another shout out to the Zootopian Authors Association for being so wonderful and supportive of me through all of my writing. without all of you, i would not have written as much as i have in the last couple of months. and thank you to you, my readers, for having interest in this little verse of mine. also this is your only warning that most of this story is angst and Finn centric. wildehopps is there, but they aren't going to be the main focus for a long time. that being said, on with this chapter!

Chapter Text

“Why did you tell her about that time in pottery class?!”



“Because it was funny,” Finnick chuckled from under his van, rolling his stool over to work on a different valve. “And it made Flopsy laugh.”



“You ass, you had no right!”



“If you didn’t want me to tell her, then you shouldn’t have sculpted a dick in Mrs. Anderson’s class.”



“But you thought it was funny!”



“Yeah, I did. She didn’t. And that’s why it’s funny.”



“I swear to Inari–”



“What? You what, mate?”



There was silence. Finnick blinked and rolled himself out from under his van, sitting up. “Hey, Nick? Hello?” The hell? He pulled the phone away from his ear to look at it and his heart sank.



There was no service on his phone at all.



“Shit!” He groaned, dropping the phone and dragging his paws down his face. Damn it, he’d been hoping he’d have a little more time, but apparently not. No service meant that his phone bill hadn’t been paid. Which meant that he was completely out of money.



“ Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck ...” he growled, snatching the phone up and shoving it in his pocket. He grabbed his stool and hopped back up into his van, chucking it into the back. He started up the van and drove out of the alley, heading towards Savannah Central to the police station.



No way in hell was he letting Judy find out about this. She would insist on trying to help somehow. It was just in her nature to try to fix everything, and this was something he would not let her get involved with. After all, it wasn’t her fault that he was flat broke. He may have blamed her at one point in time, but he wasn’t in that place anymore. Against all odds, she had become important to him over the last couple of months.



He pulled up in front of the station, pulling out his phone and checking the time. At least it was still useful for that. And, right on cue, Judy jogged out of the station. He honked to get her attention.

The rabbit whirled around, blinking before beaming at him and waving excitedly. He waved back, almost instinctively relaxing when he saw her. She was one of those animals that radiated positivity, and it seemed that it had started to affect him. Fucking hell, he really was getting soft.



She jogged over to the van, opening the door and hopping inside. “Hey!”



“Hey, Flopsy.”



“What’s up? You don’t normally pick me up, is everything okay?” she asked as she closed the door and buckled herself in.

He shrugged, trying not to show how much he was panicking inside. “Oh, ya know, just figured you could use a ride home.”



“Aww, you’re too sweet.” Judy grinned at him, settling into the seat. “You wanna stay for a while? We could order in and watch a movie.”



“As long as it’s your treat.” He drove away from the station, heading for her and Nick’s apartment in downtown Savannah Central.

“Deal.”



He glanced over at her before looking back at the road. Good, she didn’t suspect anything. She didn’t need to worry about him. That wasn’t her job. Besides, he didn’t want to burden her with any of his problems. That was his shit to deal with, and his alone.

His Pa was right; when it rained, it poured.

Finn had gone to his bank just to check and see about his account. Unfortunately, he was dead on the money. Literally. He had nothing left. None in checking, none in savings, absolutely nothing. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if his partner hadn’t decided to go legit and leave him without any sort of income.



He was quick to shove those kinds of thoughts out of his head. It wasn’t Nick’s fault. He had said it himself, the red fox had never belonged in this kind of life. Finn was the one who had started all of this, and he was glad to be the end of it. After all the shit that had gone down in the city, it was time they stopped being exactly what other animals expected of them.



Though that was a lot easier said than done when it came to trying to pay the bills.



Things just got worse and worse. After his service had been turned off, his van’s engine started acting up. Then he ran out of gas and couldn’t get anywhere. He was stuck in this alleyway at the edge of Sahara Square. He was hot, he was tired, and he was hungry. But he had no idea what the hell he was going to do. There was no one left for him to call, no one he could ask for help from. He was alone, and it was all his fault. But he had to think of something, and fast. If he didn’t, that payment wouldn’t go through and then she would be stranded and he couldn’t let that happen, he owed her that much--



A loud knock interrupted his inner turmoil, almost making him jump out of his skin. He slid out of the driver’s seat, making his way into the back to the door. His paw hesitated before grasping the handle, taking in a deep breath. He had a feeling he knew who it was. Pushing through, he opened the door.



