Twenty-seven: Separate Ways

"So Xander... I know you're a guy but, even you've gotta take a look at something like this and get a response, right?" The girls were giggling and grinning in delight, smiling happily as they looked towards him and the picture of Wolford's backside. The fox though was staring in total disbelief... he knew that picture was beautiful but his eyes were darting around at everyone in the studio and his heart was hammering in rapid anxiety over what was being pushed upon him.

Xander had guessed a few of the crew had known he was gay, but it seemed someone was out to spite him and make him out himself on the show. He felt his heart climbing into his throat, terror overcoming his mind and a general sense like he was trapped within the eyesight of a predator! But more fearfully, Xander knew that there were so many foxes and ferrets and other unwelcomed species that looked to him as normality for them, as a representation of what they were truly like... he couldn't give this job away and so he gave a soft chuckle.

"I happen to be friends with that wolf..." It was a risky statement, anyone might try and force him to explain how he knew this animal and yet Xander was saved. The girls cooed and blushed, insisting they wanted to go to the beach with these two beefcakes just for fun. They teased at Xander to share numbers with them, but he wagged a paw gently at them and then decided to takeover he segment. "I'm afraid they're taken... but if you want a taste of the beach... I might be able to surprise you..."

Xander heaved a sigh of relief as the girls then giggled and insisted they had to see what he could do, now they were so excited. Xander beckoned them over for a taste of summer with a peppery salad and grub grills, special grub patties that he'd immediately put on the grill for them, dropped a little hickory flavouring on to give it a smoky taste, and a little smoked paprika for the same, sort of taste before then preparing some ciabatta for the buns and toasting it slightly to give a more satisfying crunch into the burger. Everyone seemed to forget about them teasing him for the calendar, clearly assuming that it was all part of the sequence and everything seemed... safe!

When the show was over, but Xander found himself cooking for everyone in the crew to make sure no one was left out or hungry, and finding himself very popular, which was nothing new to him. Xander was pleased to feed them all, smiling happily until he noticed two figures waiting till the end to approach, just as the clean up crew was taking away the items from the kitchen set to wash them and clearing the electrical equipment out of the studio. It was enough to make Xander stiffen as he served the last salad and the last burger to them both with a pleasant smile upon his face.

"It's a bit unfortunate that you didn't give an answer... as soon as the viewers were looking at the calendar loads were tuning in and that little pause of yours to respond really pulled them in to watching. But then as soon as you offered the food, a quarter of our new viewers... dropped. It could have been a very interesting moment if you'd explained how you knew a police officer..." Mister Bacon was the Babirusa pig that manged the studio and did whatever he could to increase viewers and increase money. When he'd first hired Xander, he'd done it to get a reaction from popular cooking, popular chef authors, dragging in a crowd that did not normally give much viewership and to get the sponsors and execs that demanded diversity off his back by hiring the first of the 'unwanted' species. He had raked in a lot of dosh from Xander's presence, but the fact that the police were back in favour and all animals to do well under that sheep were under scrutiny, trying to find another scapegoat for the public eyes was more useful for him... legally. He'd wanted Xander to admit that he must have a criminal past, all foxes did, didn't they?

"It's rather sad to be fair... everyone just wanted to hear an opinion, you could lie just to get us to bring in more of the 'curious' types... we all know they're big for morning shows but don't feel their represented so much." Gladys the gnu grumbled, hooking up the salad and then flicking off a seeming spinach leaf she felt was too tainted by the fox. The pig beside her grasped the burger and was stuffing it down his gullet as Xander stood there nervously, waiting to find out just what they were going to say to him. Bacon was out to get rid of him because he needed a scapegoat and Gladys was from a group that was very conservative of the queer community and she wanted to out him because she merely 'suspected' that foxes and the other unwanted were sick freaks of nature. Her aggressions towards female spotted hyenas and insisting they did not deserve 'female' status had got her into trouble lately, so she needed to out someone for the company to 'support' so she could show off that she was still needed.

