Chapter 2: Wasn't An Excuse At All
(A/N: Chapter 2 of Part 2! Is it up to snuff, everyone? Hopefully it shows improvement!)
Operation Pester Nick Until He Shares His Secrets (better name pending) was not going very well for Judy, but as far as Nick could see, that was her own fault. She was the one that wanted to go and study for her tests all day. He'd been sitting around for a half hour, watching her squirm around a pile of packets and books, writing away. Leaving would have been the smart thing to do, he knew, but he felt bad about walking out on her like that. So he talked- Judy had tried to block out his comments for a while now, but he was more stubborn than her. He just needed the right tack.
He looked around her desk, noting the odd scribble and nine-month old family photos, a bag of takeaway sitting at the edge. Otherwise, there were random books and that silly little carrot pen... Oh. That'd work.
" Aw, come on." Nick grabbed the pen off the desk, walking around and rolling it in his paws. " It'd be a good idea! We walk around, late at night, with this dumb thing recording and BAM! We end up in some horrible, life-threatening case again after hearing some suspicious talk." Nick laughed, and Judy sat up from her pile of books and notes to try and grab at him.
Nick stepped back, knocking into the apartment wall and rolling his eyes- this place was way too small. " Come on!" he said. " Don't you want to crash a train-car again? Almost get frozen to death, implicate some city official in a crime they didn't do... Most of that stuff was almost fun!"
He took a closer look at the pen. " Hey, is there anything recorded on here? Some deep dark secret that-" Judy snatched it away from him, letting it sit in her lap as she settled back into her bed.
She kept glaring at him over her notes- he wasn't sure sitting back next to her was going to go well. So he leaned against the wall. " Hey," he said lightly. " I'm the one supposed to be sharing my secrets- why can't I figure out any of yours? That's a double standard."
Judy grunted, and Nick sighed. " I'll talk if we do something fun, you know. Can we have fun on our vacation, please?" She ignored him. " Come on!" he pleaded. "Let's go bowling, or go and get some drinks at-"
She glanced up from her notes. " I could use a good drink, actually. Calm my nerves down," she said. " Right? That's a good way to relax. "
Nick snorted. " You act like you actually drink." he said.
Judy scowled, sitting up straight. " I drink plenty!" she said.
Nick shook his head. " You don't drink." he said. " We go eat out, and you always get water or some sort of shake..."
She put her notes down, grinning at him. " I've got a family hundreds of folk big, all born around the same time." she said. " Everyone turns legal around the same time, and every party you have to drink with them... You pick up a tolerance, a habit."
She was joking, she had to be. He had never seen her drink , and they were always together, for crying out loud! This dull bunny, who did nothing but sit and-
" Nick," she said, having walked over. " I'm not that boring. What do you think I do when I'm not with you?"
He rubbed his neck, shaking his head. " You read horrible books and watch the worst movies on TV." he said. " There isn't any booze in this apartment- don't try and trick me."
She laughed. " Maybe I hide it from you. Maybe I'm at a friend's house or I go out with someone else." She was more than a little surprised when Nick started frowning. Was he jealous?
She stepped closer to him, far enough that he had to look down.
"Well," she said. " It couldn't hurt to go out for a bit, sit somewhere and talk." Nick nodded slightly as she spoke. " But where would we go, Nick? Where would a boring bunny like me have fun with Mr. Alluring Fox?" That last part came out as a joke, or at least it was supposed to. It just made him look smug.
He grinned down at her, putting his paws on her shoulders. "Trust me. I've got ideas."
" This place looks pretty happening, doesn't it?" Nick craned his head up towards the sign outside- Galaxy. It was small, but there were tiny places that had some really nice atmosphere. The music was always good, nice place to dance and let off steam.
Judy craned her head up towards the sign outside- Galaxy. It looked pretty tiny, and she wasn't too sure how much she'd enjoy being stuck in a cramped little building like that. It looked pretty full, too, with all these mammals lounging around outside. She hadn't smelled that much liquor in a while, either, not since she'd been home. It was enough to prevent her from teasing Nick for using the word 'happening'.
It was only five in the afternoon, though. Which is why they walked a few minutes down to the restaurants. Nick said something about her being no fun, but he was following.
Nick decided to be boring and go for a fruit salad, and so did Judy. They ate silently for a little bit, Judy complaining about her study-load after a while. She went on about case studies, techniques, psychology, until the waiter came by asking if they wanted to look at the liquor. Nick glanced at Judy inquisitively, and she nodded after a second. Again, they were boring, and got light beers.
Judy looked a bit shy, in Nick's eyes. He took a small sip, smiled at her. " Don't worry," he said genially. " the bill is on me- go ahead and get the harder stuff, show me what farm life taught you. " Judy gave a small smile, glancing around- hesitating. Nick softened his voice. " Drink what you want. You've still got water, don't you?" She sipped at her water, smile wider.
She'd been trying to impress him then. It was cute, but he wasn't keen on the logic behind it.
" So," he said, picking at his food. " I guess those farm parties weren't always super-fun for you, huh?"
" Erm," she said, ears low. " I never liked the taste- too bitter, too much room for embarrassment. Once you have all those people crowding around you, begging you to be a good cousin or sister and drink or take shots with them... You know? I... I'm supposed to enjoy it, but I don't get it. The fun just doesn't click."
Nick nodded. " Sounds like peer pressure," he said. " Well. As long as you know, I ain't gonna do that to you- making you do something isn't right." He sounded like a moron, he thought. Trying to be mushy was hard.
