Nick was cold.
Not the normal kind, a light chill when a cold wind slips through one's clothes. Not from standing right in front of an A/C unit on full blast on a hot day. Those didn't even come close. This was the kind of cold that dug well under one's fur, chilling to the bone and making one's teeth chatter.
The kind of cold that could only come from Tundratown. The snow-covered, ice-riddled streets of Zootopia's coldest district. And boy, was Nick not dressed for the area. If he ever had to make a run in this district, he was geared up right – shoes, a warm jacket, and two layers of pants at least. But today, he had been running in Downtown, his outfit consisting of his cargo pants, a black tank top, and a single half-finger glove.
So, understandably, he woke with chittering teeth and a few icicles by his nose. This alone didn't make him happy. On top of that, his back ached. And to add on top of that, he had a rabbit in a police uniform atop him – unconscious, go figure.
It was now that his hearing returned to full volume – he hadn't realized how muted everything had sounded up until this point. And whatever he was on, it was loud. Almost as loud as a train. And that was probably because, well, it was a train. He and the rabbit had, somehow, landed on top of a coal car. Through some sheer bit of luck, they hadn't sunken into the black rocks, but were riding relatively comfortably on top of them. Or as comfortably as one could be when laying on a massive pile of ever-shifting rocks with sharp sides that seemed to want to dig through his clothes and stain his fur.
Oh, not to mention the surprisingly heavy bunny currently sprawled across him. The same bunny that he shoved off and onto the coal, before crawling his way to the edge of the train car. Thankfully, the train seemed to be slowing down, the loud screeching of brakes sounding all around them as they began to slow down. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to stay and find out.
Before he jumped over the edge, however, a faint groan met his ear and caused him to turn back. The rabbit had shifted, eyes still shut in a way that, if the fox didn't know any better, would make her seem asleep. He had to admit, it was amusing. But with the train slowing down more and more, she began to shift, and began to slide partly under the coal. Without hesitation, Nick reached out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her out of the coal and to the edge.
Normally, he'd just leave an officer wherever he found them. But he had a sneaking suspicion that, if he didn't at least move her, that would lead to some kind of unforeseen consequence, and that was something he'd rather avoid. And so he picked up the rabbit officer and hopped down from the train car the moment it was moving slow enough, glancing both ways before running in the opposite direction of the train's front. He knew he was leaving tracks, but he hoped that no one would be investigating this far back, and if they were, he hoped he could lose them in time.
Nick slid down a hill and bounced up at the bottom, careful to not prematurely wake the rabbit he held. He needed to find someplace warm for her – leaving her lying out in the snow would be a bad idea for various reasons. He was sure he could find an abandoned shop or some dark bar that she could be hidden away in until she woke.
But of course, as luck would have it, there was no way she would be out that long. As Nick was carrying her out of an alley, in the direction of a bar he had occasionally visited before things went from bad to worse, she stirred. Nick managed to stifle his panic, coming to a stop at the end of the alley and set the rabbit down. If she was waking, then it would be a good idea for him to move on.
As Nick turned away from the officer, he heard her teeth chatter and she began to stir on the ground. With a quick glance back over his shoulder, he turned and made to run back down the alley, planning to double back on his tracks and make his way to a safehouse he knew was nearby. The fox turned and began to jog down the alley.
A sharp shout from behind him made him glance back. The rabbit officer was getting to her feet, holding up a badge in his direction. "Stop! Stop in the name of the law!"
And Nick, without looking where he was going, did indeed stop. His foot hit a patch of ice he hadn't stepped on on the way down the alley, and both feet went out from under him. The fox slipped forward and landed on his back, knocking the wind out of him. He sighed and picked himself up while watching the officer run towards him, holding in a laugh as she slipped on her own patch of ice. His laugh died quickly, though, as the rabbit crashed right into him, knocking him onto his back this time, and letting her essentially pin him in the process.
Nick wasted no time in rolling over to push her off, something the bunny clearly hadn't expected, as she let out a surprised grunt as she hit the ground. Nick brought himself to his feet, and brushed himself off, beginning to back away. The rabbit recovered quickly, jumping forward and tackling Nick again. This time he held up his paws and stared up innocently at the rabbit. "You are under arrest," she stated simply, reaching around to grab her pawcuffs.
