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By the time both friends slumped their way back home, their ears were drooped all the way down. (Y/N) sniffs, before opening their apartment door and allowing Judy to step inside first.

She cringes at the rough sounds of the dry cement still stuck onto her friend's feet and uniform. "Go sit down, I'll get you some water." She says softly, and nudges her friend towards the corner of the room before picking up a long plastic tub.

"Oh no, you don't have to-" Judy tries to tell her friend to not worry, but is ignored and watches with sad eyes as (Y/N) rounds a corner towards the bathroom.

It had taken the fox all of seven minutes to warm the water and fill the plastic tub, before she returned to her room to find Judy on the phone, frantically trying to calm her parents down at their excitement that she is a meter maid.

She tries to sneak around her friend, but halts when Stu, Judy's father, yells from the tiny cellular device. "Is that (Y/N)?! (Y/N)! Hey!" He and his wife call happily. "Are you a meter maid too?!" His eyeball takes up most of the screen before hooting and hollering in excitement when he spots the orange vest.

Judy cringes, and mouths an apology to her friend, but (Y/N) shakes her head with a small smile, amused at the rabbits. She places the tub down before taking small steps to her friend who remains sat at the small table. Bending down, she tiredly rests her chin on Judy's shoulder, and sighs deeply.

The bunny notices her droopy eyes, and stammers. "A-actually dad, we've got a big day tommorow so-we've gotta, yknow." She throws at excuse after excuse, and her father quickly gets the message with a grin.

"That's right, you get some rest!" Bon, Judy's mother calls out softly, a fond look in her eyes.

"Those meters aren't gonna maid themselves." Stu jokes, and points his stubby finger at the screen. "Make sure you guys get some rest, and look after my Judy, (Y/N)!" With that, the two rabbits hang up, their goofy grins frozen on the screen.

"Goodbye.." both Judy and (Y/N) groan out, and the bunny slumps her cheek against the top of her friend's head. They both stay like that for almost a full minute, before a loud bang and yelling sounds from next door.

"Hey bunny! Turn down that depressing music!" The Kudu from next door tells, his voice muffled and causing the pictures against the walls to move. Quickly Judy shuts off their shared alarm clock, which sad, sullen music almost takes up the entire space.

(Y/N) sighs louder, and walks backwards to flop back onto their bed. From next door, the two neighbors continue to yell and scream at one another.

"Leave the meter maids alone! Didn't you hear their conversation?! They feel like failures!"

"Oh shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"You shut up!!"

Judy walks to her friend, and sits beside her slumped over body. Gently, she lays her paw against the top of (Y/N)'s stomach, and pats it twice. "Tomorrow is another day." She says as soft as she can, and her friend hums.

"Yeah but it might be worse!!" The kudu yells, and finally relents for the night when (Y/N) groans loudly and slams a pillow against her snout.

_____

From inside the ZPD, both (Y/N) and Clawhauser exchange small words here and there from behind the counter. The fox had decided to stay back from meter maid duties for a while, as the young red foxes words continued to plague her mind.

She wasn't up for the task of being hated and yelled at by bothered and angry mammals having tickets placed on their cars, and she certainly wasn't up for any type of confrontation that were to happen if she encountered Nicholas once again.

Clawhauser nudges her gently, and the young fox stared up at him with a raised brow. "It seemed like you were having a bad day." He says gently, a small smile tugging at his chubby face. He holds his paw out, and (Y/N) fights back a cringe when she sees a red Pawpsicle extended towards her.

"So, I stopped by this adorable little cart that was selling these popsicles!" He says happily. "Or should I say..pawpsicles!" He snickers, proud of himself for the small pun, although (Y/N) would guess he just read the name off of the sign selling the sweet treat.

The cheetah notices her hesitation to take it, and slowly begins pulling his arm back with an embarrassed face. "Oh..do you not want it..?" He says quietly, and (Y/N)'s eyes widen before snatching it out of his paw.

"No! Of course I do!" She says quickly. "Im just..so moved by the gesture! Thank you!" She tries, and offers him a thankful smile before taking a small bit from it and humming loudly in fake satisfaction.

Although the thought of the fox that made this treat makes her stomach turn uncomfortable, the friendly, almost childlike glee that Clawhauser expresses it almost enough to put her mind at ease. The two sit comfortably for what feels like the most care free two hours of (Y/N)'s time in Zootopia thus far, swapping sweets and stories alike.

By the time the third hour of (Y/N)'s shift was approaching, she had to hold her stomach tightly as her friend tilts his phone in her direction, and a digital Gazelle dances smoothly across the screen, with a digital sticker of Clawhauser's face stuck on a backup dancer moving beside the singer.

A sudden bang makes the two jump quickly, and (Y/N)'s eyes double in size as a giant fake donut rolls inside the precinct, a dizzy, knocked out weasel stuffed in the center comically. Judy comes barreling in, a smug grin on her tiny face as she places her foot against the donut, as if she were a hunter claiming its prize.

