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His sense of hearing wasn’t his most distinctive feature. It wasn’t abysmal or anything, but not top tear like the elephants or wolves who served Zootopia under his leadership. Cape Buffalo were more renowned for their sense of smell and herd instincts. It was the latter which made him such a top tier candidate for keeping their city’s diverse staff held together, something Bogo thought himself even better at since reprioritizing after Hopps joined their force, then Wilde right after her. Sometimes he still struggled to believe his own bias against the pair during his previous rut, given who he’d been partnered and then mated to, even since accepting his promotion and convincing the then svelte cheetah that his true calling was caretaking instead of finding a new partner to continue active duty.
He hoped that Clawhauser never regretted their decision. Even though they weren’t together on paper even with laws changing just a few years before Hopps’ arrival to make such a thing possible, from what he’d seen the cheetah never resented moving behind the front desk and caretaking their staff after old man Tropics took his chimp self off to retirement at the same time they’d been transitioning. It made sense to both of them given Benjamin already looked after their field team so religiously as their resident mother hen so to speak.
Everyone had certainly been outraged enough when he was sent to the basement a few years ago. Sure, some newer cops popped off until they figured out such robustness wasn’t laziness on his partner’s part, but a direct result of Bogo’s own indulgent nature with his mate. That discovery is usually when someone went from rookie to seasoned officer, even though he’d never once confirmed or denied their bond for anyone in the Z.P.D.
Much to his surprise despite bringing a united Zootopia into fruition by returning reptiles and birds to their populations, Bogo didn’t actually think their favorite Dream Team had figured it out yet. To be fair, changing the face of their world had kept them pretty darn busy. As much as he loved those two breaking the mold in their own unique way, something in the Chief’s gut still knotted at the use of a nickname last bestowed on himself and his first partner with the force prior to meeting Benjamin, but mostly because that often felt cursed after their ending.
Never one to dream, he shook off the introspectiveness of slumber that always haunted him, when it wasn’t his own hearing to jostle Bogo awake. No, it was his partner’s as fuzzy ears twitched in that spot just below the buffalo’s dark chin. Next to hit him was the smell of his cheetah’s anxiety which rankled, because making any place he slept a safe space such an anxious animal could feel safe had been a challenge enjoyed even prior to them moving into this house together. Finally, it was that feeling of every bit resting beneath him going tense from ear tips to clawed toes that woke the buffalo completely.
He tended to sleep on his stomach and the larger mammal splayed almost directly on top of him most nights with a bulging arm wrapped tightly around his soft and fuzzy midsection like that kitten was his own personal bodypillow. So, when the love of his life tensed up it was impossible not to feel immediately.
“What’s the matter, Benji?”
“Did you hear that?”
“No,” He repeated as he had for almost twenty years. It would be official come March 13th.
“A car just pulled in the driveway.”
“Hmm,” Bogo acknowledged and both of them listened for a moment as indeed someone got out and approached their porch. It likely wouldn’t be a random lost delivery driver; this was an established neighborhood and all of the houses were well spaced out around their development.
Clawhauser assumed right away, starting to get up, “One of the boys must have gotten hurt.”
All of the undercovers did have their address and it would be a bald faced lie to say that the cheetah didn’t keep running lists of their assigned roles and stages of every assignment Z.P.D. had ongoing memorized in more detail than he did. The buffalo still shifted to put more of his weight over his favorite feline halting him. “I’ll find out and call you down if they need tending.”
The younger man chirruped and insisted, “I’m still an officer too, you know. I can handle myself.”
“Not here we’re not,” He reminded the large cat, nuzzling in to kiss his neck. “You’re just a very cute kitten who is going to humor his overprotective boyfriend and I’m just going to see which of our nimrods decided to disrupt a peaceful night by getting hurt.”
“Be nice,” Benjamin ordered with a purr which he knew was agreement as the Cape Buffalo got up.
Sitting in their overly sized bed listening for a pin to drop was all he could do knowing there would be wrath if he moved before things were deemed safe. Most intriguing was when Chief didn’t even get the chance to open their front door. Even from his place in satin sheets the cheetah heard when that encroacher started vacating the porch before his lover even got downstairs, got in their car once more and pulled away as that door was opened.
Odd.