Low and behold, he was right. Judy stood there in grey leggings and a blue shirt, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked up at him, raising a brow. “Hey.”



“Hey.” He didn’t make eye contact, choosing instead to stare over her shoulder. “What’s up?”



“You didn’t answer your phone.”



Fuck. He swallowed down a wince, crossing his arms tight. “Sorry. Must’ve died.”



“Uh huh.” With a sigh, she climbed into the back, going to sit on the mattress he had back there.



It was too hot to close the door, but he didn’t just want to stand there like an idiot. Deep breath. He slowly turned around, ready for the interrogation.



But, as usual, she was full of surprises. She looked him dead in the eye and spoke. “You’re broke, aren’t you?”



He didn’t reply, turning away from her as his ears fell down.



“Nick called me. He told me he hadn’t heard from you, and that any time he called it said your phone was disconnected.”



Of course he did. Traitor. Finn grunted, staring down at the floor in shame.



A paw on his shoulder made him slowly look up, right into those violet hues clouded with worry. “Why didn’t you tell me?”



He shrugged, looking away. “Didn’t want you to worry.”



“So just leaving me in the dark is better? Finn, you said it yourself, we take care of our own.”



“It ain’t your job to take care of me, Flopsy.” He shrugged her paw off his shoulder, heading for the front. “Look, I’ll figure something out, okay?”



“Don’t you have any savings?”



“I did. Not anymore.”



“Where did all of your money go?”



“Where does anyone’s money go, Flopsy?” He counted on his fingers as he spoke. “Bills, food, gas…”



“You spent that much on everything?” She sounded exasperated, and it was starting to get on his nerves.



“It’s not like I have a steady income anymore, kid.”



“Where did all of your savings go?”



Fucking hell, he was so tired. “Stop.”



“Where did it go, Finnick?”



His paws were shaking now. “Flopsy, please--”



“What did you spend it all on?”



His mouth was drawn tight as he turned around to look at her, his expression desperate. “Don’t ask me that. Please.”



There was silence between them as they stared each other down for a moment. He watched her take in a deep breath, her paws raising as one clutched her elbow and the other ran over her fallen ears. Violet eyes glanced up at him, curious and… disappointed? He immediately bristled.



He did not need or want her fucking sympathy.



She spoke, slowly, carefully. “Not to sound judgmental, but… Why don’t you just go get a job?”



There it was. He rolled his eyes, turning away from her again. “It’s not that simple for me.”



“It literally is, though. Just put in some job applications. You can use me as a reference.”



“And seem like I’m trying to exploit Zootopia’s darling rabbit cop just to get a job? No, thanks.” She really was clueless, wasn’t she? “Besides, that wouldn’t be enough. No one will hire a fox.”



Her paw grabbed his arm, yanking him around. His lips turned up, ready to snarl at her, but she was quick to let go. “That’s not true anymore. The city has changed--”



“Not that much.”



“Nick was allowed into the police academy! He’s going to be the first fox police officer! Things have changed, Finn!”



“Yeah, for you guys!” He didn’t mean to raise his voice, but how could she not see what she was saying? How could she not understand after everything? He gestured to himself with his paws. “Look at me! I’m a fucking undersized fennec fox! Even if we find a place that will look past species, even more won’t hire me just for my size! I’m too small for normal animal jobs and I’m too big for rodent jobs.” His paws gripped his ears as he tried to regain control, taking deep breaths. “Fucking hell, you’re smarter than this, Judy.”



There was silence again, the air tense. His heart pounded in his chest with fear. Had he gone too far? Was she angry? He closed his eyes, letting out a strained breath. “Look--”

“I did it again, didn’t I?”



He blinked and looked up at her. “What?”



The bunny had her arms wrapped around herself, her head hung and her shoulders hunched. For a split second he thought she was going to cry, panicking, but then she spoke again. “I keep forgetting how privileged I am here, and I hurt a friend again.” She shook her head, starting to turn towards the door. “I’m just a dumb bunny--”

“Nope, no, stop.” He reached out and grabbed her arms, carefully turning her around. “None of that. Hey.” He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. “It’s okay, Flopsy. Okay? I’m not upset.” He let go and sighed, running a paw over his ears. “I got frustrated and took it out on you. I’m sorry.”



