"Legalize interspecies marriage?" Wolford asked.
Fangmeyer shrugged and sipped her drink. "She said equal rights. Same species can get married. You want that detective job or not?"
Grizzoli let out a bark of laughter, and a few of the other officers laughed along with him. Judy watched them from her end of the booth, smiling slightly but not joining in. She noticed that Nick, who was sitting next to her, did not either. She dragged her carrot cocktail closer and took another sip.
Their precinct took up an entire corner of Hair of the Dog. It was certainly a cop bar – Nick had told her he'd never dreamed of even going near it before he entered the ZPD – and she was pretty sure she spotted a few officers from other precincts mingling about. Mostly larger mammals like hers, though she was pretty sure she had seen a coyote in uniform playing pool earlier. This had encouraged her; after she and Nick had entered the ZPD, she had been – naively, she realized later – expecting a slew of minority mammals to enter the academy as well. So far she'd been disappointed.
"She can't expect mammals to go for that. Is she trying to throw the race?" Grizzoli asked.
Francine, who took up most of the other end of the booth on her own, raised her trunk and piped up, "Not so fast, Grizz – I heard her poll numbers jumped after that interview."
"How'd she manage that?" Snarlov asked.
"Younger voters. Progressive ones. Mammals ready for a change," Fangmeyer said.
"Interspecies relationships are pretty normal you know, they've just been marginalized," Judy piped up, "Ever since the missing mammals case there's been a lot more visibility – "
"Yeah yeah yeah Hopps we get, you saved the city, yakety yak," Delgato said, waving a giant paw. "But be honest, who here has dated a different species? Anyone?"
Francine rolled her eyes. "Oh sure, side with the lion – "
"Don't avoid the question, you just don't want to admit that no one here is as progressive as you want them to be," Delgato pressed. "Really, anyone here? How about you Grizz?"
Grizzoli smiled serenely and shook his head, as did Wolford and Snarlov.
"How about you, Hopps?"
Judy shrugged good-naturedly. "Sorry. Just bunnies."
Grizzoli looked over her head. "And you, Wilde? You've been quiet – something I don't think any of us get to say that much. Any strange bedfellows?"
Nick leaned back, dropping his arm across the seat in back of Judy. "Just your sister Grizz, but don't tell her I told you."
Grizzoli shouted something that Judy could only assume would make Mr. Big blush, but it was drowned out by the raucous laughter from the other officers. Even Fangmeyer, who Judy was pretty sure had never expressed any emotion outside of bored, annoyed, or pissed off, cracked the barest of smiles. Well, maybe "smile" was generous. Judy was pretty sure one of the corners of Fangmeyer's mouth twitched in an upward direction, at least.
As Grizzoli fended off a fresh round of insults (Wolford was currently asking for his sister's number, much to Grizzoli's displeasure), Judy turned to Nick with a grin and elbowed him gently in the ribs.
"I can't say that contributed to operation 'Make Friends with Grizzoli,' but at least you made the others laugh," she said.
"I'm here all week," Nick said after another sip of his whiskey. "Why do you want me to be friends with Grizzoli anyway?"
Judy shrugged. "I dunno, I just thought it would be easier to start with him."
"Easier? Why, because we're both canines?" Nick drawled, "That's rather speciest of you, Hopps. I expected better from you."
"It's only speciest if it doesn't work."
"Bending the rules to suit your needs again, I see."
"Come on. Wouldn't you, I don't know, have some stuff in common?"
"Oh sure, sure," Nick said as he began ticking off his fingers, "we both have noses, we both have tails, we both have ears, we both have brains – wait, scratch that last one, not sure if ol' Grizz has one of those or not."
Judy perched her chin on her fist and raised a brow at him. "Both a bit full of yourselves, both good at picking on the bunny, both a little bit annoying – "
"So you do think he's a little bit annoying!" Nick cried triumphantly.
Judy laughed and rolled her eyes. "No comment."
