when watching the second film i absolutely fell in LOVE with the “going home scene” which is what i call it. or maybe better and more officially known as, according to the zootopia wiki, “the dream team scene”.
i just love everything about it, the slice of life idea, the beauty, the characterisation but most notably the fact it underpins their differences so VISUALLY. it is a key example of “show don’t tell” in media.
firstly we open up with such a STUNNING atmosphere, the sun is setting, the lighting is soft, the sky is pink, we see Nick and Judy together ugh. hats off to whoever worked lights for this.
the whole vibe just gives off a hard days work.
Nick’s shirt just stands out so well here and compliments the lighting/atmosphere too. plus gawd damn does he look fine 😽
we see their differences in personality visually and outspokenly: Judy holds a bunch of case files and on top her partnerships for dummies book, showing the pressure she feels and is carrying. Yet on the top is her partnership book, demonstrating she finds that her relationship with Nick to be the most important.
contrastingly, Nick carries nothing and has his typical laissez faire attitude, paws in pockets.
they discuss proving themselves outwardly.
we get this ADORABLE shot of Nick’s pov and a little glimpse in how he sees her and omg she’s just adorable. the lighting really compliments her eyes.
plus, this scene highlights their height difference like geez Nick really has to look down.
Wildehopps banter ofc.
but just admire the golden sunlight, the acacia tree, the camera blurs and focuses on Nick.
this shot is so amazing.
the hustle and bustle of everyday life in Zootopia- contrasted with Judy studying her files already (characterisation yipee!)
as well as that, the glowing gold lighting framing her is so beautiful. i feel like it kinda highlights how she’s still a smalltown bunny in a busy city.
ofc contrasted by Nick and this shot. like look how cool he looks hitching a ride on this garbage truck. it’s so playful and cool i love it.
it shows he’s at home in the city. he knows it inside and out.
and hello we finally get to see Nick’s apartment?? i love how the lighting turns quite cool and dark, contrasting the previous scenes, maybe portraying how Nick feels “better” with Judy?
and ofc we finish the sequence with the SHRINE. the carrot pen. the newspaper.
Judy occupies his space and has her own dedicated place in his home, how cute 🤭
thank you for your question! i hope u enjoyed the answer! feel free to send any more!
(fr tho no rush! I'm just really excited since your mlb writing is some of the best I've seen, and I just know you're gonna do wildhopps so much justice)
ANON IM TWIRLING MY HAIR AND KICKING MY FEET OMG hiiii ive been writing a multichap (do u guys wanna hear about it?? hehe) BUT i had to pause bc i was struck with the need to write a oneshot about wildehopps + the 5 love languages!! basically judy wants to know nick’s preferred love languages so she can love him better as partners but he doesn’t want to say </3 hence her deciding to show him love in ALL the ways and see how he responds!! spoiler alert: she realizes she’s in love and finds out he has somewhat… special feelings for her (super down bad obsessed)
anyway HERE TAKE A RANDOM TEASER HEHE HOPE YALL LIKE IT
A short wildehopps fic inspired by this incredible artwork by @asummerrae Thank you so much to them for letting me share their art alongside the little piece I couldn’t help but write when I saw it. Beautiful heartbreak 💔❤️🩹
Tags: (Teen and up) wildehopps, one shot, post Z2, angst, hurt/comfort, injury, blood (not super graphic), angst with a happy ending 💜💚
Will be on AO3 sometime soon. My first fic in this fandom (not terrified at all! 🫣) If you have a read, I hope you enjoy, and thank you.
Judy slid on her knees in the street, coming to an abrupt stop on the tarmac beside Nick’s shoulder. He was pushing himself backwards on his paws. Trying to. He could barely move.
“Nick. Stay still - just stay still.”
Frantic green eyes met hers. “Judy. Are you…?” A groan of pain came from him when he tried again to move away from the wreck.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Don’t move. Please, Nick. Just stop.”
He collapsed onto his elbows, throwing his head back with eyes squeezed tightly closed. His teeth bared as he hissed breath between them, then he dropped his muzzle towards his chest and threw a forearm over his eyes, claws digging into his palms.