“It’s okay.” He could hear the smile in her voice and a wave of relief washed over him. He glanced up at her, confirming that he was right. “I guess we both have a lot to learn still about this whole friendship thing.”



He chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, I guess so.” With a groan, he plopped down on the mattress, laying back on it.



She joined him, and they both stared up at his ceiling.



“So, what are you going to do?”



“I dunno.”



“...what about Marlow? Would he give you a job?”



Finn snorted and shook his head. “Marlow may like me, but he doesn’t trust me farther than he can throw me.”

“He looks like he could throw you pretty far.”



“His aim is shit. Trust me, I should know.”

That made her laugh, and she scooched closer to him so that she could lean her head against his shoulder. He immediately relaxed, sighing and closing his eyes. This was nice.



“So…” He could feel her shifting beside him. “What did you do before the pawpsicle thing?”



“I told you before, we worked for Mr. Big.”



“I know, but...what did you do?”



Ah. He stiffened, sitting up. This. He’d been hoping she wouldn’t ask. “...trust me, kid, you don’t want to know.”



“Yes, I do.” She sat up, her paw on his shoulder. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have asked.”



There wasn’t any point in trying to argue with her, he knew that. He sighed, wiping his paws over his face. Might as well not beat around the bush. “I was his right paw mammal. I made sure everyone stayed in line, no one crossed any boundaries or broke any rules. Anything he wanted or needed done, I did it. No questions asked.”



“...anything?”

He turned his head, looking her in the eye. “Anything.”



She swallowed, chewing on her bottom lip. “Did...did you ice animals?”



“Yes.”



This was it, he was sure of it. She was going to realize just what she was getting herself into with him and run far away. He wouldn’t blame her, either. Everyone he’d ever loved had gotten hurt, and it was his fault every time. He would never wish that on anyone, but especially not her. She was too young… too innocent .



But, again, she just kept on surprising him.



Judy nodded slowly before resting her head on his shoulder, her arms wrapping around him. At first, he froze, unsure of what to do. This...definitely was not what he was expecting. But slowly, surely, he relaxed. His paws came up to grip on to hers, holding them to him. He closed his eyes, taking in deep breaths.



“Are you ever going to stop trying to push me away?” she murmured softly.



He shrugged, letting out a weak chuckle. “Maybe. Eventually. I’ve burned all the other bridges. Guess it’s all I know.”



She sniffed and hugged him tighter. “What can I do to help you? I know you don’t want me to get involved, and I promise I won’t stick my neck out for you if you don’t want me to. Just--...what can I do?”

No one had ever really asked him that. He leaned his head against hers, moving to hug her back. “Just...be here for me, I guess. As fuckin’ sappy as that sounds.”



She laughed, bumping her forehead on his shoulder. “I think I can manage that.”



And for the first time in a long time, Finn trusted another animal to do just that.

The next day Judy showed up with a tool kit and a gas can, grinning at him. “I brought some things that I think might help you get out of here.”



Finnick raised a brow at her, hopping out of his van to join her outside. “What do you know about fixing engines?”



“Plenty. I helped my dad with the tractors all the time back in Bunnyburrow.” The bunny rolled up her sleeves and made her way to the front. “Now, let’s get Sheila out of here.”



It only took a few hours and his van was working again. Finn almost wanted to cry with relief. Thank Inari. They filled it with the gas in the gas can and were able to finally drive out of the district. Judy had Finn park in an alley close to her and Nick’s apartment, making him come inside. He took a shower and ate, falling asleep early on the couch. It was just so nice to have a comfortable place to stay.



Finnick didn’t wake up until well into the next day. He checked the time and groaned. It had been ages since he slept that long. He sat up, looking around the apartment as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. Still a shithole, just like he remembered. The kitchen and living room melded together as one small room, while three doors dotted the walls. Two bedrooms and a bathroom. There were pipes sticking out of the ceiling, the biggest almost low enough for Finn to touch. He just chuckled and laid back down, relaxing into the cushions.



Five more minutes, then he’d get up and be a responsible adult.



Five minutes turned into two hours later, but it was worth it. By the time he had gotten ready for the day, it was almost time for Judy to get off work. Finn left the apartment and got into his van, driving down to the police station. At this point it was almost routine for him. Not that he minded, public transit could be shit and no way in hell he was letting her call a Zuber, way too expensive.



