Personal talks
#6 of Zootopian texts
A small handful of scenes, centered arround discussing relationships. Read the previous story for context! ;-)
Officer Judith Hopps wasn't trained for undercover missions. Not yet. That's why when she appeared at the meeting point wearing some huge, dark glasses, a coat and a ZPD baseball hat, a certain fox could barely hold his chuckles.
Judy raised her eyes to show her disapproval of mammals making fun on her. Out of instinct, of course. She always raised her eyes to scold her taller fox partner, Nick. Only this time, the fox was shorter than her, and with a deeper voice. She took the hat and considered slapping Finnick's muzzle with it.
He was her boss's lov... boyf... fuckb... roomate with benefits? Whatever the term, Finn now had the power to inflict the worst torture a cop could suffer: parking duty. She better threaded carefully. She carried a powerful bargaining tool with herself.
"Hey, you better behave, or I'm not showing you the pictures of the time Nick tried to arrest a porcupine." Of course such valuable intel would get the fennec's attention. He tensed immediately as he scanned her for any tell tales of deception.
"He swore me there were no pictures, just the bills for all the cream he had to apply." That disgusting cream the doctor had prescribed. Bogo commanded them to give the patrol car a full skunk-grade cleaning just to get rid of the stink.
"He was way to busy trying to figure out how to pull quills from his crotch to see if anybody was taking pictures. Or video."
"You're pulling my tail bunny. Such video would be too funny to exist. I've been a bad fox for too long, and now I'm dating your boss. If there was any good thing coming up for me, I'd be in serious debt with the universe."
She took her phone and took a quick swipe at the screen, as if she were just checking some texts. A couple of menus later, Nick's voice could be heard from the speaker, along with the muffled laughter of what could only be half of the police force.
"Oh lord. Oh my goodness! They're everywhere! Please just kill me! I don't wanna look! I don't wanna know how bad it is!"
She stopped the video and pocketed the phone, her tragically underused "hustle face" on at the moment.
"Now, stand to our agreement, and you get the entire video, in all glorious HD." Of course that brought a smile to the fennec.
"Guess what, it seems I was some holy saint in a past life and Karma was just slow on paying the interests! You never know what you can find about yourself, right?" And she was actually there to find a bit more about herself
And that's why a somewhat shy bunny from the Burrows was being led by a fennec nearly twice her age to a sex shop. To build a dildo. A fox-sized one. Ideally, a "specific fox"-sized one.
"Let's just get inside before someone sees us." Begged Judy, checking out the shop. It was remarkably non-descript. Steel doors, concrete walls. Just a simple, almost boring sign announcing "Adult toys, 18+". She stepped through the huge doors, after the Fennec had pressed a button (the one on his height) that opened the large entrance. Inside it was... cleaner than she expected. She wasn't sure what to expect. A cashier in bondage assaulting her with dildo samples?
The store was neat and clear, with calming whites and pastels everywhere. Long rows of shelves showcased all sorts of toys and costumes, with handy notes explaining in clear but elegant language what they were supposed to be. A deer doe wearing a dress with a flower pattern that showed her larger-than-average physique waved at them from the cashier, but waited politely to be asked. Clearly it was a place that aimed to respect their client's space and privacy. Even the radio, it just played some relaxing tunes that seemed fit for a yoga class at the Mystic Spring Oasis.
"Uh. It's... nice." Complemented Judy, her eyes checking out a large dildo called "Thor". "For those who seek a larger than life horse experience." Yeah, right. She wasn't sure she could fit that inside her home.
"You really underestimate my taste, girl." The fennec grumped. He was quite used to it, and at this point, even had some fun messing with other's perceptions of him. "Now come, I've got to find some stuff to make your boss moan."
"Finn! I've got to work with him! Professionally and that, please don't make me picture Bogo... like this!" Begged the bunny, hanging her huge sunglasses from the neck of her shirt. The fox chuckled at her. "Not my problem girl. You should have considered it before asking his fuckboy to take you shopping."
She decided to just let it slip. The more she pressed, the more he'd picture her boss in unflattering positions. Yeah, sure. Like Bogo would not look flattering even when bottoming for a fennec.
"Let's see the toys, please." She begged. The aisles were placed according to the suggested size. Thus, Finnick's size, her owns and Nick's were basically side-by-side. Not that the fennec cared much for his size of toys. He liked bigger boys after all, and was set on "fleshlights" and other things like that. Bogo-tailored toys were quite a walk past their current aisle.
"Mh, this one looks fun." She commented, checking out a novelty rabbit vibrator, with the shape of actual rabbit ears. She took it in her hands, hopping the display toy was just for holding and not for testing. Once she actually touched it, she realized it was fun to see, but didn't seem very comfortable. "Say... have Nick had any lover smaller than himself?"
Finn didn't take long to give her the stink eye, clearing his throat and pointing at himself. "Be...sides you." She gave him an apologetic smile.