Judy’s paws hovered, desperately unsure. “Did you hit your head? Does it hurt anywhere other than… other than…”
It was almost impossible to look. His fur shone in the streetlight, the blue of his uniform pants darker than it should be. Another officer dropped to his knees beside them, quickly assessing and applying pressure. Nick cried out - his leg was definitely broken. Could be his hip, pelvis… he could be bleeding internally…
“Wilde - do you feel any other pain?”
Nick shook his head at the bear. “No-“ The single word ended on a moan of pain that thinned his voice and turned it into the sort of sound Judy’s kind would once have run from. Her heart raced in her chest, but she moved closer to the badly injured fox in front of her.
“You’ll get examined in the ambulance. Just need to get you stabilised, and we’ll…”
Judy wanted to listen and she knew she should but her hearing was ringing. She could still hear the unreal boom of the crash, Nick’s voice when he called to her ran round and round inside her scull and her own cry had been so loud, the pitch pure terror, she wondered if she’d burst an ear drum.
Together, he said, they’d always jump together. Into danger, out of it. Always together. But he didn’t wait for her. Nick ran onto the road in front of an active pursuit, grabbed the kid by the waist, turned to Judy and yelled her name before he threw the little creature bodily out of harm’s way and into her arms. Too little time to turn around and too much momentum. Nothing but a solid brick wall in front of him. No choice but to let the inevitable almost take him from her.
“Judy!”
Screeeeeeeech… BOOM!
“No!”
The force with which Nick threw the wolf cub knocked Judy off her feet and even further away from him. By the time she’d rolled, covering the little one, come to a stop and gathered her wits enough to get the kid to safety, the squad car was on its roof, the front half of the vehicle it had been chasing was buried in the wall. And Nick… Nick was on his back in the road, bleeding.
“We’ve gotta…” she heard herself say, but her voice came out all shaky and strange. She didn’t know what they needed to do… Nick’s blood soaked the pavement, black in the unnatural night lighting, strobing red and blue… she didn’t know what to do…
Nick grabbed her arm so hard Judy nearly pitched forward onto the ground. She caught herself as Nick turned his head towards her and pressed it against her chest. Judy wrapped her arms around his head, cradling him to her. His paw gripped her forearm.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s… okay.” Judy uncurled her toes and knelt, letting Nick’s back rest on her folded legs. The top of every rushed, strained breath he took caught in his throat, and Judy held on to him, pressing her cheek into his brow and closing her eyes, willing love and strength and life into him, as if she could drive away the possibility of him not always being at her side.
“You’re gonna be okay. Do you hear me, Slick? You’d better be alright.”
Nick’s paw squeezed her arm.
Judy’s head began to clear, the scene around her came into focus. Distorted sounds became normal, awful but normal. Frenzied but organised action all around them. Animals helping.
She stroked Nick’s fur. “I am gonna kick your ass when you’re better.”
The officer tending Nick’s leg snorted. A medic landed beside them and took over.
Nick shivered in Judy’s arms, clinging tightly and hiding his face against her. She moved her paw, resting her arm across the top of his ears. She felt the muscles and tendons release as she did, and his ears dropped beneath the gentle pressure. Behind her paw, she pressed her lips to Nick’s creased brow, and he tried to release a breath but it tripped and stuttered. She could feel him trying to let her soothe him, but the pain must have been blinding.
“Judy…” Her name through that pain was hard to hear.
“Mr Wilde, we’ll need to lift you in a moment. We’ll give you a count down.”
He nodded once, and Judy nodded after, keeping hold of him and only flicking her eyes to the medic briefly. If they thought she was letting go…
“You, too, Miss Hopps. I take it you’re sticking with him.”
“For life.” She said it without a hint of hesitation.
Nick’s body slumped in Judy’s arms and she almost panicked. Until she heard him laugh, lowly, sounding like his throat was full of gravel.
“Smooth, Carrots,” he rasped. His body tensed and jumped as the medic worked. “Do I… get a say in that?”
“Did you give me a say in what just happened?”
“Oooh, fox boy! You deep in the shit.”
Judy expressed her annoyance with all three males in her vicinity by holding her partner even closer and glaring at the whole world and nothing over the top of his head.
“Hope so,” Nick bit out, although it cut off on a wince. “Hope I’m… in it for life.”