When he pulled up Judy was already waiting for him on the corner, a huge smile on her face as she bounced on the balls of her feet. Oh, boy. He knew that look.



He parked and she bounded over, getting in and grinning at him. “Okay, so--”



“What did you do?”



“No, no, just listen okay?” She was bouncing in her seat. Dear gods, what had she done??



“Flopsy, I swear to all the gods--”



She leaned over, putting both of her paws on his. “Please, just listen, okay??” Her little cotton tail twitched with excitement. “So, okay, I know you didn’t want me to get involved, but I can’t just not help--”

“Judy--”



“No, listen!” She grabbed his paws in hers, surprising him with how forceful she was being. “I was talking to Fangmeyer, and she told him that her uncle has a friend who owns a restaurant and how they’re kind of hurting for workers right now since a lot of their patrons supported Bellwether and got pissed that they wouldn’t fire the predators because it’s not fair and they didn’t do anything wrong, and some of those patrons had kids who worked there who quit because they’re just as prejudiced--”

“Judy, Judy, breathe.” Finn grabbed her paws back, giving them a squeeze.



The bunny took a deep breath, shaking her head. “Right. I was rambling. Sorry.” She looked into his eyes, her own warm with optimism. “Anyways, I got you an interview.”

He blinked. Once, twice. “What?”

“It’s only for a dishwasher, and the job isn’t guaranteed, but at least it’s something right?” She smiled, then suddenly her expression turned fearful and she let go of him, leaning back. “You’re not mad, right?”

All he could do was stare at her. This bunny… “An interview?”



“Yeah.” She was biting her lip, looking up at him through her long lashes.



Holy shit. A real job? When was the last time he’d had that? Had he ever had that? Finnick slumped back in his seat, his heart racing and his thoughts jumbled. Did he have anything to wear? What should he say? Did he have a resume? Did he even need one?



“Finn??” She grabbed his arm, shaking him gently. “Are you okay?? Are you mad?? I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have--”



He snapped back to reality, grabbing her shoulders and yanking her into a hug. He hung his head over her shoulder, eyes shut tight. “Thank you. Just...thank you.”



It took a moment before she hugged him in return, not holding back. He was starting to learn that she didn’t know how to, in anything she did. “You’re welcome.”

He only held the hug for a moment before letting go, clearing his throat and running a paw over his head. Glancing over at her, he gave her a gruff grin. “So, what the hell do I even wear?”



She laughed and clapped her paws together, and he drove off towards the apartment as she started rattling off ideas to make his interview go perfectly.

Il Piccolo was a small restaurant owned by third generation Italia immigrants whose family had come to Zootopia seeking a better life years ago. At least, that’s what the sign in the main lobby of it said. Finn sat in a chair there in khaki pants and a white button shirt, trying and probably failing desperately to not look as nervous as he felt. This was going to be his first legitimate gig and he wanted to make a good first impression. He ran through the lines Judy had told him to use in his head. Professional, polite.



He’d never been good at being either of those, but he had to try today.

“Finnick Leary?”



Finn almost jumped out of his skin, his head jerking around to stare at the meerkat standing next to the hostess podium. He slid down off of his seat, smoothing out his shirt. “Y-yeah, hi, that’s me.” He mentally slapped himself for the stutter.



The other animal just smiled and motioned for him to follow her. “Come on, this way.”



An hour later Finn stepped out of the restaurant with a folder, trembling. Judy stood by the van with her phone in paw. When she saw him, she rushed over to him, violet eyes wide. “Well??”



He looked up at her, a grin slowly spreading his lips. “I got the job.”



She squealed and laughed, wrapping her arms around him and spinning him around. “That’s awesome!” She stopped spinning and let go of him, holding her phone to her chest. “When do you start??”



“Next Tuesday. They’re having me come in for the next three days to observe and train.”



“Ohhh, I’m so happy for you!” She giggled then gasped, going to her phone. “We have to call and tell Nick! No, wait, he’s probably in class right now. We’ll tell him tonight!” She looped her arm through his, leading him back over to his van. “Well, that’s alright! For now, let’s celebrate! Where do you wanna go?”



“Marlow’s.” Finn’s eyes were shining as he gazed up at his friend. “He’s not gonna believe this.”