There was rustling as it seemed like Bogo took something off their stoop, but no other audible clues other than the front door once more shutting, being locked, and the bull moving back upstairs. Curiosity was killing him, but it would be against cheetah nature to claim such an emotion wasn’t laced with stress just a bit. He liked answers and cordiality. Neither of which were being presented by this scenario.
Of course, never would he have preferred for one of theirs to be hurt just because it was a familiar enough scenario. That wasn’t what he wished to imply either. Never.
“What was that about?” Clawhauser quizzed curiously upon his partner’s return, looking down and checking his phone to make sure none of their officers messaged him upset or in need since both came to bed.
“I was going to ask you something similar,” Chief Bogo admitted, still taking up the entire doorway as he stared at the card in his hooves. “What is this about?”
He was up in an instant as sheer nosiness set in, maneuvering up to his knees and crawling over his boyfriend’s side of the bed to make grabby hands at whatever was held by hooves still shrouded in darkness of hallway shadows. His interest made the older mammal move, but Benjamin wasn’t quite sure what to do with the large card that he was handed. It was obnoxiously bright and flipped upward, when he did so a cutout of Gazella asked him to be the offerer’s Valentine in tangent with the upcoming holiday happening a week from today.
“Aww! It’s cute.”
“One of the new recruits developed a crush you haven’t told me about again?” Bogo teased him.
The joke being that wasn’t the first time such things happened. They didn’t drag their private life into the department and Officer Clawhauser was nice to everyone. Loved by everyone for that personality which pulled others in and set them at ease, new recruits often found a soft place to land in the chubby cheetah, especially in a new work place that did tend toward a bit of roughing up for rookies.
Even if his partner usually remained oblivious and in serious denial about any such affections pointed in his direction, Bogo had been madly in love with him for two decades and had no such blinders. Benjamin didn’t even really hide such things, but genuinely remained unaware of them.
“No!” The feline sassed right away. Then, for the first time, he had to look down and reckon with the obvious gift in his paws, “Or… I didn’t think so.”
“Sort of glad it happened,” He confessed just between them while flopping back into the bed next to him. “Now you can’t say I’m mad for suggesting it anymore.”
“The new recruits haven't even gotten here yet!”
“You went by to introduce yourself though.”
He thought about it for a minute. “Half the precinct walks around in love with you, Chief,” Ben insisted from the bottom of his heart as he studied the card only addressed to him, but not signed, “I think you might have to let me have this one.”
Despite being a rather jealous type by nature, Bogo knew he was just flattered and smiled at him. “Fine… So long as you’re already spoken for this Valentine’s Day and every other to follow?”
“Always,” He promised, leaning over for a kiss. While cheetahs were known to be promiscuous, Clawhauser could honestly say that he only ever shared himself with his bull and nothing could ever convince him to stray.
They made love and went back to sleep, but alarms still went off at their typical time the next morning in spite of such a late night disturbance. Morning routines were completed a little slower and begrudgingly, but neither thought too much about that card after receiving it. Flattering and cute is all it would ever be for some new recruit already set up for a broken heart by not being in the know.
If they didn’t hide the crush well enough, then certainly one of their veterans at the force would share just to keep things from getting too awkward. At least, that’s what Bogo was banking on until they walked into the station at dawn and the entire front desk was decorated in pink, red, and purple heart balloons, confetti covered in glitter, and a huge Gazelle cut out also vocalizing the question of being a Valentine. That was when it struck him; this might be a little more than enthusiastic crushing.
All of the seasoned officers coming in the door behind them looked nervous already and Z.P.D.’s leader found himself well aware that he was under intense scrutiny for if his entire ass was about to be shown. Right behind their veterans in the know came Hopps and Wilde, a certain bunny unable to resist loud proclamations concerning how cute the setup was alongside a flattered cheetah. It was taking everything in him not to lose his temper before stalking into his office.
“Get it taken down before the new recruits arrive,” He ordered gruffly, but otherwise didn’t offer a reaction.
“Yep!” Benjamin agreed right away, accepting Judy’s offer to help, which her partner was dragged into like always.