His paw moved on her arm as he tried to keep holding himself up. Judy changed her hold so she took some of his weight. She heard agony in Nick’s every exhale, and a tear slipped out of the corner of her eye, ran over her cheek and landed on his fur. She almost rubbed it away with her chin. Almost… His blood was on her uniform, his heart was pounding in her arms, his voice and his smile and his faith and how infuriatingly good he was had changed her world.
Nick kissed the crook of Judy’s elbow. His paw slid along her arm and took hold of hers, bringing it to beneath his cheekbone. He rubbed the back of her paw there… squeezing her fingers… giving himself to her, laid on the cold pavement in the middle of a crime scene.
Judy’s breath came shallow and fast. She held Nick’s paw. She let her chin move slowly down to his brow. Smoothed the underside over his fur. Nick sighed.
“Holding you to that,” he promised. “When all this is done.”
Judy buried her face in Nick’s fur, turning her mouth towards his ear. “I love you so much. I’m so mad at you. Don’t you dare leave me.”
Nick actually pulled out of her hold, gritting his teeth against the pain and looking into her eyes.
“Never. I swear.” His paw came up shakily to touch her face and she could see it in his eyes, everything she was to him, everything they would be.
“Ready?” A paw on his shoulder drew both their attention, and Judy got ready to move on the count. She ended up knelt on the gurney with Nick’s head in her lap, wondering if her paw might be broken after he’d gripped it hard enough to white out her vision when they lifted him. Let it not be his hip, let it not be lasting, let it not chain him to a desk, let it heal, let it not take anything they loved away from them…
He’d marked her. They’d claimed each other. Judy wanted everything for this fox, she wanted him to get what he deserved for believing so strongly in something bigger than them that he put his life on the line. But if falling in love with Nick Wilde had taught her anything it was that life didn’t give you what you deserved, it gave you what you allowed yourself to believe in.
She stroked his fur in the ambulance, held his paw in the dark, made sure she was the first thing he saw when he woke up. He told her he loved her. She kissed him so many times. She stayed with him through dressings and casts and scars, fearful moments and slow progress. They’d believed in love laid out on the cold, hard ground with the scent of blood and gasoline in the air, and they carried it with them in the sunshine.
I headcanon that Nick has mild PTSD from the moment he thought Judy was dead.
Like:
Nick knows that as soon as Judy has a case, it's almost the only thing on her mind until it's solved. She'll plow forward sans sleep, food, or any other basic survival need until it's all said and done.
None of it mattered if it meant bringing someone to justice and making the world a better place.
And Nick loves that about her, he really does. But he also loves her. Of course he does.
Ever since her first "It's called a hustle, sweetheart."
That's why he spent an entire day and a half desperately following Judy every step of the way. Everything he had done was for her, fleeing from the law, staying close to keep her safe despite all of the stubbornness and shenanigans. Most importantly, save her when she repeatedly put the case above her own life.
She almost drowned for bucks sake
And then she was pulled away from him by a collapsing building, almost falling to her death.
But was saved, just barely, by a snake he barely knew anything about and a Lynx he didn't quite trust.
All of that in the wake of their fight, the look of sorrow and doubt on Judy's face burned in the back of his mind.
"No one will question whether you and I belong together again" had turned into "maybe we are...different."
There was nothing he could do as he watched the Lynx carry her away, she had never felt so far away.
All he had wanted was to run away with her.
And then Nick found himself standing in a cell, pouring out the words he regretted not saying, to a quirky podcasting beaver.
He appreciated her company in that moment at least.
Next thing he knew, he’d escaped and was being driven faster than should have been physically possible by a Sloth to get back to Judy.
And yet all he could think was-
Drive faster!
Finally, they got to the wall and it took him a few (terrifying) minutes to get inside but he did and then he couldn't freaking find her.
The desperation to find her grew the longer he looked, so close yet so far. The panic and fear rose in him every second that ticked by. It was almost unbearable.
...Then the rooftop happened.
He turned around and there was the Lynx, approaching him slowly with this look in his eyes.
A look of sadness but not quite guilt.
That's when he saw it, in his paw. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, but he knew what its purpose was.
But even in the face of death, there was only one thing on his mind.