"I popped the weasel!" She announces, all eyes on her and her alone. She looks up and catches her friend's eye, who just stares dumbly down at her.

(Y/N) goes to speak, her jaw slacked and paws outstretched before she jumps once more at a loud, booming yell from upstairs.

"HOPPS!" Chief Bogo appears, his face pulled into one of anger, disbelief and irritation. He points to his office, and turns, not before yelling once more.

"You as well, (L/N)!"

_____

"Abandoning your post, inciting a scurry, reckless endangerment of rodents but, to be fair, you did stop a master criminal from stealing two dozen moldy onions." Bogo lists quickly, his snout upturned as both (Y/N) and Judy share a chair, their feet sticking out and paws together as if their were toddlers being scolded.

The fox clears her throat. "Sorry sir, but, why exactly am I-?" She tries to speak but it interrupted as her Chief slams his hoof against the table.

"Same as her, abandoning your post." He spits, and holds up his hoof when she tries to argue. "I am in charge of more mammals than most precincts on this side of the equator-I do not have time to assign and keep track of every meter maid that decides they do not feel up to the task and decides to ignore a direct order!" He ends his rant with a yell, and (Y/N) shrinks away but nods nonetheless.

Judy exhales harshly, but clears her throat. "I hate to disagree with you sir, but those aren't onions. Those are a crocus varietal called 'Midnicampum Holicithias', their a class C botanical sir, well I grew up in a family where plant husbandry was kind of-" her little rants gets cut off.

"Shut your tiny mouth now!" He yells, and pulls the bag full of the oddly shaped plant away from the two.

Judy narrows her eyes at him, while (Y/N) simply watches. "Sir." She starts. "I caught the bad guy, that's my job."

"Your job-both your jobs.." he starts, and directs his attention to (Y/N). "Is putting tickets, on parked cars!"

The small intercom beside him goes off, and a nervous Clawhouser's voice crackles through. "Chief? Uh-missus Otterton's here to see you!" He announces, and Chief Bogo groans before pressing the small button atop it.

"Not now."

"Okay I just didn't know if you'd wanna take her this time, she seems really-"

"NOT. NOW!" Bogo slams his hoof on the intercom, and all goes quiet, before (Y/N) suddenly speaks up.

"Sir, with all due respect, we don't want to be meter maids, we want to be real cops!" She urges her boss, who simply glares down at her.

Chief Bogo scoffs at her and rolls his eyes. "Yes, because up until now you have proved just how much you want to be here." Sarcasm drips like a faucet, and (Y/N) glares right back. "Do you think the mayor asked what I wanted when he assigned you both to me?"

"But sir-!"

"Life, isn't some cartoon musical where you sing a little song and your incipient dreams magically come true! So let it go." He warns them both, and leans forward across his desk to huff in their direction.

(Y/N) scoffs right back, and watches as her boss goes to chew her out once more before the office door suddenly opens.

Looking back, the three watch as a small female Otter, dressed casually in mostly purple rushed through. "Chief Bogo please!" She begs, "Five minutes of your time!" She moves further in, and a panting, tired Clawhauser stumbles through next.

"I'm sorry sir!" He pants. "I tried to stop her she's-she's super slippery! I gotta go sit down.." he wobbles away, and (Y/N) holds back a slicker as she watches her new friend slump away before turning her attention towards the pleading Otter.

Quietly, she and Judy hop down from their shared chair, and watches as the Otter pulls out what appears to be a family photo. "My husband has been missing for ten days! His name is Emmet Otterton." She says quickly, her little face pulled down in grief and despair.

"Yes I know.." Chief Bogo speaks, his tone softer than it was before.

"He's a florist-we have two beautiful children, he would never just..disappear!" She pleads more, and both (Y/N) and Judy exchange worried glances.

"Maam, our detectives are very busy."

"Please!" She says once more, her small voice cracking and wavering as tears build up in her big round eyes. "There's gotta be someone to find my Emmet.."

"Missus Otterton-"

"We will find him!" Judy's voice rings out, and all heads, even (Y/N)'s quickly turn to her. The fox stammers as the Otter looks between them, a bit hesitant to approach.

"Y-yes that's right." (Y/N) quickly says, trying to give the small grief ridden wife hope.

Missus Otterton breaths out a long sigh of relief and rushes forward, before pulling them both into a tight hug. "Thank you! Bless you bless you-both of you!" She cheers, and places a comforting paw atop (Y/N)'s, who smiles softly down at her.

The two look up from the hug to a seething Chief, but ignore him as they are handed the same picture shown to their boss, depicting the happy Otterton family all together. "Take this." Missus Otterton hands it over. "Find my Emmet, bring him home to me and my babies."

Her soft voice sends a shock of determination between the two, and Judy nods, seriously.

Chief Bogo quickly clears his throat, and gestures to the open door. "Missus Otterton, please wait out here." He lets her out before closing the door, and slowly turns to the two, his face pulled down.

