snicker out of Nick, who shook his head in amusement.

"Don't ever change, big guy." Nick uttered under his breath as he continued moving about the station. His gaze turned to the upstairs floor and saw the door to the chief's office was halfway open, "Wonder what Captain Buffalo Butt is up to?"

Nick walked by Bogo's office, though he only saw the big guy was wearing his glasses and was quietly writing on some papers. Nothing out of the ordinary except that Bogo seemed to be quite happy. Bogo didn't notice Nick's presence, so the fox simply shrugged his shoulders and walked down the stairs.

There was one more animal he wanted to see- Judy. This wouldn't be an issue for him in the slightest, but this time he was feeling nervous, and he still didn't understand why. He became more hesitant as he approached her cubicle, but he shook his head and went to see his partner. Nick felt disappointed as he peered inside the cubicle because Judy wasn't even in there. The fox noticed a lot of scattered papers littered on top her desk, and the area itself had a strong scent of coffee. Nick assumed that Judy probably headed out to get more coffee while he was walking around the station.

The red fox made his way back to his own cubicle, sitting back on his chair and propping his feet back on top of the wooden desk. Nick placed his hands behind his head, and released a soft sigh. He thought taking a nap would help ease his nerves and clear his head. His eyelids slowly closed shut and breathed at a slow pace as he drifted off to sleep.

"NICK!" a sudden shout rang in the fox's sensitive ears.

The fox shouts in surprise from the sudden yell, causing him to push his chair away from under him and fall on the ground, making the loose pens, mug of coffee, and computer rattle from the hard impact.

"Oh goodness." The concerned voice from a certain small animal said, "Are you okay?!"

"Mmmrrph…" Nick grumbled in pain as he laid flat on the ground. He turned his head to the side, and opened his eyes seeing a pair of big grey rabbit feet. His head turned back to center itself as his eyes darted from the feet, to the frame and, finally, the face of the one and only bunny partner of his, "H-hey, Carrots. Fancy meeting you here." He greeted in a low hushed tone that while he felt a combination of embarrassment and pain.

"Sorry for scaring you, Nick." Judy apologized as she knelt down to help her partner get back to his feet. As soon as Nick regained his balance he dusted off his sleeves and adjusted his tie.

"Scaring me? No, not at all." Nick lied and tried to hide his embarrassment with his trademark sly smile and usual suave, cool voice "I was just testing you to see how quickly you would help a fellow officer while he's down."

Judy narrowed her eyes and leaned against the open frame of the cubicle, "Uh-huh. Alright, if you say so." The rabbit said in a flat tone, though quickly perked up again, "but listen, I need to tell you something. I think I'm on the verge of discovering something really big!"

"Big?" the fox asked, scratching the back of his head, "what are you talking about?"

"I'm sure you've noticed that things have gotten pretty quiet around here." Judy began to explain, "a little too quiet."

"Well yeah, nothing interesting's been goin' on around here." Nick scoffed while crossing his arms across his chest.

"Sure, that's a definite part of it, but have you noticed how Bogo has been acting lately?"

"You mean like a reasonable animal?" Nick remarked jokingly, while Judy tilted her head and groaned under breath, "Okay, okay, tell me what's the deal with Master Top-Heavy."

Judy cleared her throat and looked at the papers in her right hand, "Well, Bogo has been acting considerably nicer lately, although it's not simply because of less cases to deal with, as of lat. In fact, I have some notes and records in here that'll show that he's been acting progressively nicer over the course of the past two months."

"And this is a problem, how?" Nick asked as he extended his right hand out.

"Don't you find it just the slightest bit suspicious?" Judy asked in response, "whether or not you think it's a good change, wouldn't you find it a little strange that someone you, especially if you knew them for a long time, is acting differently all of a sudden?"

Nick was taken back by the question. He was starting to worry that Judy may be picking up on his own odd behavior.

"Well, I guess you have a point there." Nick said, sounding less enthusiastic than he was before, "Judy? Is it just Bogo that's acting like this?" he asked.

"Well, maybe." Judy replied. She noticed that Nick's tone changed, "why do you ask?"

"Just curious." The fox replied hesitantly and flashed a sheepish smile.

"Well the only other animal that I'm seeing acting a bit suspicious is you, Nick." Judy furrowed her brow in concern, "Is something wrong, Nick? Is there something you're not telling me that I should be-?"

"No, no! I'm fine!" the fox quickly replied, "I'm feeling completely and totally fine. I've just been, you know" he paused, "I've had a lot of time to myself to think about other things, but it's nothing to worry about."

Judy stares at her partner for a few seconds then looks back down at her papers. "If you say so." The rabbit's voice trailed off as she turned around to leave Nick's cubicle. Once Judy walked out Nick couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for not telling the truth, though he himself still didn't know what was wrong with him. The fox rolled his chair back under him and sat on the seat. He rested his elbow on top of the desk and leaned his head on his palm, releasing a soft remorseful sigh.

"Hey, Nick?" Judy's voice called from away the office.

The sound of her voice made Nick's ears perk up. He stood up from his chair and looked around the open frame of the cubicle to see his partner looking back at him, "Yes, Judy?"

"If there's anything wrong you can always tell me." Judy said in a welcoming tone, "We're partners, for one, but you're also my best friend. If there's anything wrong, I want to be there to help; Lord knows you've done more than enough to help me."

Feeling some comfort in her words, Nick returned the smile and even chuckled at the bunny's remark, "Thanks, Carrots. I know I can always count on you."

Judy turned around and walked back to her cubicle. Nick's smile slowly disappeared as the troubling feeling came back to him, though stronger than before because he finally knew what it was.