FSE

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Nick, Gideon and Travis were all gathered once again under the roof of the larger fox's home. Nick and Travis were waiting while Gideon was trying to call Judy. The sun was nearly sunken under the horizon and it made them wonder what was going on.

"I don't know what's wrong, but she's not picking up the phone," Gideon huffed, hanging up his call.

"It's alright, Gid. She's just probably still busy with something. I'm sure she'll pick up later," Travis shrugged. He was laying on the floor, flipping through a food magazine.

"Yeah, we'll just head over there ourselves tomorrow," Nick agreed, sitting on the couch.

"Huh?" Travis asked.

"I'm gonna go see Finnick tomorrow. You guys can come if you want. We could even let Judy know what we know. Just maybe tweak a few details," Nick shrugged. The longer he spent in Gideon's living room, the more comfortable it became. There was a simple homey feel, seeming like the kind of house belonging to an older couple. Simple, warm and comfortable.

Gideon offered the two of them to stay the night if they wanted. All three of them lounged around in silence. Travis was still turning pages and Nick was lost in thought on the couch. Soon Gideon turned in for the night, leaving the fox and the ferret laying on the couch.

"I just wanna say thanks for coming along. You didn't have to do this," Nick said quietly, laying on one side of the couch.

"It's fine. Besides, I wanna see this through. I guess I owe it to Finnick in a way," Travis responded from the other side.

"I really miss him a lot," Nick sighed, curling his tail close to himself.

"If it helps I'm sure Finnick getting the money back from Ringtale was the most badass thing you've ever seen," the ferret grinned.

"Yeah, it probably does," Nick smiled as well. "Oh, I just remembered. You still never mentioned that favor of yours. So what is it?"

The fox sat up and looked at the nervous expression on the ferret's face. "Well... uh... see... Well, Gid told me about that one night you guys got all drunk and..."

"Wait, Gideon told you about that?" Nick blinked, vaguely remembering the night as well.

"Y-yeah," Travis gulped, starting to sweat a bit. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone else. I don't really know how to say this... But can you and Finnick do that with me?" The ferret was a blushing mess, only growing even more embarrassed to the point that he had to cover his face.

Nick looked at Travis and he began to laugh. "Okay, okay. When Finnick gets out, I'll see what we can do." In response, the ferret just groaned into his paws. Despite his embarrassment Travis found himself laughing as well.

"How about we change topics. Travis, what do you do? Do you have a job or anything?" Nick asked the recovering ferret.

"Well, I work with Gideon now. Bein' the best bud that he is, he gave me a job when I was in a really bad place," Travis recalled, staring at the ceiling above them. "I've been working at the bakery ever since. Gideon's terrible at budgeting so I keep the records. Sometimes I help out with the register when things get real busy."

"Oh, yeah? What happened? Before the job, I mean?" Nick asked, laying back down. He was really enjoying the quiet moment shared between the two of them. Travis seemed like a good guy and the fox was encouraged to know more about him.

"Well, I used to have a college roommate. Everything was going great but one day something about him changed. He never told me what happened but he just went downhill from then," Travis groaned, reminiscing on his past. "All he did was drink and smoke at that point. I tried to cheer him up and did something stupid with him. We ended up getting expelled and going our separate ways. I hear he's in and out of jail now..."

"Oh... I'm sorry," Nick responded, feeling bad for making the ferret relive what had to be not so great times.

"It's alright. I got a place of my own now. But I do miss blowing him in exchange for him covering the rent," Travis snickered.

"Yeah, I can rela-- Wait you what?!" Nick craned his neck, looking over at Travis, who was still giggling to himself.

"Hmm," the fox smirked as well and closed his eyes. He laid back down and took a deep breath.

Soon it's gonna be all taken care of, Nick assured himself, slowly drifting off to sleep.

"Well, today is that day, huh? I hope you two get in there and bring him back. I'm startin' to miss the little guy," Gideon admitted, placing another plate of pancakes on the table. It was fairly early in the morning, sunlight was just starting to beam through the windows.

"Don't worry, Gid. We're gonna do it this time," Travis said between bites. "Nick?"

The unresponsive fox was still eating his pancakes but it was clear to see his mind was elsewhere. "Hmm? Y-yeah, it's all gonna go fine."

"You don't sound so sure," Travis said, placing his fork down. His gaze was boring into the fox until he finally caved.

"I've been trying to guess what he'll say once I see him again," Nick admitted. It was something that he wondered. Of the countless words in the world, which ones would be the one to leave the fennec's muzzle.