If he was even quieter that day then normal, no one said a single word. Although it was necessary to focus at certain junctures, Bogo also couldn’t resist keeping an extra eye on the new recruits who were always introduced to Officer Clawhauser as a friendly face during their final days of Academy life. The bull’s eyes were trained on all of them looking for anyone showing his partner more focused attention, rather than those just trying to learn the ropes.
A candidate wouldn’t arrive until the next day.
One young lion, probably just out of school and with visions of being a police officer with the enthusiasm of Judy Hopps, went back to that front desk twice as much compared to the others. Instantly the newbie and his Nile Crocodile partner were put straight onto parking duty. Ben gave him a look for it, but the shitty assignment had to go to someone, right?
He looked familiar, but a reason for that wouldn’t register until Bogo pulled the brat’s file piled on his desk with all the others out. His heart froze.
Officer Barbary Roareaux.
The Cape Buffalo couldn’t believe it. That was Barbosa’s only boy. His first partner’s son hadn’t been seen since he was a small cub. Immediately his jealous streak fled for the hills.
Even as cards, presents, and other random tokens of affection just kept appearing around their home and that front desk for the next few days, Bogo just couldn’t be angry at that kid. Everyone knew his partner went down protecting him in a sting gone bad and it likely wasn’t personal; not truly. Of course the cheetah had been with him and every other officer at that funeral, but it was Benjamin to hold that boy as he cried all those years ago. It felt wrong to barge between them suddenly.
Dark eyes still kept steadily on them, however. By Friday the visits hadn’t reduced, but neither did their interactions look like attempts at flirting the more both were studied.
Wherever they went home Ben promised they were just talking. Topics ranged from Barbosa to surviving the job long-term, which he promised seemed to be that boy’s only real motivation after their discussions, and his boyfriend even proclaimed he was quite content with parking duty. While Barbary’s motivations for being here seemed a little confused from what was expected, Bogo hadn’t approached yet, even as he debated taking another look through recruits for an alternate candidate.
After all, today’s card was obnoxious and he watched as that lionet looked at it both skeptically and curiously, before asking to see the damn thing. Clawhauser allowed it with a chuckle and they both seemed to quietly pick on the sender for a minute between them. His boyfriend and partner until they transitioned was insistent that he was hilarious just like his father.
“Someone snaking you, Chief?”
“I will sit on you, Wilde, and feel nothing.”
“Now, don’t be testy,” The fox encouraged, jumping up in the seat to his right at the four seater square table in their station’s break room, so they both had a great view of that front desk. “I would have already gotten someone by the throat and strangled them to death. You’re showing enormous restraint.”
The tiniest of smirks appeared, but was just between them. “When did you figure it out?”
“Ehh, around the time you moved in here for a staring contest two days ago.”
“Did you tell Hopps?”
“Nah,” He confessed to his boss quietly, “She’s having too much fun trying to scope out this secret admirer.”
“Should she break the case-”
“Oh, you’ll be the first to know.” Green eyes turned to study him for a moment, but his question was asked gently, “Have you talked to Roareaux yet?”
He shook his head.
“Good kid. Funny.” He snorted to himself, “Has zero interest in being a cop.”
“Then what’s he doing here?”
“Wants to meet his dad’s old crew. But,” The fox revealed, “As soon as his three month minimum is up, he’s out the door much to his ma’s satisfaction. Actually wants to go into game development; seems good at it too.”
“That’s… good. Good for him,” Bogo studied them, still laughing. “I don’t feel as bad for putting him on parking duty now.”
“Nah, he’s loving it. His partner’s a little restless, but that one would rather hang around here all day,” The tod divulged, “A real desk warmer.”
“Thanks for the update, Wilde. I should go and say hello.”
“Always a pleasure, Chief.”
Finishing off the remainder of his coffee, the bull moved back out of their breakroom and toward those two at Clawhauser’s front desk. His boyfriend’s smile was warm as he came up behind Barbosa’s lionet. He’d likely been waiting for this to happen all week regardless of that stupid admirer encroaching, whether it was this one or not.
“Hey Chief!”
“Clawhauser,” He acknowledged as the boy leaning on that desk tensed at confirmation of whose air was gliding down his neck.
Slowly the young lion stood and turned to face him, still gulping even upon getting there. He had his father’s big blue eyes and although it was haunting, seeing them light up despite Barbary turning shy all of a sudden was heartwarming in a way indescribable. “Hi Ch-Chief.”