"Where is she?" He demanded.
"She...she didn't make it."
That's the moment.
That's the moment the air left Nick's lungs. That's the moment he felt his heart drop into his stomach, and despair took its place.
She didn't make it.
Judy's gone.
Judy's dead.
That's the moment his entire world was ripped away from him. Forever.
No.
No.
He tried to say it out loud, but the word didn't get past his throat.
Suddenly, the Lynx was on him, and he's not sure how, but he still found the strength to fight back.
Then, he heard the snake's voice, saw Judy and he had hope again.
And that's all he needed.
—
Then:
Days later, after the party at the De'Snake home, after their names were cleared with the ZPD and they got their jobs back. After the totally completely platonic slip up of "Love you partner" that bled too close to the truth, everything should have gone back to normal. Everything had gone back to normal.
They went to work, wrote up reports, patrolled the city as the Hopps and Wilde dream team they were always meant to be, and then they went back to their respective homes to sleep and do it all over again. Everything was normal, Judy was safe, Nick felt like he could breathe again.
That's when the nightmares started.
Nick had barely slept since the night before the Zootenial Gala. The excitement of chasing leads and uncovering the truth, the adrenaline from running and fighting for their lives, the chaos of the aftermath of it all, had not been kind to his sleep schedule. Not that he was complaining. He was the happiest he’d ever been in his entire life. How could he not be? He finally had a pack.
It was late, almost midnight. A yawn tore its way out of his mouth as he stepped over an empty pizza box on the way to his bedroom. The thought of cleaning his apartment crossed his mind, but, meh. Who has time for that when there’s a whole city to save? Ahem, I mean serve.
But when he turned to close his bedroom door he caught a glance of his couch. Suddenly, the mental image of him and Judy sitting on it together materialized in his brain.
For a moment, Nick let himself imagine what it would be like to sit there with her and watch TV. The calm contentedness of being near her even when they’re not at work, just them relaxing together, laughing and eating snacks together, to be in ignorant bliss of the world outside. To be able to sit on his own couch and finally not have the feeling of wanting to be anywhere else..
Perhaps it’s not the worst idea.
But, that was a problem for future Nick. He sighed and closed his door and flipped the lightswitch. The sheets on his bed were nice and cold as he fell into them and put his paws behind his head. With a final sigh, he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.
—
Nick let out a grunt as he fell against a wall. What? The house was tilting. He took in his surroundings. No, not a house. The Honeymoon Lodge. It was breaking, torn in half, it was going to fall! But if Nick was here, where was.. He frantically looked around.
“Judy!!” He shouted, spinning to look in every direction, “Judy where are you?”
He heard her scream and wasted no time running towards the direction of the sound, dodging falling planks and avoiding the grasps of their fellow ZPD officers all over again. The sound of wood groaning and snapping intensified around him. It was almost deafening. He couldn’t keep his balance, the floor was swaying, he slammed into another wall. Hurry!
“Nick!” She yelled.
“Judy!” Nick could hear the panic in his voice. His lungs burned, but he had to keep going. Nothing would stop him from getting to her. He ran up a flight of stairs and that’s when he saw her, desperately hanging on to a broken rafter. Her body dangling hundreds of feet above the ground. Judy reached an arm out towards him.
“Nick!!”
He ran to the edge and stuck his arm out to her as well. But she was too far away, just barely out of reach. “Come on, come on, come on!” He strained as he stretched as far as he could. Their paws brushed, she was just in reach, but then-
She fell.
“No no no no! Judy!!” Nick cried as he watched Judy fall and disappear into the cloud of dust below, knowing there was nothing underneath to break her fall. There was nothing he could do.
No..
“Couldn’t save her eh?” Came a voice from behind him, along with the sound of cracking knuckles, “What a shame.”
Nick turned just in time to see a fist coming at his face and-
—
Green eyes snapped open with a gasp. He shot up and looked around. “Judy!?” He called out to the darkness. She wasn’t there. He was at his apartment, it took him a moment to realize. Nick ran a paw over his ears and forced himself to take deep breaths. It was a dream.
Nick looked at the clock on his bedside table.