Gideon smirked, placing the pan he was cooking with in the sink. "What do you think he's gonna say?" He sat down at the table, wasting no time with his own stack of pancakes and syrup.

"Uh, he would say something like..." the fox racked his brain, trying to get in the mindset of Finnick. "Ha! He would say something like.."

Now a giggling mess, Nick stood up from his chair and placed his paws on his shoulders, making an angry face as well. "Well, what the fuck took you so long?!" he asked in a mock deep voice and soon the entire kitchen erupted in laughter.

After a few minutes they managed to pull themselves back together. They ate their breakfast and made small talk as well. Soon they were all finished, save for Gideon loading up his plate once more.

"I think it's time that we get out there. Right, Travis?" Nick asked, getting a nod of agreement from Travis.

"Alright, Gid. We're on a rescue mission. We're gonna get Finnick back and after that I'm gonna come back and finish looking over the books cause the debt collector is on your ass!" Travis teased as he stepped out of the kitchen.

"Travis, don't tell him that!" Gideon barked, turning away from the dishes he was washing. "Y-you just bring back Finnick and then we'll deal with all that."

Travis just rolled his eyes and followed Nick out the front door. They climbed in Finnick's van and were soon off once again. While on the path towards the ZPD neither the fox or the ferret said anything to each other. Travis was looking at the scenery passing by the other side of the window. Nick was firmly focused on the road and getting to Finnick as quickly as he could.

"We're here," Nick said, snapping Travis out of his thoughts. He didn't expect them to get there that fast but Nick was truly determined and made a way. Both unbuckled their seat belts and got out of the van. Travis made his way back to Nick's side and walked alongside him.

"Heh, I guess it's time, huh?" Travis asked, giving an awkward laugh as they grew closer and closer to the department's entrance.

"Not getting cold feet are you?" Nick teased. He was worried as well, all kinds of scenarios going through his mind. What if they messed up somehow? What if they make things worse? Finnick gets locked up and...

"Nick? Are you alright?" Travis asked in a quiet tone.

The fox blinked, realizing his eyes were misting and he was on the verge of whimpering.

"Hey, It's alright," Travis soothed, really he had no idea what to do if Nick would start crying right in the middle of a busy parking lot. "We're gonna get Finnick out of here. I know we will. Just keep your head up, for Finnick."

"Y-yeah," Nick sniffed, wiping his eyes.

"Come on," Travis extended his arm and took Nick's paws, leading him closer to the ZPD's entrance. All the while Nick took a deep breath. Travis is right, I got this. He followed behind the ferret as he was nearing the entrance. Once they opened the door the first thing they were greeted with was the gasp of Clawhauser.

"Nick! Is that you?" the cheetah called and waved from his post.

"Hey, Benjamin. How ya been?" Nick greeted, walking over the cheetah and leaving Travis all alone.

"Well, so much for sticking together," Travis huffed to himself. He looked around the main lobby, seeing that not much was going on. It made sense considering their early arrival. Just some officers walking in and out and maybe some other staff members doing their usual thing.

This was the first time that Travis saw the ZPD with his own eyes. He couldn't resist the urge to walk around and take it all in. Just the lobby was much bigger than he imagined but maybe that was due to the fact he was on the shorter side of mammals. The floors were finely polished to the point that his reflection could clearly be seen. On the walls were what seemed to be pretty old pictures framed side by side along the walls. Their names were displayed but not what they did. It made Travis wonder what positions they had when the photos were taken. Further down the line the photos became more and more modern.

"We got him again!" the entrance doors burst open, accompanied with a booming voice. Travis, thoroughly startled, scurried underneath a nearby chair. A pair of rhinos stomped past him with someone in their grip. Travis felt ridiculous about his position, trembling for no good reason.

"Travis? Are you alright?" Travis looked up to see Nick with a concerned look on his face.

"Y-yeah. I just wasn't prepared for... something like that," Travis sighed. Nick reached out a paw for him. The ferret smiled and took it.

"Sorry about leaving you back there. But I set up for us to see Finnick for a few minutes," Nick explained.

"Great," Travis said, giving a sigh of relief. His attention was brought back to the criminal who the rhinos caught.

"Hey, come on. You already caught me so ease up already!" a voice groaned in defeat. Nick watched with curiosity while Travis was watching with purpose.

Is that? Travis stepped away from Nick, attempting to get a better look at whoever was in those handcuffs. Sure enough, it was him.

Struggling against his rather small cuffs was Duke Weaselton. He was mumbling something to himself when he looked up, blinking in surprise at who was standing in front of him.

"Trav? Is that you?" Duke asked, tilting his head.