"If that were the situation I suppose, but that wolf officer is sharing an apartment with my nurse friend, Sandy the Fennec... she and her partner are engaged so we met up to try and figure out ways we can be useful for the wedding... when it happens." Xander lied, though no one knew he was gay here, he knew that they were hoping to have some clearcut criminal reason for him to know Wolford. He could imagine them grinning and accepting the idea that Wolford came to arrest his dad or something, much more than if he said he was a regular at the restaurant because these guys just had some particularly racist views on the matter.

"Oh... that's... uh well..." Gladys was the one to respond first and it was her surprise that made Xander very uncomfortable. He had the horrible sensation that she somehow knew that Wolford was gay and had been trying to use him all along to get a response from Xander or have something to comment on. He made sure not to say anything more than that and then began to clear the items away before Gladys then clapped her hooves together in delight. "Mister Bacon... we've clearly got to get the officers in that image on television, really excite our viewers and get us a good bit of community going with the police. After-all, after seeing that reaction, they're bound to want to buy the calendar now, aren't they?"

"What?" The pig was still stuffing the burger down his gullet, his great mangled tusks getting splashed. Xander was startled, he'd seen pigs with better manners than anyone else at his restaurant but Mister Bacon just loved to lose all manners as if it was some sort of power play. The porcine then paused a moment, thinking it over and then giving a big grin of amusement as he looked towards the gnu with a heavy grin. "Of course... we'll make an appeal to Chief Bogo, do some sort of personal safety segment and we can showcase the bunny and the fox officers the animals love so much! It'll be great!"

"What? But..." Xander was about to try and figure out some way to get them to back off, only he found himself almost swallowing his tongue. If he kicked up a fuss about Wolford coming onto the show, then he knew they have a reason to put him in trouble by telling the execs that he was starting to stick his nose in over what guests came on. With the police being popular at the moment, it put him under more pressure and instead Xander knew he'd have to talk to Wolford himself and ask him not to come on the show if he could.

"Oh yes... especially the fox, we want to take the time to point out how he was turned around from a criminal life into that of a defender of the law and whether he sees himself as a role model. After-all, we've got a good platform to show of where foxes can change and the bunny too, she's very important for showing off how you can't judge a book by it's cover and an icon for all females that desperately want to be able to prove their capability no matter the size. Oh... it will be good..." Gladys beamed and Bacon just gave a grunt of frustration but then acceptance and Xander grimaced.

"So... I've brough the four of you in here because its obvious that our calendar program has been a success, but now, we need to talk about where the money is going to benefit and out plans to improve community teaching and find appropriate and varied community officers for areas that have previously been neglected. That's where you come in, fox... and Hopps." Chief Bogo grunted, he was looking exhausted and like his personal preferences on the matter had been utterly denied. Delgato was feeling sheepish though, he'd been receiving lots of texts from old girlfriends not only asking why he hadn't told them he looked so good these days, but also asking about Wolford. But then Bogo turned to the wolf and Delgato was quick to respond ahead of Wolford as the buffalo grunted. "It might be safe for you to be 'open' about yourself too, Wolford... give the idea that we're not the old force we were..."

"SIR! That's incredibly rude of you... how dare you use anyone's minority status as a way to advertise improvements that haven't been implemented yet. Yes... you can say that with Judy and Nick a lot of the expectations and barriers that would put off some species are being lifted, but talking about sexuality is very dangerous... you could be outing Wolford to those he doesn't want to be outed to!" The lion grumbled and to be fair, considering how much he'd been a jerk in academy about Wolford's persuasion, let alone how much he'd grown up in recent years... Wolford had to admit he was kinda crushing on this new social warrior. But Bogo blinked in surprise, clearly not having expected the reaction he was getting, but even Nick picked it up, though Judy was blushing over her drunken blunder again, and he stood on his chair.