They both drank some more as they lapsed into comfortable silence. Judy watched the other officers bicker – somehow Snarlov and Francine had gotten into an arm and trunk wrestling match – though when she shot a glance at Nick from the corner of her eye she noticed he looked markedly more cheerful. Pleased that he seemed to be enjoying himself at social event for once, she finished her cocktail and waved her hand for another. She was feeling good, and Hair of the Dog made a darn good carrot cocktail.
"So…" Nick said, watching the bartender drop off her drink. "No dating outside the faith for you, Carrots?"
Judy took another gulp – this drink seemed to be going down much faster than the first one for some reason. "I said I haven't, I didn't say I wouldn't."
Nick's ears flicked up straight. "Oh?" He too waved the bartender for another drink.
Judy paused, enjoying the rare moment where she managed to catch Nick off guard. "Well, yeah. After everything that happened with the missing mammals case, I think it would be pretty hypocritical of me to only date bunnies, don't you think?"
Nick had nearly finished half his drink before it even touched the table. "Can't argue with you there."
"Plus, let's face it, it's not like I'm going to be meeting any bunnies at work anytime soon, I might as well widen the net," she said with a slightly bitter laugh.
"I wouldn't give up hope just yet, I met a bunny at work and she's a catch," Nick said, "Has too much energy in the morning and is a bit of a Pollyanna, but hey, who doesn't like a project?"
Judy tried to scowl but failed, so she settled on giving him a punch in the shoulder. Nick retaliated by flicking her ear, and they both had more to drink. Judy's current cocktail was making her feel pleasantly warm and she was not at all mad about it.
Nick watched her. "But whatever would Ma and Pa Hopps have to say if you brought home a mammal who didn't fit in their house?"
Judy laughed – much more loudly than she thought she would have done if she wasn't a few cocktails deep. "Cheese and crackers… they might just be happy that I settled down at all. I think they've given up on me and have moved on to setting up some of my siblings at this point."
Next to her shoulder Nick's claw was tapping an irregular rhythm against her chair. He seemed so focused on her, so interested in what she was saying – not to mention that cocktail seemed to have a knack for getting her to say things she'd never thought she'd say out loud – that she felt compelled to continue, "They should, if I'm being honest. I spent my whole life trying to get into the ZPD. Now I'm here, and I love it, but sometimes it feels like there's no time for anything or anyone else."
She went to sip more of her drink only to realize it was empty. She had half a mind to signal for another one when she looked at Nick. He seemed very interested in his whiskey glass all of the sudden. When he finally spoke, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "So… you don't really see yourself as the dating type?"
Judy thought about it for a moment. "I wouldn't say that. Guess if the right guy came along… " She looked at him and narrowed her eyes. "This is a two way street, you know. What about you, Slick? What type are you?"
"I… think I've had too many of these, that's what I think," Nick said, pointing at his glass. Then he finished it off with a shrug.
Judy giggled, and he turned his attention on her once more. She wanted to say that he looked nervous, as if he was steeling himself, but he was unreadable to her as ever, even after working together for a year. At last, he took a breath and began, "Hey, Carrots… Judy… do you want to go somewhere quieter and talk – "
But he never got to finish, because at that moment Clawhauser burst over to their booth, shrieked, "Shots!" and slammed sloshing shots of tequila onto the table.
It was nearly midnight before they'd left the bar. Judy darted down the sidewalk, feeling absolutely giddy from her ears to her toes. "C'mon Nick, you should hop! Hopping is the best!"
Nick followed her in a definitive non-hop. "Yeah, right until you hop into traffic - watch it there, bunny!"
Laughing, Judy hopped off of the road and back onto the sidewalk, ignoring the blaring horn of a passing car. "Whoops!" she chirped, hopping back to Nick, hoping he would join her.
Nick laughed and mimed talking into his radio, "This is Officer Wilde, I'm responding to reports of a very drunk bunny running wild outside of Savanna Central. Requesting permission to use force, over."
Judy pointed at him and one of her ears flopped over her eye. "So? You're drunk too!"
Nick opened his mouth to retort, then paused to think. "Guess I can't argue the truth."