4:58 AM
It was just a bad dream. A terrible, awful, horrifically bad dream. A dream he will never think about ever again for as long as he lives. He laid back down and put his paws on his chest, an attempt to slow his heart rate. Usually, after you wake up from a nightmare, you get a sense of relief from realizing it was just a dream. His hadn’t come yet.
Nick could still feel the dread and panic in his chest, the desperation to save her continued to course through his whole body. He took some more deep breaths. The visual of Judy falling to her death, arm outstretched and pure terror plastered on her face, played over and over in his mind clear as day. In through the nose, out through the mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to reassure himself it was just a dream. Breathe. It was just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream.
...Right?
He threw the blankets back and jumped out of bed.
—
“Order for Nick?” Called out the barista. Nick glanced at his watch before he stepped forward and grabbed the two coffee cups.
5:29 AM
Judy always set her alarm for 5:30 every morning, even on weekends. He only knew that because she told him once, as if she was proud of it. As if it wasn’t the most absurd thing he'd ever heard. Nick would scoff at the memory if he wasn’t so on edge. He wasted 6 minutes in that coffee shop waiting for their drinks. But how else was he supposed to show up at her place unannounced so early in the morning? He couldn’t just show up for seemingly no reason, she’d ask questions. What would he tell her then? The truth?? That sort of thing was reserved for only after near death experiences.
Her apartment building came into view and Nick had to physically stop himself from starting to run. He needed to see her. He needed to make sure that she was okay, that she was safe. That she was alive.
Once inside, he carefully balanced one coffee on top of the other as he approached her door. He gave a firm but gentle knock. Standing in front of her apartment did little to help ease the nerves writhing around in him. He checked his watch again.
5:34 AM
Nick leaned forward and pressed an ear against the wood, he didn’t hear any sound behind it. Why was there no sound? She should be awake by now. She should have opened the door by now. Getting the coffees was a mistake. He should have ran here. Why didn't he run?? The red hot panic in Nick's chest flared in full force, like a grease fire doused in flour. He raised his paw again and knocked harder, louder, more urgent. Two, three, four more seconds went by and he couldn’t wait any more. Nick took a step back and braced himself to kick the door—right next to the lock, like he was trained to in the academy—when he heard the lock click.
The door opened slowly, and a squinty and disheveled Judy appeared. The fur on her head was going in crazy directions and the faded pink polka-dotted pajamas she wore were wrinkled. She looked half asleep and absolutely beautiful.
“Nick? What are you doing here?” She asked in a sleepy voice.
Relief washed over him completely. Finally. She's here. She's safe. Judy's alive. It felt like the sky had poured an elephant sized bucket of ice water over him on a scorching hot day and washed the panic right off him. It pooled on the ground at his feet, no longer squeezing him indefinitely from the inside. Nick let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and smiled, he held out a coffee cup.
“Hey, Carrots.”
—------
This is just a roundabout way of saying I think Nick gets nightmares from that moment because honestly who wouldn't? Imagine you genuinely believe that the person you care about love most in the world is dead for a few minutes. Someone you spent so much time and effort to keep safe because they meant that much to you. That would destroy someone, even for a moment. And then to live with the fear of ever feeling like that again burned in the back of your subconscious until it manifests itself into your worst nightmares.
Anyway I have more planned for this so if you like it please let me know and I'll consider uploading to ao3(:
Fanfic recs for your Wildehopps needs because I've been reading a lot this past few days and I have to share the greatness I found 🙂↕️✨
All of them are amazing and a most read. The first one has my double seal of approval because I think everybody should read it ✅✅
List updated on: January 7th 2026
Status of some fics has been updated
Added rating
New recs were added
In the Nick of Time by LovelyLavenderLove
Summary:
Nick has loved Judy for years but never confessed. Now, at her wedding, regret drives him to travel through time, revisiting the moments that could have changed their fate.
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Status: completed
Love Languages by Literaphobe
Summary:
Convinced it will make them better partners, Judy asks Nick to take the 5 Love Languages Quiz. He refuses, of course. Obviously, the solution for this is to secretly love him in all five ways, and figure out what he likes best!
The results of this... vary greatly. She winds up discovering far more than she expects.