"He's had some, but he usually went for the adventure. Why are you asking?"
"Nothing, just... to know how... handy he was with... a lover that isn't built for his size."
"You've got nothing to worry." He assured her, while holding one bright red feline toy and rubbing a paw pad along the barbs of the head. "He might get a bit carried away, but he'll always take care of his mate. Foxes mate for life and all that crap, you know? He'll only give you what you can take. But... expect him to get loud. They do that silly thing where they announce they've got a mate by yelping."
Judy's eyes stood up so fast her hat got knocked out of her head. Thankfully she caught it in the air and put it back again.
"Really? He did fun of those wolves for howling together. Heh, he's not so sophisticated himself after all." She saw one canine toy. A nice red, natural colour. Firm shape at the bottom, softer tip, with a solid core acting as a bone. Even a knot that could be inflated with a dial on the bottom. Wow... such technology at the service of carnal pleasures.
"Good eye fluff! I'd bet it's quite a match from Nick's." Finn raised an arm to feel the toy. Maybe too rubbery to pass for the real one, of course, but it was a good practice tool. If she wanted to test herself on fox dongs, it was a good fake Nick to train with. "Say, has he asked you for any gay sibling you might have? He mentioned your family gatherings fill entire hotels."
The bunny had to silence a laugh at the bluntness of the fennec. Not about the fact. There were hotels in Bunnyborrow that catered to family reunions. As in hundreds upon hundreds.
"I do have a few of them, from flamboyant to... closeted or bi-curious. They're not as discreet as they think."
"Then be careful when you introduce him to your family. Nick's never tried bunny, and who knows if he'll end up hitting with one or a dozen of your brothers and cousins."
Judy made a dismissive wave with her hand. "We aren't that much into inter-species sex... and it's not like we're exclusive or anything! We're just friends... with benefits."
So far, at least. But now she couldn't get the picture of Nick with one of her brothers. Luke was quite slim and short, and Nick would love to top him. Or maybe he'd get under Alan and get a good pounding... Fuck. She needed to move the conversation away before her mind went into incestuous territories. Country folks already had a bad enough reputation.
"Have you been with rabbits?" She wondered, getting a huge, toothed grin from the fennec.
"I have actually! One, a bit shorter than you. Good pounding, crazy speed... didn't last long, but he made up by going again and again. Say... you miss it?"
She blushed at the question. She had had a couple of teenage adventures, but it had been... disappointing. Although the lighting fast speed was something that her hands couldn't replicate. But a toy right in front of her could. The Hump-a-tron Neo. It had a big base with a mechanized rabbit-sized dildo, and they even sold some add-ons to get different kind of dicks there. Out of curiosity, she turned it on.
"Oh my dear. Is that the highest setting?" She begged, seeing the orange blur of a fake dick move faster than she could follow, back and forth, back and forth.
"That's actually the LOWEST setting." Giggled the deer at the till. "Nah, I'm kidding. There are some nice and slow settings on the back. And many configurations so it follows a 'natural' session. But you can still set it faster.
Half an hour and a few hundred dollars later, they got out of the shop with a number of nondescript bags. The fox and the machine for Judy, plus a strap-on for whenever she felt like topping Nick. Courtesy of Finnick, who had insisted on it. The fennec had gotten himself a number of toys, some that could restrain a body-building buffalo, others to massage his back. She was wondering if she wanted to know.
"I'm... glad you and Bogo are making each other happy." She confessed him. The fennec gave her a look past his dark glasses, but he gave her a small anyway.
"You're a darn good influence on Nick, you know? Say, those bags look like they weigh a ton. Just come to my van, and I'll drive you home. And, officer? Ask Nick to tell you how he dealt with my ass. I'm sure it'll be a nice bedtime story."
Oh. That was a no-brainer!
As usual, Bogo snorted annoyed when he heard a knock from his door. Specially because there was only one officer who knocked in melodic rhythms.
"Something better be on fire, Wilde." He grunted when the fox came in uninvited. He took one of the tallest chairs available, climbing on with little effort.
"We have to talk."
That caught the buffalo's attention. No puns, no jokes, no sarcasm. From the fox who could make fun while requesting backup to stop riots. Was something actually wrong there? "Go ahead, what is it?"
Nick studied his boss for a moment, contemplating how to handle the issue. "Mh... can I talk with you? With honesty? Without getting fired?" Bogo considered just kicking him out of the office right there, but instead opted to place his papers on the table, along with his glasses.
"You're not my friend, Wilde. As long as you work hard and uphold the law and the values of this uniform, I don't care what's in your mind. I know I'm called 'buffalo-butt' sometimes. So just spit it." For an instant, Nick felt his hustler mask coming up. But this was not a hustle. He needed to speak with Bogo, man to man.
