The stunned bunny accepted his paw and shook it, his grip impressive. "Judy… Judy Hopps," was all she managed to say, a kind smile spreading over her features as she met this icy blue eyes. With black streaks in his cheek fur and along his ears, he was handsome, appearing much different than the average buck in Bunnyburrow.

"Not often do I encounter another rabbit at ZU," he noted with a lighthearted smile as he released her paw and gestured to his table. "Would you happen to be interested in learning about the wrestling team?"

Although it wasn't the best decision to procrastinate her duties as a PL founding member, she nodded excitedly, stepping beside him so that she could admire his table and poster. His poster was on the plain side, still elegant in its own respects, with the words 'ZU Wrestling' in print along the top of the board. Below it were pictures of medals, trophies, and Jack himself as the centerpiece photo. A bit of a narcissistic display, in her opinion.

"Where's the rest of your team?" She asked curiously, seeing the handiwork yet no other members present.

Jack's muzzle formed a mildly proud grin. "I'm the only founding member," he informed her, his arms crossing over his chest as he spoke. "Not really looking to share my club leadership with others, really. Just seeking to train mammals unfamiliar with wrestling, maybe try to get ZU a spot in the championships."

"Wooow. Really cool," Judy gushed, meant to have only thought that.

He made a low laugh. "Thank you," the striped rabbit looked over the smaller, his eyes flashing over her form almost inquisitively. "Have you ever rumbled before?"

"Uh, rumbled?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"You know. Scrimmage, tiff, tussle…" he trailed on with a bit with a humorous smile, one that earned him a somewhat sarcastic sigh of understanding from the doe once she caught onto his teasing use of unfamiliar lingo.

"Oh- wrestling. Well, not professionally, but my siblings and I used to get pretty rowdy," she laughed lightly. "I want to become a cop someday, so I think knowing a few tricks could probably come in handy." The last bit of information sharing made Judy bite her tongue.

"Really?" One of his dark brows raised with pleasant surprise. "Well, I'll be damned."

"Yeah." Judy exhaled in surprise. No one had ever reacted so positively to her confession before. This is a first. "It's been kind of my dream since I was a kid, actually."

"Then I think you'd make a nice addition to the team, Judy." Jack smiled charmingly before grabbing a clip board from his table and handing it to the bunny facing him. "Just jot down an email or number in which I can contact you. I'll be sending out a meeting schedule soon this week."

Without missing a beat, Judy swiftly signed and put down her cell phone number, hoping he didn't notice the slight shake of excitement in her paws as she did so. "So I guess that makes me the first official mammal to join your team?" She peeked up at him.

He took the clipboard from her once she was done and nodded. "Sure seems like it. Truly hope to see you for practice, so keep an eye out for your phone. It was certainly a delight becoming acquainted with you, Judy Hopps."

She smiled and walked away, still in shock. A wrestling rabbit? How cool is that?

After struggling past the hordes of students, she made her way to the PL table only to find two other members instead of the three.

"Judy, where were you?" Mabel asked, a bit panicked. "Bellwether set out to find you, since you're, well…"

"The most social in our group," Clawhauser finished her statement, his face in a pout. "We aren't getting any signatures, mammals are just walking around us."

"I'm sorry guys, it got so crowded in here, just took me a while to find my way back," Technically, that was true. "But no worries, I'll attract some mammals. Someone go find Bellwether?"

"Right here," the sheep huffed, squeezed between a buffalo and an antelope before managing to get to the PL table. "Geez Judy, where were you? The first few minutes are crucial, now all the students are snagged up by the other clubs," she whined with a moan.

"I was… I met a new friend," she admitted. "But I'm here now. So let's get this ball rolling."

.o0o.

The fun-magnet bunny managed to go out with her new pals every day of the week, including Octavia and Priscilla from next door, and admittedly had a blast doing so.

In fact she dismissed herself early from Activities Night just so she could meet up with Fru Fru and her other friends for a shopping spree and tiny cupcakes.

"Don't forget, get to the Activities night after party by 8 pm, we'll see you there!" Clawhauser reminded before Judy was whisked away by her new senior friends.

Judy was alarmed to see that Fru had ordered a party bus for them to get to the mall, a bus filled with a dozen other giggly senior girls that all seemed to be really close friends. Being the youngest and less gossipy amongst them, it was trying to fit in and seem likable throughout the ride.

Once at the mall, which was a diversity-friendly center full of large and small shopping stores, Judy grabbed a few daring items and was encouraged by the other girls to do so. Lingerie, thongs, actual party apparel, and more. Items that made the rabbit blush in embarrassment, but items she had gotten nonetheless.

"Ya gotta live a little, Judy!"

Maybe they were right, maybe her wardrobe was indeed in need of an upgrade.

All the stuff the girls got was bought on Fru's credit card, because the shrew absolutely insisted that she'd cover all expenses for her less financially fortunate friends. "Oh hush, you don't owe me a thing Judy!"

Afterwards at the bakery, which was apparently owned by Fru Fru's grandmother, the group of girls had a blast chit chatting and nibbling away at cupcakes whereas the rabbit ate the tiny morsels whole. Their conversations were mostly revolved around Judy and the famous prank everyone seemed to still be taking about. Being at the center of attention was starting to feel tiring to the doe, but she played along to enjoy the time, even quoting herself from that night to entertain her guests although she felt like she was making a spectacle of herself.

By the time they had wrapped up it was 9:58 pm.

The bunny was just done laughing when she glanced down at the time displayed on her phone screen. "Hold on a sec… I'm late!" Judy gasped as she saw the time on her phone and suddenly remembered where she was supposed to be. The Activities Night after party. Crap.