“That’s Uncle Chief to you,” He reminded him of when that lionet was still a cub, moving in for a hug, “Always.”
Claws dug into his back. Not hard, not enough to ruin the uniform, but they were there as that kid gripped him tight. Guilt sunk in for not doing this sooner.
“Even your godson calls you ‘Chief’?” Hopps demanded, jumping up to sit on the counter between them and Clawhauser.
“That’s just wrong,” Her partner agreed from the ground below.
The lionet looked at both of them confused, pointing to his uncle, “That’s his name!”
“What?” Judy demanded, confused.
And Bogo did have to laugh before informing his first partner’s only boy, “Most people don’t know that these days, Barb.”
“Oh. Well, his full name’s,” The rookie revealed quickly, "Chieftain Aadan Bogo III.”
“The Third, is it?”
“Squashed under 2000 pounds, Wilde.”
“Leaving now. Let’s go, Carrots!”
“Figured if I hung out here long enough,” Barbary teased him quietly once they were alone again and pointing out why he’d been bugging Clawhauser so much without saying it, “You were bound to show up at some point.”
“Sorry, kiddo. Busy week.” He pulled at the blond part of his mane which was full now, even if the dark undergrowth was still coming in with a long way to go. “We’ve come a long way from wearing Christmas wreaths, I see.”
It was bad timing on his part when Delgato was coming in right then and snorted, before busting out laughing.
“Uncle Chief!”
“Sorry,” He apologized without really meaning it, ruffling his mane more.
“We all did it, kid,” The older lion promised even as he laughed, then summoned the rookie to join him and Johnson in the breakroom.
Bogo nodded him onto joining them and enjoyed the sight all three lions made, having fun and telling embarrassing stories of themselves after his disclosure. It was needed after he was in such a funk with this admirer all week.
“Thank you,” Ben insisted once they were out of range. “You’re all he’s wanted all week!”
“Why didn’t you just tell me that?”
“He was kinda embarrassed by it and swore me to secrecy. Everyone knows, but he’s not trying to use it so blatantly.”
“Fair enough.” He asked curiously, “What did today’s love note say?”
With a roll of brown eyes, the card was passed over. The glittery ‘Be Mine’ at this midway point made him snort. “Well, that’s not happening.”
“I agree,” Clawhauser didn’t need to think about it. He quickly transitioned, “Did Higgins and Snarlov check in?”
“Not yet! Give them time!”
Things seemed to return toward normality after he’d bitten that bullet. There were cases to solve and undercovers to ensure made it back here in one piece. It seemed ridiculous to even care what young thing had decided to set their sights on Ben. There was no one who the bull could pick out as another likely candidate anyway as even their nephew disappeared from the front desk after achieving his goal, so it looked like everyone was settling easily into their new roles and the older officers were content to keep doing their thing.
The week wrapped up with a couple of old cases wrapped up and a couple more opening, so just another round at the Z.P.D. truly. Clawhauser and Hopps were good friends outside of work and she’d been invited to join his little girls’ group which consisted of mostly female officers and a few of their more sensitive males of which his partner led that particular herd. It was a standard absence and he was well prepared to enjoy a night to himself featuring a few drinks and unlimited time trying to pass as many levels as possible in Royal Smash.
They kissed at the front door when that kitten hurried out, because he was running late after baking too many treats for everyone. It happened every week and he just chuckled before going to relax.
It was several hours and a couple of drinks in when frantic knocking started on their door. Once again he assumed that it was one of theirs who’d managed to get injured; at least this time he wasn’t completely wrong. His eyes went wide at the sight of Barbary with a sizable cut on his cheek, even as it registered that the injury wasn’t even bleeding anymore, so wouldn’t need stitches. From the tense set of his shoulders and flare to his mane standing erect at every angle, something was clearly wrong despite his presence in street clothes.
“What happened?!”
“I fucked up. I’m so sorry.”
He opened the door and ushered the young lion inside, gruffing again, “What happened?”
“Uncle Ben might be in danger. I didn’t realize, maybe I didn’t want to-”
“Barbary,” Chief tried to ignore his own heart suddenly thundering in his chest, “Calm down and tell me what happened.”