"You're fired." He spits, and both (Y/N) and Judy look up at him in disbelief.

"What?" Judy yells. "Why?!"

"Insubordination!" He fires back, and grips the handle of the slightly see through opaque office door. "Now, I am going to open this door and you are going to tell that Otter you both are former meter maids with delusions of grandeur who will not be taking the case." With that he opens the door.

Only to find a small, familiar sheep standing right outside gripping a hopeful missus Otterton's tiny paws in her own hooves. "I just heard that officers (L/N) and Hopps are taking the case!"

"..assistant mayor Bellweather!" Chief Bogo greets back, his voice high in both nervousness and disbelief .

"The mammal inclusion initiative is really starting the pay off." She jokes, almost ignoring the Chief of police and typing away loudly as she enters the office. "Mayor Lionheart is gonna be so jazzed!" She laughs and giggles, the small bells of her black formal dress clinking and moving with every step.

Chief Bogo stammers. "O-oh no no! Let's not tell the mayor just yet-!"

"And I sent it, and it is done, so I did do that." She says back, almost a hint of arrogance and sweet push back lacing every word as she makes her way towards the two still stunned officers.

"Alright well I'd say the case is in good hands-or paws." She belts out a laugh, and takes both (Y/N)'s and Judy's paws into her hooves. (Y/N) smiles down at her, but doesn't miss the way the assistant mayor only slightly held her paw while she gripped Judy's unmistakably tighter.

"Us little guys really need to-stick together!" She says cheerfully, and Judy nods.

"Like glue!" She finishes, and the assistant mayor chuckles. "Just call me if you ever need anything okay? You've always got a friend down at city hall you two!" She finally says before turning around and taking her leave, missus Otterton's in tow.

Chief Bogo finally shuts the door with an arrogated and tired sigh, before shaking his head and gesturing to the two. "I will give you forty eight hours." He says finally, and both mammals cheer with a fist in the air.

"Yes!" They both cheer, and Judy wraps an arm around her best friend waist with a grin. Their cheering is halted however, when their boss raises his voice more.

"That's two days to find Emmet Otterton-but! You strike out, you resign." He says finally, and his words hit them harder.

Wordlessly, (Y/N) shares a glance with her friend, but nods firmly to her boss's challenge, refusing to give up.

With that, Bogo grins smugly at them, and opens his office door to gesture them outside. "Splendid, Clawhauser will give you the complete case file."

_____

The two sit side by side, with Clawhauser standing behind (Y/N), and places a rather tiny, almost nothing case file infront of them.

"Here you go, one missing Otter!" He grins, and it slowly falls when he sees them flip through it, with the only information being the Otters height, weight, marital status as well as some other information that appears rather useless along with a picture of his last known whereabouts.

"Yikes!" The cheater gasps, and leans over his friend to looks down at the file, a donut in one paw while aside rested in the other. "That is the smallest case file I have ever seen!"

He scans the file from head to toe, and (Y/N) Higgs quietly as she dusts the donut powder and sprinkles that fell infront of her.

"Leads, none, witnesses none, and you're not even in the computer system yet so resources, none!" He lists off, ignoring the way both rabbit and fox slump further into their seats. He laughs, the almost empty soda bottle sloshing around. "I hope you didn't stake your careers on cracking this one."

(Y/N) offers a weak smile, and gently scoots the piece of paper towards Judy, who breaths in deep and tries to observe the image at the bottom of the file carefully.

The bunny bends her neck down to look closer, and her ear twitches when the sound of dry slurping itches her brain. Both she and (Y/N) turn to see the cheetah trying to drink the last of the small droplets of soda out of the glass bottle, closely unaware that he is becoming an irritation.

(Y/N) clears her throat before gently taking the glass from his paws and dumps out the long plastic straw before handing it to her friend. Clawhauser gives the fox a small apologetic smile, and Judy opens her eyes wide to stare through the opening of the glass.

The fox watches as her friend stares for a moment before gasping. "Popsicle.." the bunny mumbles, and moves the bottle around to magnify the rest of the image.

"The murder weapon.." Clawhauser mumbles, and (Y/N) raises her brow at him.

"Get your popsicles.." Judy once more mumbles, and shares a look with her friend.

Clawhauser nods dumbly. "Yeah..because-what..what does that mean?" He asks after a moment, clearly confused and not exactly understanding the rabbit's small mumbles.

(Y/N) bumps her shoulder with her friend's and raises a brow before reaching for the glass. Judy hands it to her hesitantly, and gently nudges the glass towards the lower right edge of the image.

"It means, we have a lead." Judy finishes, and watches as her friend's eyes widen as (Y/N) spits the blurry end of a red tail disappear behind the edge of the paper, with mister Otterton happily and blissfully chewing on a red pawpsicle.

The grey fox groans quietly, and hands Clawhauser his soda back before finally sighing and giving Judy a hesitant, yet somewhat annoyed thumbs up.

_____