Judy looked interested now. " You know a lot about peer pressure, Nick?" she bit into her salad, fork waving.
Nick nodded. " Gangs Division likes to test new members," he said, "especially when the new guy is a former criminal mastermind that's tiny and barely a predator." He chuckled a little.
Judy frowned. " That's not fair!" she said. " You've worked hard, and you didn't do anything horrible while you-"
Nick sighed, eyes downcast. " I wasn't a model citizen." He said flatly. " I haven't told you that much about me for a reason."
Judy shook her head. " No, you're a good mammal that deserves better. Someone bad wouldn't be hiding that kind of stuff, or work to change it, or get other people ahead…"
Nick looked back up at her. " Maybe, but the brain is a nasty thing, huh?" he said. " All those negative thoughts…" He shook his head angrily. " No, we're here to relax. I'm glad you're here, and I'm happy we have a few more days of vacation…"
Nick went back to eating, and Judy sat there thinking. Letting him stay in that funk would be no good- but how to get him out of it?
" It's dumb, I know," she said. " People always tell me so. You probably think I'm just some nerdy shut-in that doesn't have any fun."
They crossed a street, not focusing on where they were headed.
" Well," said Nick. " You're a nerd, sure, but that doesn't keep you from being cool, or interesting. Why would I get you that promotion if I didn't think you were right for the job, huh?"
" For free favors?" she said weakly, smiling. He was definitely happy- his eyes were full of excitement. Or was it passion?
" I did it," he said. " Because someone stubborn enough to get me here, and smart enough to get herself this far, deserves better than a foot beat in a dull part of town. You'd be wasted on patrol- let the brass see how good you are."
Judy shook her head. " But you helped me get here. I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for-"
" I helped," he said. " But you followed through, kept your head high even when I belittled you. You kept that passion to help, to succeed, and- and to me, that's..." He sighed, frustrated. " ... Cool. You're really... cool, in my eyes. Someone that's not afraid to be themselves no matter what. "
Judy eventually found her voice. " I told you though, about the peer pressure... I don't always live up to that cool. I give in, to make people happy..."
Nick shook his head. " To me, at the end of the day, that pressure isn't you, just people being pushy. And you make up for those... lapses."
They stopped to rest their feet, leaning against a wall. They stayed silent for a while, both of them musing about what the other had said.
Nick sighed. " Ugh. I see what your plan is." he said teasingly. " Get me out, get me loose-lipped enough to open up and share all those feelings I keep locked away... All you wanted was a look at my feelings and free compliments."
Judy rolled her eyes, smiling a little. " It worked, though." They fell silent for a moment, until she spoke up again. " You know, Nick," she said. " That you can come talk to me about anything, no matter how dumb. I might even listen." She teased.
Nick was busy looking back the way they had come. " Hmm," he muttered. " I'll keep that in mind. Now can we have some real fun, please? No more moping and mush."
They had started walking back, managing to run into an enthusiastic fan a block down. A buck rabbit, eager-eyed and with eyes too focused on his partner, by Nick's estimation. A dark-furred buck with brown eyes, smile wide.
" Miss Hopps!" he said, reaching for a handshake hesitantly returned. " I heard so much about you, ma'am, and it looks like the rumors were true! You look even nicer in person, if I do say so myself, and I-"
" What do you want?" Nick said. " We have an appointment soon, you know." Judy elbowed him in the side, and he sighed.
Judy smiled at her admirer. " Ignore him. What were you going to say?" The buck nodded his head, glancing between her and Nick.
"Well," he said. " You two helped clear up a slum-lord, right? It's all folk can talk about where I live… And I was hoping, erm…" He was avoiding Nick's glaring eyes now. "… That you two might want to spread some more goodwill? We don't have a slum issue, no gangs, really, but the parents were hoping you could talk to their kids, Miss Hopps. Keep them on the right path early. "
Nick shrugged. " We're on vacation, no can-"
" We can take a look at it soon." Judy said. " We have to follow proper procedure, sir. Otherwise, we could get into trouble." The buck lowered his gaze down, sighing and shaking his head.
" I thought…" he began. "…. I thought that you worked for the good of the small folk, Officer. Could you at least come and take a look at the neighborhood tonight, just get a lay of the land? Please? Lots of folk want to meet the hero from Bunnyburrow. " He glanced up at her, a small smile on his face. " You'd be helping children out, families…"
Nick muttered something about cheap tricks, and Judy sighed. The rabbit looked hopeful.
The two of them took some time to conference, turning around and whispering. " Could be bad news." Nick said. Judy shrugged. " All we have to do is go in and look around for now." She said. " We go, report to the brass on the situation, and they'll probably send us in just to talk to the kids. Simple. No need for sneaking around like before." Nick grunted thoughtfully, nodding after a while. " Just to look. I'm not in the mood for trouble."
They turned back to the rabbit. " It'd be nice to have a name and a place, pal." Nick said. " Where are we going? What time did you promise everyone we'd be there? "
The rabbit stood up straighter, eyeing Nick up and down. "Well, um," he said. " Downtown, just a few blocks from here. I told them eight." He paused. " You, um, sir, don't need to come. Most people just wanted Detective Hopps, to be perfectly honest. Not that you aren't-"
Judy shook her head. " He comes or I'm not going." She said firmly. The rabbit looked back and forth between them, nodded slowly, and gave them the address.
Nick hoped it would be quick- for once, having a quiet vacation would be nice.