“I went back to meet up with my partner after hanging with Delgato and and Johnson. A new card had shown up at the front desk over lunch,” He described what they all knew had gone on at the department today, “But I didn’t think anything about laughing and telling him that poor sucker didn’t have a chance.”
“Him… Scalezales?”
“Yeah. I didn’t think a thing about telling him the truth when he asked why, I’m sorry if you didn’t want me to,” Barbary Roareaux elaborated as quickly as he possibly could. “I started spouting off about how Dad said from day one that it had been love at first sight, coming home that day talking about how you took one look and lost your stud card in an instant, and I didn’t even notice him getting agitated.”
“Scalezales?” He’d barely made note of their godson’s new partner who Wilde identified as a desk warmer.
“He knows everything about Uncle Ben. I wrote my report for me on him when I kept getting dinged for making them too personal,” He admitted offhandedly. “Spouted off facts right off his head about his case record that I jotted down to get it over with.”
That was technically against the rules and a punishable offense. His brow lifted after it was out.
“Fire me, I really don’t care. If I hadn’t let the old man’s claims that everyone should do their duty get to me…”
He trailed off and his uncle was not actually going to hold the fact against him. “Wilde mentioned that was a factor in you being here. Did Scalezales do that?”
“Yeah. He stormed off and whacked me with his tail,” The newbie officer admitted. “Thought it was an accident, let the boys help patch it up, and we went out. But, I’ve been trying to get in touch, trying to invite him too, but when I couldn’t it started to click. I found this in his locker along with enough to lead up to Valentine’s Day.”
It was another card. Simply read ‘Be Mine’ once upon a time and just like the first one, but now it was shredded by claw marks. The gathering pit in his stomach dropped with swiftness.
He’d been drinking. This was now beyond personal. There was no way he could just intervene.
Nor would he even think of putting their godson further in the middle. Not without backup.
Luckily a certain fox and bunny were on call tonight. Meaning she was sober at girls’ night and he was only a call away. Hooves moved for his device quickly.
“Miss me already, Chief?”
“Does Hopps have eyes on Clawhauser at girls’ night?”
“What?”
“This is not a drill, Wilde. We likely have a stalking situation against one of our own. Eyes, now.”
“Shit, I’m on it,” He went silent for about five seconds after offering the reassurance. “Yeah, they’re still inside Pennington’s place.”
“Keep eyes on him,” The Cape Buffalo ordered. “Don’t alert him unless necessary. Get over there to do surveillance.”
“Right. Who am I looking for?”
“Scalezales.”
“Knew something was off with that desk warmer.”
“Just move.”
“Already in the car,” The tod promised.
Chief Bogo divulged before hanging up, “Roareaux is bringing me.”
They moved quickly out to his car only taking time for him to summon his new friends in Delgato and Johnson to cover the back of their elephant officer’s home. She lived in a heavily wooded neighborhood and there was a large privacy fence around her back yard which both older lions posted themselves on the other side of laying in wait. The youngest of Z.P.D.’s lions pulled up to the northwest front when Wilde was already parked to the property’s northeast.
There was a strange car nearby and as the best on this team with a computer Barbary confirmed it was a vehicle rented by Scalezales in seconds after parking. Those actively working this case ribbed him about belonging in the basement on a quickly established private radio line, but he took it with a chuckle actually seeming to agree just a bit to be honest. His uncle typically would have had a talk with him about using his most natural talents to do his duty never being a shameful thing, but it was placed on the proverbial backburner for now, because he was terrified of something happening to his partner.
All of them caught glimpses of everyone moving happily around inside. Most were unaware, except for Hopps, who did check out a few windows confirming everyone’s placement. Wilde had the best sense of smell and checked out the whole perimeter when Johnson moved up to cover his patrol car at one point, but had to admit that crocodile’s scent was all around the perimeter and trail to his car, so determining an exact placement was impossible. Bogo encouraged them to just wait it out for now; he wouldn’t be parked here without the intention of doing something.
It was a couple of hours doing nothing except watching and waiting. Never the best part of any investigation. They all gritted their teeth and bared it though.
Right after hour three began, their radio buzzed again. It was Delgato.
“We’ve got movement out the back,” He revealed with a little static, “It’s Clawhauser coming out.”