The black footed ferret just gave an awkward laugh and a wave of his paw. "Hi."

The rhinos took the weasel away to one of the back rooms. "I can't believe it's really you," Duke said to the ferret as he was dragged away.

"I uh--" Travis mumbled sheepishly, watching the weasel disappear behind the door.

"Travis? What was that all about? You know Weaselton?" Nick asked, just as confused about what happened.

"Yeah... We used to live together. He was the guy I was telling you about last night," Travis explained, his gaze never shifting from the door.

"The guy you 'repaid' for paying the rent?" Nick snickered. He expected Travis to laugh along with him, but instead the smaller mammal's gaze was still glued to the door the weasel was being kept behind with a forlorn look.

"Hey, you alright?" Nick asked gently, placing a paw on the ferret's shoulder.

"Heh. I still miss him," Travis admitted. "I know it sounds stupid, but I still love him. I wish I could have helped him."

"You gonna be okay?" the fox asked gently.

"Yeah. I just didn't expect to see him ever again, let alone here. I think I'm gonna talk to him later. It has been a long time..." Travis took a deep breath and his smile returned. "But we're not here for my criminal lover, we're here for yours."

"Bad boys are the best kind, aren't they?" Nick grinned while Travis nodded. Together they made their way towards the holding room.

"Nick! Travis? I'm glad to see you guys," Judy smiled. It was clear to see that she was tired. The bunny had spent the entire night doing all the necessary work to hold up her end of the promise. Early into the morning she was wrapping up the last few things until Benjamin told her that someone was here to see her.

"Yeah, sorry it was on short notice, but we just had to get here," Nick said, noticing the bunny's state.

"We just want to help however we can," Travis nodded, giving Judy a small smile.

"Uh, what are you talking about?" The rabbit was still trying to comprehend what the other two mammals were talking about.

"Finnick. We just wanna see Finnick. I brought Travis because he knows something about what happened between Finnick and Ringtale," Nick informed, beside him Travis nodded nervously.

"Oh, that's okay. Finnick already told me everything I need to know," Judy explained, waving her paw in a dismissing manner. "There's nothing much to do around here anymore."

"So you mean it's over?" Nick asked, tilting his head. "So, what's going to happen to Finnick? Are you too late?"

"Well, yes and no. The case isn't over yet but we have confirmed that Finnick was not a part of the current case," Judy explained, a smile growing on her muzzle.

"So what are you going to do?" Travis asked.

"Well, I've already set up for Finnick to be released as per lack of evidence," Judy went on.

"D-did he mention... Mr. Big at all?" Nick asked, whispering the mob boss' name.

"Yes, but I'm willing to pretend I never heard that part for the sake of my god-niece," the bunny giggled. She led them into the hall towards the holding cell.

"You know you can get in trouble doing that?" Nick asked, keeping pace with Judy for every step.

"Oh, I'm not worried about it. Besides there are others who've cut worse corners. I heard they're already releasing Weaselton on parole," Judy scoffed. "Thanks to me, Finnick's gonna be released in a few minutes."

"Oh, Judy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The fox lifted his best friend into the air, spinning her around a few times. He was ecstatic that he would finally see the fennec again.

"Alright, alright, Nick! Put me down," Judy laughed. As she was set down, she cleared her voice and turned back to Nick with a serious tone.

"We still have a problem: it's Thomas," Judy said. Just the name made Nick nervous.

"He's working on this case, too. But luckily for us he's not here yet. You're gonna have to get Finnick out of here fast and when he shows up I'll keep him for as long as I can."

Nick and Travis nodded, already preparing themselves for the upcoming task.

Another sigh came from the bunny as she turned around to face the fox and ferret. "I wish I could help you get rid of him, but he's got a perfect reputation here. Even if I took it up with Bogo himself, it wouldn't go anywhere."

"Got it. We should be fine as soon as we're home," Nick nodded.

"Alright, it's about time we get in there and get him," Judy made a motion with her paw for the other two to follow her. The three continued down the hall until they came upon a metal door at the end. "Just hold tight, I'm gonna get him." Nick and Travis nodded and watched as she went inside.

"Huh, I guess we went through all of this trouble with Mr. Big for nothing," Travis shrugged.

"Well, Finnick and I still owe him a favor either way," Nick shrugged.

The metal door creaked open and out came the cream colored fox. "Hey, Nicky. The fuck took you so long?" Finnick grinned, sliding out of the holding room.

"Ha! I was close!" Nick snickered, nudging Travis. "Finnick!" Nick ran up to him and was about to hug him when Finnick stretched his paw out.