This struck Judy as hilarious and she broke out into a fresh round of giggles. Nick rolled his eyes but began laughing himself, and between his twinkling eyes and the lamplight, Judy decided that he looked positively electric.
"You're cute when you laugh," she said. She pushed the ear out of her face but it simply flopped right back.
For a moment Nick's face lit up, but then he frowned just as suddenly. "Hey, how is it that it's okay for you to call me cute and not the other way around?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out!" she called back, already laughing and sprinting down the street. She could hear Nick's calls for her to slow down, but she didn't want to - she just felt so good. But then, realizing where she was, she skidded to a stop. Nick followed moments later, gasping for breath.
"Cool it Carrots or I'm slapping you with public intoxication - "
"This is my apartment!" she cried, pointing at the building in front of them.
Judy spun around to show him but tripped instead. She stumbled into Nick's side and he caught her around the waist before she fell. Her head swam, and for a moment she thought she might pass out, but the moment passed and she felt elated again. Her legs still felt like liquid though and she noticed she was fully leaning on Nick for support. She meant to give him a slight nudge with her head to show her gratitude, but all she really managed was an inelegant face plant directly into his chest.
"Alright there, Officer Hopps?"
She felt the rumble of his words in his chest. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "You smell sooo good," she cooed, her voice muffled by his shirt. "Like dirt and spices and... and whiskey, definitely whiskey."
"You couldn't smell more like a carrot cocktail than if you were one yourself, sweetheart," she heard him say.
She laughed, which made him laugh, and her face bounced in rhythm with his chest, making her dizzy again. His paws were on her lower back, holding her up and pressing her flush against him. They felt gigantic compared to her small frame, but also wonderful and warm and safe and suddenly she was saying, "Just sleep at my place tonight!"
The paw at her back tensed. "I don't know, Carrots - "
"Oh c'mon, you can't go home like this, I can barely walk!" She dimly that she didn't totally make sense.
"That's why subways were invented – yo!" Nick started, but Judy grabbed his paw with both of hers and dragged him bodily up the stairs.
Nick gasped, "You've got drunk strength, did you know that? We should get a few cocktails in you every time we're in pursuit."
"That is a great idea!" Judy giggled. They were now down the hall and at her door. It took her three tries to get her keys in the lock, though it didn't help that Nick was making fun of her and making her laugh the entire time. At last they stumbled inside.
"Well, here it is!" Judy cried triumphantly. "Whaddaya think?"
Nick looked around the entire apartment, which took approximately three seconds. "Yikes."
"Hey!" she said, swatting him in the stomach. She threw her keys to the counter and missed by a mile. She ducked to pick them up, but another wave a dizziness crashed over her. Staggering again, she briefly noted Nick's paw at her elbow, steadying her, before she regained her composure and dragged him further inside.
"You can have the bed," Judy slurred, unclipping her belt and dumping it on the floor with a clunk.
Nick gestured to her bed, which looked like it was for a kit compared to him. "That's very chivalrous of you, but look at that thing. That's not a bed, that's a glorified foot rest."
"It is too a bed!" Judy protested. "Watch, I fit perfectly!" She threw out her arms and flopped backwards, collapsing onto her bed. She bounced on the mattress once, and by the time she bounced again, she was fast asleep.
The beeping of her alarm clock may as well have been a sledgehammer to her skull. Groaning, Judy reached out and slapped it quiet. She found it was difficult to open her eyes past a squint. Everything was much too bright. Her mouth was way too dry. And her head -
Oh, her head. A headache like she'd never known seemed to crash down around her. She collapsed back into bed and shut her eyes, riding it out and willing the pain to pass. After a few minutes of this, she realized there was a noise coming from beneath her bed. Something that sounded like snoring. Confused, she peered over the edge of her bed.
Nick was curled up on the floor at an awkward angle, arms akimbo and still in his uniform, snoring soundly. She couldn't see his face, mostly because it was smashed muzzle-down against the floor, surrounded by a small puddle of drool. Reeling, she tried to remember how he'd gotten here... she leaing the bar with him, but everything after that was a blur. Had she been so drunk he'd needed to carry her?