Even if one man weighed two hundred times the other. He had done the math in the past.
"You're dating my friend." Nick was willing to play it straight. No games and no dancing around the issue.
"Yes. That is a fact. One that I'd ask you to refrain from gossiping with for a while." The buffalo already had a long, mentally exhausting talk with a certain overweight cheetah. "We're still... figuring things out."
"So I heard. Now hold it. Finn is a good friend of mine. We go way back, and I know him well. He's opened up to you. And I guess you're used to having all sort of mammals falling for you and giving you their love. But Fin... Fin has had his heart broken already. More than once. And it's hard for him to trust, it's harder for him to open, and believe me that it's a freaking miracle that he even dares to love. So listen here. You're walking on thin ice. I don't know what your plans for him are, but he's had his fair share of shit. And he isn't supposed to have anymore of it."
Nick's claws were drawing lines on the chair's armrests, while Bogo's stare burned a hole in his face. They both looked like they were ready to jump at eachother's throats. And the fox wasn't even done.
"He's... getting hopes. Thus, there are three possible ways this can go. Either you make him the happiest fennec in Zootopia, and shield him from any harm that might come to him with all the might a chief of police can bring; or you let him know how far are you willing to go so he can decide if this has a future of if he'd rather stop before he grows too attached... or three, I have to make you regret the day you ever broke his heart after I've destroyed you in ways you can't even expect me to conceive."
Bogo seemed oddly calm, even with the pregnant pause shared between the two of them. One would expect the bull to charge at his officer at any moment, but surprisingly, he just diverted his attention to his ever-present paperwork. "Are you done, Wilde?"
Nick felt like some paranormal cold hand gripped his shoulder. It was the ghost of Bogo's fury, being exorcised by that question. "... I kind of expected some reply." He confessed. Even if it was poking the sleeping giant, his instinct told him that lying would only made him madder.
"Finnick and I are both consenting adults in a private relationship. However we decide to conduct our lives it's not of your business. Now, I'd like to never discuss this sort of thing with you, and for you to go back to being my officer. Understood?"
Nick just nodded, suddenly in a hurry to get out of his boss' view and to finish those traffic reports in his table. His hand was nearly at the doorknob when the deep voice of his chief stopped him. "So you know... I'm glad to know that Finn has a friend who's willing to put himself on the line for him, like you just did. I know him, and I won't let him know you spoke to me. On one condition."
The fox was already feeling the itching of the traffic maid uniform, but still looked at Bogo to know what it was. "If the time ever comes, I expect you to defend Hopps, as fearsomely as you just defended Finn. I expect those words aren't empty. You hear me?"
Nick gave him a much more confident smile. Sometimes he got people wrong. And sometimes, he needed Judy to remind him there was good underneath most people. "Chief. If Judy ever got hurt... I don't think you'll ever find whoever did this. But they won't hurt anyone else. Don't you worry your horned head about it."
Bogo huffed, glad he didn't call him 'horny'. And yet, he wanted to ask one last thing. "And if YOU ever get hurt?"
Nick's amused smile vanished from his face, contemplating that option. "Then, for the sake of Zootopia, you better lock Judy up before she gets the chance to burn the city to the ground to find whoever did it."
Things at the station went as usual for a few weeks. Meaning gossips, strange bets, heroic arrests, and hook-ups at the showers. The usual. But one day, at the bullpen, Bogo asked everyone to wait a moment before leaving for their assignments.
"Some of you might have heard rumours that I'm dating." His voice let everyone know that he wasn't inviting them to comment on it. "Some say I'm dating another man. Others that my partner is from a much smaller species. Others that I'm dating a predator, or a mammal with a shady past and reputation."
He eyed all officers in the room. Many were holding their tables just to keep still under his glare. "All of them are true. That said, if anybody feels the need to raise a complaint about me as your Chief because of those facts..." He raised one arm, pointing at his side. "The door's that way, don't let it catch your tail on the way out. The rest of you, I hope you're friendly to him on the next Precinct party. I'll bring the potato salad."
Some relieved chuckled started to fill the room. Clawhauser raised to his feet, taking air to start one of his verbal barrages. "Can it Benjamin! I'm just dating, I haven't taken down the mob or anything. So you can all save yourself your congratulations and any other comment you might think I need to hear. Now go! I believe you've all got a job to do!"
All officers hurried to rush to their assignments. Last but not least were Hopps and Wilde. The latter stopped to dedicate a smile to his chief. "Unless you're about to volunteer for a month of traffic duty, I said the door's this way." The buffalo grunted, getting Nick to shut up for once. A small victory for him. Talking about his private life with his officers had probed testing enough for one day. And yet, he still had one more thing to do.
"Also... Finn told me to invite you two for drinks some night. My place." He gave a sight and a kinder smile, realizing how Finn's presence was already affecting his life. "Now shoo! Don't come back without some arrests you two!"