"He's right chief... you've seen the reports we get of domestic incidents where kids have been kicked out of home, been bullied violently at schools so that we've had some cases that are nearly full on GBH, let alone group attacks and even sexual assaults on animals outside the cis and straight community. I mean, you know full well that female hyenas are school often suffer a lot for perceived ideas that they should use the boys room, we've had lesbian cows have parents threaten to poll them to make them more feminine and well... you know most of the teenager boys we've got in special housing have been chased out by parents who can't accept them. Species doesn't even matter in this... it's not something to throw out lightly and expect there won't be a negative reaction..." Nick stated, making Wolford's ear twitch as he considered perhaps the words coming from the fox and indeed the backgrounds of every fox he'd ever been with. He found himself considering his beloved Vic and then he remembered, rather shocked to in fact, his own father's response to it all by sending him here....

"Right..." Bogo began, but once more he was interrupted and utterly stunned when Wolford gave a soft chuckle and then thanked his friends before turning towards his boss with a pleasant smile.

"Actually... I've been thinking about it and lately, it's been even more obvious that I need to make a statement and make myself obvious to those that need me to be seen. They need to know I can do be here too..." Wolford began, making his companions boggle their eyes in surprise at the words. They were more than a little shocked by the fact that Wolford had said that and then Bogo opened his mouth again, ready to speak only to then give a groan, waiting for the rest as Wolford then smiled. "Only if it comes up though... but only too if I have to go on the show... if I can avoid it..."

"Nope... it's that butt of yours that caused this, they'd be unhappy if you didn't turn up!" Bogo grunted, the only time he managed to get a word in as the others still looked really concerned over the matter. They were not sure if this was a good idea as they looked towards Wolford's slight grimace and guessed how he was rather banking on not having to go. As they then were shooed off out of the room, in fact Delgato was looking towards the wolf with a look of anxiety upon his face before he then patted his shoulder gently.

"Don't tell me... Xander asked you not to go on if you could because someone hinted and they might out you?" The lion grimaced anxiously and the wolf had to nod his head in agreement before then grinding his teeth gently as Nick then gave a soft chuckle of amusement as Delgato groaned. "Oh dude... that whole calendar thing just got worse and worse for us all, didn't it? I still can't get on my phone because of those girls."

"And that's a problem..." Nick teased as the others shook their heads gently. But Wolford was grimacing as he pulled out his phone and knew he'd have to explain it all to Xander. Suddenly, he had an awful feeling that this uncomfortable setup was going to ruin their relationship with one another. When he was finally so happy, he did not know what would come of it.

"You'll be on in ten minutes, I hope you don't mind the idea of stripping down to the swimsuits at the end, it just really gets the viewers ..." The staff member chirped, but Delgato and Wolford both gave gasps of shock as they tried to stop the doe from leaving but she was already gone. Both of them grimaced and shook their heads, but very soon, the gnu named Gladys stepped into their dressing room, quick to check on Judy and Nick, though she seemed to try and not touch Nick the way she patted Judy's shoulder. She seemed rather focused on the red fox as she insisted he not hide anything from the interview and then she turned to Wolford with a firm smile.

"I hope you don't mind the questions we've lined up for you guys either... they haven't been checked by your commander but, we thought it was better to get a truthful and spontaneous reaction. Our viewers really don't like just being force-fed the same line, they like to know there is individuality amongst the police officers. I'm looking forward to this...." The gnu beamed but Wolford was cautious, Xander had warned about her and the moment she left the room, he turned to face Nick who was giving an expression of disinterest. It was clear the red fox knew her type and he looked to Wolford with a firm expression and then gave a chuckle.