She leaned down to poke him but that turned out to be a terrible idea. A blinding wave of pain shot through her skull and she fell back, groaning. Taking a minute to gather herself, she stuck a long foot out and prodded him in the back with her toe.
"Nick?" Nothing. "Nick?" More snoring. "NICK!"
She shrieked as Nick jumped into the air like a loaded spring. "Huh? What? I didn't do it!" he blurted, looking around wildly. He noticed Judy and quieted. He blinked and looked around again, much more slowly this time, taking in where he was. He turned back to her. "How… how much did we drink?"
"Too much," Judy groaned, rubbing the base of her drooping ears.
"You," he said, pointing a claw at her, "are hungover."
"Great observation. How are you not?"
He shrugged. "Not all of us are lightweights." When she glared at him he added, "We should get you a coffee. Trust me, it'll help."
"Then we'd better get moving, we actually have to go to work in this state."
Sitting up, Nick looked down at himself, once more at the apartment, and then back to her. He had an odd expression on his face, and with a sinking feeling Judy realized that he probably could remember the events from last night, and he was probably remembering them right now. Judging by the look he was giving her, whatever she had done or said must not have been very good. The fact that he must know and she did not made her feel suddenly very anxious, and a wall of awkwardness that had never existed between them before seemed to have risen up out of nowhere.
They both jumped to their feet at the same time. In Judy's box of an apartment, this meant that they were standing nearly toe to toe. It struck her how tiny her apartment truly was, and that he was probably the first predator to ever step foot in this building. Her face now inches from his chest, Judy caught a whiff of that same warm, earthy smell and - oh god, memories from last night came flooding back to her and why did she do that and why did she say that to him?
Panicked, her eyes darted up to his and he must have seen everything play out on her face because he was looking at her differently now. There was no sarcasm or pretense, just uncertainty and wariness and something else she couldn't place. His fur was stuck up in funny places and his uniform was wrinkled and bunched on one side, it made him look vulnerable and she knew she must look the same. She opened her mouth to say something, but what was she going to say? Sorry? Let's pretend like this never happened? Please don't let this make everything weird now?
Nick's eyes searched hers for a moment more before they softened. The hooded stare came back, and a sly smile that was so very him slid comfortably back on his muzzle. "Alright Carrots, let's just lay it all out there. Hate to break it to you but your master plan to get me drunk and take advantage of me didn't work. Better luck next time."
A laugh finally broke free from Judy and the tension dissipated from the room. She beamed up at him gratefully, the morning sun peeking in, both of them a disheveled mess. He smirked down at her and asked, "So... we good, Carrots?"
"We're good," she replied, and chipped him affectionately on the elbow with her fist. The tiny movement sent another pulse of agony between her eyes and she groaned. "Well, I'm not good, but we're good."
Nick snorted and turned for the door. "C'mon, let's get you that coffee."
"Seriously, how are you not dying right now?" Judy groaned.
"Years of practice. Plus it doesn't hurt that I'm twice your size. You know, speaking of, we need to talk about the size of this apartment, Fluff. I don't know how you think you're going to snag a respectable bunny beau with this place," Nick chided, looking over his shoulder at her as he opened the door, "There's barely enough room for you in here, let alone for a handsome buck and the legion of kits your parents are desperate for - speak of the devil!"
The last thing he said came out in an unnaturally high-pitched squeak. Judy, who had been wearily rubbing her eyes, had not noticed that Nick had stopped dead. She walked directly into him, causing another throb. Grumbling, she clutched her head and snapped, "Nick, what gives - "
"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Hopps!" Nick cried in the same falsetto.
Judy felt herself pale beneath her fur. Her head throbbed wildly as her stomach seemed to drop somewhere around her feet. Slowly, she peeked around Nick. There, in her doorway, were her parents, both looking shell-shocked and giving her a sheepish wave.