“Why?” Bogo demanded unhappily.
“Hopps is with him,” He noted instead of answering, then continued once able to deduce, “Looks like he’s insisting on going to the woodpile below her porch. She’s sticking to him.”
“Of course he is,” The buffalo muttered, but not into the radio.
Barbary snickered, but offered the rest of their team, “Ten-four.”
Only twenty seconds passed before another disturbance to silence erupted, but it was not just the radio, and Chief knew because he’d been counting every one of them waiting for someone to confirm his lover was back inside. There was loud roaring, growls, hissing, and even a shrill squeal from Hopps. Instantly all of them around the perimeter were moving in for that backyard, in addition to every officer inside unaware hurrying out to the back porch and down spiral stairs.
By the time everyone got there though, all the action was over. Bogo and Wilde were the first of them to hop the fence, leaving the lions a few paces behind, luckily both of their partners were fine for the most part. It looked like Pennington was putting in a new fountain behind her privacy fence and one of the stones piled up to be cemented in had been broken over Scalezales head, because he was out cold on the smooth walkway from porch end to new feature. Taking in their officers still standing, the bunny had hopped up onto that wood pile, and Clawhauser was next to it with only a clawmark on his right forearm.
Of course, the cheetah was already in worry mode as they arrived, “Are you okay? Judy?”
“Yeah, yeah,” She shook her head and noted, “I’m fine. You’re less so.”
“Ehh, little scratch,” He promised, focusing in on their movement and turning to see who all had arrived as those inside finally made it down. At the sight of his boyfriend, the feline chirped demandingly, “Does someone want to tell me what the hell that was about?!”
The Police Chief took what felt like his first real breath since Barbary showed up at their house and used it to order Wilde, “Call a bus and EMTs to check them.”
“On it, Chief.”
Hopps hurried off after her partner and probably wanted to avoid not having told the cheetah what she knew. It was fine. He’d gladly take the heat for this incident as long as his partner was okay.
And take the heat it looked like he would upon getting into whispering distance of that kitten, "Chieftain Bogo, you have two seconds-”
“He was your admirer. Barbary was joking about you already being taken,” He summed up what felt like a lifetime now, “And he didn’t take it well.”
“So you told the whole department instead of just warning me?”
“I’m sorry, but it really was just Wilde being on call. Your nephew invited his new buddies.”
“Did you tell Judy not to tell me?”
“I just thought we could handle-”
“I can handle myself!”
“Obviously,” The tease popped out before he could stop himself.
Clawhauser rolled his eyes, “I am not happy with you.”
“That’s fine,” He acknowledged, watching the lights of the ambulance pulling up. “Just come get that looked at.”
Brown eyes rolled at him, but the kitten did comply. He didn’t need stitches, but got his forearm wrapped up, and by then Scalezales was awake. Awake and very unpopular with the gathered officers sending him away from their ranks and into the other side for stalking and assault on an officer. Bogo just made sure all of them avoided letting that jackass anywhere near his partner again.
Francine was all upset and apologizing relentlessly, because this incident happened at her house. The front desk officer didn’t hold a thing against her, of course.
“I’m so sorry about your stonework!”
“I think you put it to better use, actually,” She joked and both of them snickered before the elephant excused herself.
“This is unbelievable,” The cheetah muttered once they were alone at the back of that ambulance, “And very uncouth!”
“I think I might have a way to avoid such misunderstandings in the future.”
“What’s that?”
He pulled out the jewelry box kept on his person or uniform pants pocket since mid-January as the only way to hide anything from his lover, after a delay in the custom piece left him unable to do this at the New Year, offering it up unopened. “Marry me?”
A million thoughts ran through his head at once. Obviously dismissed quickly considering this was because of what just happened; he had that box. Then went thoughts of this not being the right time and place, because who gave a damn after all of their years together. Finally, he realized all that mattered was answering and gasped out, “Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”
Giving him the pair of matching bracelets to open, the bull had to admit while both were slipping them on even before discussions of when to put it onto paper could occur, “I was going to wait for the holiday. After this-”
“I’m glad you didn’t.”
“Be mine?”
“I’ve been yours since our eyes met across the station,” Benjamin insisted with a huff before meeting his eyes confidently, “And I always will be.”