"If we need saving, I don't mind leaping on you and saying I'm your boyfriend... might save them asking if me and Judy have an odd situation." Nick stated, which made everyone chuckle softly, glad that he could take the sudden unnerving mood down with some reason to laugh. Wolford thanked him, but insisted he was sure they would all be fine as the aardvark handler came to the door and beckoned them out, leading them to see the hosts that were on today, the same females to have been excited about their arrival previously and it was enough to make them all nervous.

As they greeted the camera as if it were the audience and were then sat down, Delgato found himself sitting on the inside next to the zebra lady, smiling at her thoughtfully but feeling her eyes look him up and down. Beside him was Judy, beside her Nick and Wolford on the edge of the uncomfortable bench. It seemed to be designed so he had to sit at an awkward angle and show off his backside a little more, but there seemed to be a reason for him and Nick to be sitting next to each other. When Wolford's eyes flicked across to the anxious look on Xander's face over by the kitchen, the cameras seemed to try and pick it up, so Nick suddenly stood on Wolford's lap and hollered out to Xander.

"Chef Xander... you're a legend! I love your food and I hope you're going to keep making traditional fox food popular! It's so delicious!" Once more, Nick was there to break the ice and they were thankful for it as the little fox waved back and he sat down. The interruption seemed to make the hosts laugh before all the talks began... only for the four of them all to feel very uncomfortable as they chose to interview each of them one by one... it was just three questions each and yet, it was weirdly specific. For Delgato it was the reminder that his aunt had been dating the mayor and whether that incident had affected his role in the police.. which of course it had not as he'd taken his duty seriously. Then they'd talked to Judy about her childhood trauma from foxes, something that had confused them all to hear before going on to the discussions on being the first rabbit.

With Nick, they seemed to know more about him than he wanted them too, quickly talking to him about whether he'd been arrested before, his childhood experiences that made him want to be a cop before asking how he was treated by his community now. It was almost as if they were trying to make a point that Nick had come from a shit background with a shit family and that he'd clearly not be welcomed by his own friends. But Nick glided through it all and then it came to Wolford, firstly to ask about how his family had thought of him joining the police... he'd explained he'd come here on his own as they'd all been in security. Then they asked about his brother's involvement as a guard for the facility, so Wolford had explained that security contracts are not law enforcement roles and do not have the same powers or have as many rights to ask as they might think. Then they asked a question that caught all of them by surprise.

"So Wolford... you frequent a well-known establishment, we heard you already have a partner too and we were curious... how have your colleagues treated you since learning you were gay." Wolford blinked gently, he could feel the other three tensing up and he knew if Fangmeyer had been there, the tigress would have lunged over him and insisted they were harassing. Oddly, that question made Judy's ears twitch the most and as it was only her blunt statement at the party that had revealed it to almost everyone in the cop bar... he could guess it was probably the cop bar or even anyone from the Fox and Hound that didn't know any better. It was still distressing, but Wolford opened his mouth, about to say something when Xander was the one that leapt up onto his counter and threw his apron in the middle of the floor.

"I can't believe you... how dare you out anyone! How do you know whether his family know or accept this, how do you know you won't be making him a target of abuse? How dare you!" Xander snapped, leaping off to the floor and then marching right to Wolford's side. For a moment, they were all scared that this was going to be a public break up, but Xander just grasped hold of Wolford's paw and looked up at him softly before then looking right at the cameras. "I think you'd better look for a new chef... if that's the way you're going to speak to law enforcement, females breaking the mould, foxes living a decent life as if it's nuance and anyone from the LGBTQ+ community, then I'm quitting!"

With that, Xander then spun around to leap up onto Wolford's lap and then grasped his cheeks, making him look at him with an expression of surprise before their kissed firmly. It was enough to ensure the cameras were quickly turned off, not sure if they were even allowed to showcase a gay kiss when Xander gave a grunt and hopped down. He beckoned them all to leave and calmly, as the adverts were playing, Xander led them away and gripped hold of Wolford's paw, making them both smile although it would certainly cause a stir... though he did worry about how Xander would cope leaving the television studio.