Rating: Mature
Status: completed
a fairer house by Weatheredlaw
Summary:
It is news the day the Wilde’s move to the Triburrows – but Judy, who dreams of publishing her large volume of rejected writings, can't be bothered with them. Not even when their son catches her eye.
Regency/Pride & Prejudice AU
Rating: General Audiences
Status: completed
One Hundred Percent by Kulkum
Summary:
Nick Wilde has lost his memory after an assault in the line of duty. But why does it seem that everyone is hiding something, rather than helping him remember?
Rating: Mature
Status: completed
Soft Sounds of Unease by Ladynoir_boo
Summary:
Does he stick to something old or learn to be something new? Is he only instinct or is he habit? He doesn't know which he'd prefer. Sometimes it's easier to let the world decide.
Rating: Not rated
Status: Completed (Author might post a chapter 4 but it's not 100% sure. Either way, each chapter can be read as stand alone, but they do have a continuity).
Hopelessly Platonic by SunRedDreamer
Summary:
Judy Hopps is a hopeless romantic who’s always dreamed of finding her Prince Charming.
Nick Wilde is a cynic who doesn’t believe in love.
They’re best friends. And somehow… that has always been enough.
But suddenly, it isn’t.
Because it’s easy to call it platonic…until you have to watch someone else take your place.
Status: pause (Currently not on AO3. Author will continue once they get new AO3 account)
Aren't We? by MeBeKiki
Summary:
"Nick," Judy snapped, "Are you telling me we've been dating this entire time?!"
Ever the dumb fox, Nick frowned back at her, confused at her bewilderment. "Are you telling me we haven't?"
Nick and Judy investigate a drug ring in the criminal underground of Zootopia, while also addressing some misunderstandings about the nature of their relationship.
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Status: In progress
In the Heat of the Moment by dopaminefreak
Summary:
His fist pounded on the door again before he could think of an excuse of why. There was silence, shuffling, and then a breathless Judy. Her ears askew and her tank top strap had fallen off. Her shoulder has never looked so delectable.
“Nick! D-Did you need something?” She readjusted her clothing.
He didn’t know what to say or where to start. He just stared to the point that he was creeping himself out. Speak, Wilde. You’re better than this.
“Do 𝐲𝐨𝐮 need something?” He asked right back.
Her violet eyes widened. “What?”
When Judy sprains her ankle on the job, she struggles having an outlet for her heat. Nick struggles being without his partner and wants to help out in any way that he can.
Rating: Mature
Status: In progress
A Perfectly Normal Arrangement by FunnyLittleOwl
Summary:
Nick Wilde moves in with Judy Hopps and immediately discovers a problem: they are doing everything married couples do, except for the part where they’ve never been on a date.
Somewhere between shared evenings on the couch, accidental “I love yous,” and learning how to ask for what they need without falling apart, Nick starts testing how much happiness he’s allowed to want—and how much steadiness Judy is already offering him without realizing it.
Everyone else already knows what this is. Nick is just trying to survive it.
A story about domestic intimacy, boundary negotiations, paralyzing anxiety, and two idiots who haven’t noticed they’re already home.
Rating: Mature
Status: Completed
Wildlife on One: Run Rabbit Run by supercrunch
Summary:
She falls asleep on him, nose twitching as she snores, clutching his tail to her chest like he’s the small, fuzzy, huggable thing. He doesn’t dare put his arm around her. He’s not dense— he knows what this would be if this were anyone else, if this were a cute girl he’d picked up at a bar that he’d wined and dined and cuddled with all night on the couch. He’d wake her with a kiss and see where things take them, if this were some girl.
But it’s Judy, and Nick’s just happy she’s here, so he doesn’t wake her at all.
(Nick thinks he's writing down observations about the most interesting mammal in his life. What he's really doing is falling head over tail in love.
And he's going to be annoying about it, because he's a bastard.)
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
One Shot
The Case of Judith Laverne Hopps by Drabbles_Of_Writing
Summary:
The very important thing to remember here is that Nicholas Piberius Wilde is not, and had never been, an idiot.
Unfortunately, there's a certain rabbit that kind of makes him act like one.
Wildehopps au where they and Nibbles Maplestick start their own private investigations business where they solve mysteries, reveal conspiracies, stop plots and help animals no matter what. Making Zootopia