"Come on, Nick. Not in front of everyone. But I... I'm glad to see you," Finnick mumbled.

"Same here," Nick agreed. "Thanks again, Judy."

"Yeah, but just remember what I said," Judy warned. "Clock's ticking, Nick."

"Right, I'm gonna get the van," Nick said, already making his way back down the hall.

"What was that all about?" Finnick asked.

"I didn't tell Thomas you're being released so you gotta get out of here before he shows up," Judy explained. "About time he gets here you'll be long gone."

"Aw, I wanted to rub it in his face," Finnick groaned, tapping his foot against the floor. "But I owe you one."

"Just get out of here and I'll play damage control," Judy said. "Nick should be at the entrance by now. You and Travis should hurry."

"Actually, Finnick, you go ahead. I have to check something for a second. But I'll meet you and Nick out there," Travis stammered. Without waiting for a response he already took off.

"Hmm, so much for the plan," Judy murmured, placing her paws on her hips.

"Uh, Judy..." Finnick sighed. "I appreciate you doing this for me. You didn't have to go out of your way to do something like this. But it's pretty, you know, cool what you did. W-what I'm trying to say is maybe all the fuzz ain't so bad. You're a real one, Hopps."

The fennec gave a grin and extended his paw that ended in a fist. Judy smiled as well, bumping her fist against his.

"If you need anything done under the wire... You know who to call," Finnick offered.

"I'll keep that in mind," Judy said, rolling her eyes in amusement. "You just get out there and I'll see you guys later. I'll make sure Travis gets out there."

Finnick nodded and both the small mammals left the hallway, branching off in different directions. The fennec went straight for the exit while Judy searched for the missing ferret. Finnick walked carefully through the lobby. Even though he was a free fox he was still in fuzz territory, making him careful not to take any chances. Sure enough, he stepped out of the ZPD's front doors and there was his van parked in front with Nick hopping out.

"There you are!" Finnick beamed, his voice full of pure affection. He rushed forward with his arms outstretched. Nick smiled and leaned down, ready to meet his hug. But Finnick ran past Nick, hugging the side of his van instead.

"I'm so happy to see you. Did you miss Daddy? I know you did. I know you did!" Finnick growled, shamelessly humping and grinding against the door of his precious van.

"You know, the sooner we get home, the sooner you can put those moves to good use," Nick smirked, rolling his eyes a bit.

"Hmm, alright. But you're a passenger now. My van, I'm driving." Finnick barked. "But where is Travis?"

As if on cue, the ferret waltzed out of the entrance, Judy walking in time with his stride.

"Thanks, I'm grateful. I really can't tell ya how great it was to see again," Travis stammered, a wide grin on his muzzle.

"I can imagine..." Judy groaned, crossing her arms. "Just do me a favor and make sure he stays out of trouble."

"Will do, ma'am," Travis nodded, a goofy grin on his muzzle. A honk sounded behind them, making the ferret jump in surprise.

"Will you come on?!" Finnick yelled through the window.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming!" Travis hissed back, taking off for the van. "Uh, I guess we'll see each other later..."

Travis waved to Judy while he returned to the fennec's van. He was more than glad to sit in the back and get away from the overwhelming ZPD.

"Alright, let's get the hell out of here," Finnick growled, already pressing his foot to the gas pedal.

Judy watched and even sighed in relief as the van accelerated off and sped off into the distance. She took a deep breath, knowing that the only thing left to deal with was Thomas. Returning to her cubicle and sitting at her desk, the bunny reviewed the case files once again.

"Hey, Judy. Sorry I'm a bit late," Fangs apologized, his breathing a bit labored.

"Oh, it's alright," Judy said in a friendly tone and a forced smile. She thought that she would be prepared for this but seeing the wolf in the flesh made it difficult to keep her composure.

"So, anything new with Finnick?" Fangs asked, leaning his elbow against the back of her chair. The day before Judy had told him that they were going to give Finnick a final questioning and he was clearly eager to get it started.

"Actually no. In fact, he's not here anymore," Judy said casually, still looking through her files.

"W-what do you mean?" Fangs asked, now looking directly at the bunny.

"Well I was talking to Finnick and he finally confessed to his involvement with Ringtale. Turns out that his 'connection' took place before the actual crime. Earlier this morning Finnick was released and confirmed innocent," Judy explained. Her back was turned to the wolf, making him unable to see the widening grin on her muzzle.

"What?! H-he's gone? But--" Thomas fought for words to express his emotions.

"What's the problem? Look, aside from Finnick the case is still wide open. We just need a confession from Ringtale to close it all up," Judy reminded Fangs in a stern tone.