"Really? For what?" Nick asked calmly. He was glancing around, taking note of his surroundings to make a way out of this situation if words failed him.
"Trafficking of illegal goods and evasion of police, at the very least," she replied just as calmly.
"Is that so?" Nick asked. "What illegal goods?"
"Whatever was in that satchel."
"Whatever was in that satchel?" Nick confirmed. "So in other words you don't know. For all you can tell, it was an empty bag." Nick smirked slightly at seeing the bunny's ears droop and her paw freeze behind her back.
"You still attempted to evade the police," she argued.
"I was getting shot at," Nick countered. "Literally anybody would run from gunfire. Call it panic if you want." The bunny's ears drooped further, and Nick's smirk grew. "So see? You have nothing on me, Carrots."
The rabbit gave Nick the closest thing he'd heard to a bunny snarl. "Don't call me Carrots."
"Well then don't keep me pinned here if you've no reason to arrest me. If you haven't noticed, it's a bit cold out and I'm not dressed for the weather." Nick sighed in relief as the rabbit, with clear reluctance, got off of him and let the fox stand up. He shivered and shook himself to clear snow from his body, glancing to the rabbit as she glared at him. "Now then, anything I can help you with, Officer Carrots?"
"You can start with never calling me that. Ever. Again." She hissed. Nick just chuckled and shook his head, continuing to brush himself off while the officer stared at him. It was clear she was inspecting him, trying to figure something out.
"Alright, I know I'm handsome, but if you keep staring at me like that-" Nick couldn't even finish his sentence, as the horrified expression on the rabbit's face, combined with her comedic recoil as she looked away, made him burst into laughter. When he recovered, he set his paws on his hips, and stared down at the rabbit. "For the record, you did a really stupid thing. Why did you jump off the roof at me?"
"You're a runner who we were told to take into custody," she said simply, looking up at the fox. She gave him a funny look that made it seem like she thought it was a silly question for him to ask. "And I don't give up."
"Alright, but why were you trying to arrest me?" Nick asked.
"Because you're a runner, a criminal," the officer stated.
"So because I happen to enjoy running along rooftops makes me a criminal?" Nick tilted his head slightly as he challenged the smaller mammal.
"You were carrying a suspicious package and evading police," she replied. "The first is reason enough to stop you, the second is enough to arrest you."
Nick stared at the officer for another moment, letting a rumbling chuckle escape him, before letting his tone grow serious. "Alright, listen. You want to know what I had in that satchel? Medicine. Medicine for the wife of a family friend, who can't afford it on her own. She won't last long without it." Nick watched in satisfaction as the officer's ears drooped slightly. "So if you really want to, go ahead and arrest me for saving someone's life." He stuck his paws out in front of him, staring the bunny in her eyes. She stared back, clearly debating cuffing him, going so far as to take them from her belt and step forward. But then she took two steps back, frowning and looking down.
Nick lowered his arms slowly. " If I were a real criminal, I would've left you in that coal car I woke up in. Besides, I'm only a 'criminal' because I'm doing something the big guys with all the money don't want – doing business without them. I'm not paying ridiculous amounts for things that are necessary for someone to live, because that isn't how things should be. The world is better than that."
The rabbit officer continued to stare at the ground, before taking a deep breath and looking up at the fox. "That's why I became a cop," she said softly. "Ever since I was little, I wanted nothing more than to make the world a better place. But arresting you wouldn't do that." She took another step forward, straightening her back and looking Nick in the eye. "So, you're free to go. But before you do," she paused and stuck out her paw. "Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD. It's nice to meet you, mister..."
Nick smiled slightly at the gesture, reaching out to shake the bunny's paw. "Wilde. Nick Wilde."
They gave a single shake, Judy offering a sincere smile. "Well, mister Wilde, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Try not to run on any more rooftops for a while, alright?"
Nick chuckled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am, Carro- er, Officer Carrots."
The rabbit rolled her eyes and began to scowl, but it turned into a smile instead. "Well, I guess that's a start," she said.