"Yeah, that's great and all but you just let him go? I wasn't even here for it..." Fangs whined, starting pace back and forth.

The bunny slammed her paws on her desk and turned around to face the wolf. "Thomas. Get a hold of yourself. You need to drop this obsession you have with Finnick! This case is about stopping one of Zootopia's biggest drug producers, not a pair of foxes. We both have way more important things to do."

Fangs said nothing, only looking away from the bunny. He said nothing to her, looking as if he was thinking to himself. Without even saying anything back to her, the wolf turned around and began to walk away.

"You know what? I agree. It's not worth my time. Just... get the info we need and we'll close the case," Fangs sighed, taking another deep breath.

Judy said nothing, simply swiveling around in her chair back to the desk. With the wolf gone, the bunny continued to review the facts so they could finally put Ringtale and his crew away.

It was almost the end of his shift when Fangs stumbled into the empty locker room. There was no sound of running water, no towels on the tile, no locker doors being unlocked and slammed shut, only Thomas who clenched his eyes shut in a mix of the anger he felt combined with the stinging sensation in his fist. The wolf exhaled and withdrew his fist, wincing in pain as tiny shards of mirror were still stuck in his paw.

Today was the day that his plan would go into action. But with Finnick's apparent confession and release it was all ruined. That money he slipped the guilty raccoon was all for nothing. Everything he had worked for and planned was all for nothing.

Fangs just groaned to himself. He wanted nothing more than to just sit there and wallow in his feelings, but he couldn't. Like Judy told him, he had a job to do and sooner or later someone was going to come into the locker room and notice the jagged hole in the wall's mirror. Fangs eyed the blood staining his white paw. There was a sharp pain every time he moved it, but the wolf felt as if he deserved it. It was a punishment for his own failure.

The last time he felt like this was when he got the news of his previous boyfriend's death. He remembered it was the day after joining the S.W.A.T and the day of his first arrest was when he got the news. Sammy's body was found in the wreckage of a stolen car. Every time someone asked Fangs about it he would always say how much he loved the fox that would escalate into an emotional display. But deep down he knew that it was exactly what Sammy deserved for trying to leave him.

All the years they spent together? Everything the wolf did for him? He found the precious fox crying alone at a bar. He told Fangs about his parents throwing him out of the house. Fangs brought him in, giving him food, water, and shelter. Sammy belonged to him and the wolf did everything in his power to remind his love that. All that was needed was him. There was nowhere that Sammy needed to go and no one else he needed to talk to.

There was a time the naive fox tried to escape and Fangs saw fit to punish him. From then on Sammy's domain was the basement. Every time there was an objection or the fox tried to leave Fangs made sure he was rightfully punished. He assumed a little bit of time without food or water would get the message across. But all he got was talk of the fox wanting to go 'home.'

Fangs found that the best kind of punishment was the kind dealt by his own teeth, claws, and sometimes nearby objects. He assured the fox, tied to the thick water pipes, that all the pain he was feeling was all his own doing. All he had to do was what he was told and everything would be fine. For a while everything in the wolf's life was perfect. His adorable Sammy had finally learned his lesson and was allowed back above ground. But soon the day came that he learned of his love's death. At first he felt utter despair but quickly faded upon his realization that if Sammy had done what he was told then he would have still been safe and alive at home. What was done was done. But all the same his home was not the same without someone to love.

Those feelings of loneliness were over the moment he laid eyes upon another fox. His fur was the exact shade, he was about the same height, and he had the same sly fox smile. He was perfect. Nick Wilde would be the new Sammy. But there was a little problem. Nick was already taken from him.

Getting Sammy was easy: finding someone who came from an old fashioned family, disgusted by their son's sexuality. Fangs took advantage of that and soon had Sammy all to himself.

But Nick had friends and a boyfriend of his own. There was work to be done in those areas. At first everything was going to plan. He charmed Nick and was invited to his home where he met Finnick. The wolf had to admit that Finnick had many skills both in the streets and in the bedroom. But the wolf hated the way he treated Nick. The fennec was so vulgar and Fangs was sure that he would treat the fox properly.

None of that mattered when Nick caught the two of them. It seemed that fate was on his side when he and Finnick were caught together. Not soon after the racoon drug lord, Ringtale was caught and he was all too eager to give some information. The wolf used that to his advantage as well, forming a plan to get Finnick out of the picture and Nick all to himself. How it should have been...

Fangs got up and rinsed his paw of the glass bits inside of it. There's still time. All I gotta do is find some reason to get out there...