Thankfully a very understanding arctic shrew managed to send her in a limo over to the address of Hornstein (to drop off all five bags of new clothes) then to the League of Gamers' house, a favor that she insisted did not need to be repaid. Judy sat on the leather seat of the car, trying to make small talk with the polar bear driver who remained silent, so she just sat anxiously awaiting to arrive.

Once the limo pulled up to the house Judy quickly thanked the driver and exited the fancy vehicle, a low mumble of music heard just beyond the house's front door. Without the faint music she wouldn't have thought there was a party going on at all in this quiet city suburb, since no one was seen outside and there was no sign of littered drinks like at The Jungle.

The rabbit approached the entrance and rung the bell; not long thereafter she was welcomed in by a rhino with a helmet on.

"You'se came a tad too late for the bounce house," he gave a rich laugh as she stepped in. "Snack table still runnin' though!"

Unlike the jungle, this home looked much more like mammals had actually lived in it. On shelves stood trophies and mounted on the walls were pictures of the gaming team, all illuminated with rainbow lights radiating from a spinning disco ball hanging from the ceiling.

Naturally she figured Clawhauser would have gravitated towards the table of snacks, so Judy ventured past the mammals lounging and playing board games until she was in the kitchen. Inside was a low-key atmosphere where speaking to others over the music didn't prove a challenge. There were a considerable number of attendants but not many from the inner crowds, she realized. Makes sense, since it's a party open to anyone at the gamer's league house no less, why would the cool mammals want to come?

When the snack table was vacant of any snacking party guests Judy was almost puzzled. "Did you see a cheetah and two sheep together recently?" The bunny asked a gazelle commandeering the kitchen snacks, but she responded with a shake of her head.

Onward she checked the last open space the house had open to the public: the fenced yard out back. A lot smaller and more contained than at the previous party house.

As Judy stepped outside she spotted the bouncy house, a colorful castle made of blown plastic, now being slowly deflated much to the apparent grief of several on-looking mammals. Judy recognized the black wool of a familiar friend in the crowd, Mabel, and quickly took to her side with an apologetic grin.

"Um, heyyy. Sorry I'm late. What did I miss?"

The black sheep looked over at the PL treasurer and let out a sigh like she was impersonating the depressed bouncy house. "A lot. So, uh, Bellwether, she…"

Judy crossed her arms in concern and patiently nodded, encouraging the sheep to go on.

"She... got pretty tipsy and threw up in the bouncy house," Mabel admitted with a mumble. "She's not… she's not taking it well."

"What? Whoa, where is she?" Her violet eyes darted around the yard with the hopes of spotting her.

"Yeah she's sitting on the grass way on the other side of the yard. Ben's trying to sober her up, but she's in a pretty sour mood."

With some convincing, Mabel led Judy to where the other two PL members crouched on the yard, the sound of drunk whining becoming more audible as they neared. Dawn held Clawhauser's arm and dug her face into it, speaking nonsense as he let her mentally unload.

"Hey look, Judy's here," Ben whispered to her which made the white lamb peer up and immediately try to gather herself.

"Dawn, you doing alright?" The concerned bunny knelt beside her and brought a paw to her roommate's back.

"Yes, yes, I'm fantastic. Absolutely fantastic." She assured with a slight slur, pointing her hoof up to the bunny and narrowing her eyes. "Fantastic."

"Uh-huh, well," the bunny withheld a sarcastic smile. "Wanna head home now?" Judy offered to lift her up with a paw, and without much hesitation the sheep accepted it, being lifted up onto her wobbly feet.

"You want help bringing her back? I'll arrange a Zuber." Clawhauser considerately asked as he tapped away on his phone, then pushed himself up onto his feet and pat the soil off of his pants.

"No," Dawn quipped loudly, taking the mammals around her off guard. "Judy's got me, so go on and mope about your oh-so beloved bouncy house I killed!" she spat drunkenly towards her VP and secretary, colliding into Judy who caught her just in time.

"Oh um, it's already arranged…" Ben murmured low, his ears dropping. "It'll be here in five minutes."

"Hey girl, stay with me, we're gonna catch it back, alright?" Judy arched a concerned brow at the teetering sheep who glared over at the deflated bag that was once the fun fortress of the party.

"Ugh, just take me home?" She grunted, hugging the bunny who returned the gesture to calm her. Her wool is unbelievably soft.

The duo made their leave, some mammals cheering for the flustered sheep who they somehow managed to get to drink. Otherwise they made a swift and quiet leave. The bunny easily supported the sheep with an arm around her middle and lifted her into their Zuber ride, all the while trying to speak encouragingly to the sheep.

"I just wanted to loosen up, ya know?" Bellwether sighed with her head against the back of the leather seat, sounding like she was on the brink of tears. "They were so nice…offered me beers and I felt so… so cool, y'know?"

"I totally understand Dawn. No worries, we're almost home. You're doing great." Judy did her best, managing the brunt of the weight of the lamb, guiding her forth.

She truly did understand. Sometimes being a high-strung overachieving maniac was utterly exhausting, lonely, and definitely tedious to upkeep. It seemed the sheep had experimented a little too eagerly, something that Judy directly related to.

"If it's any consolation," Judy hummed sweetly to the flustered sheep. "I think I was way, way worse than you are now when I got back from The Jungle. I can't even remember how the night ended," she admitted with a laugh, and it earned a quiet chuckle from Dawn.

"Ooh yeah. What-a-night." Dawn smirked drunkenly. "Oh my god, you were sooo out of it, I thought I had to call an ambulance!" She giggled at the thought. She then took her glasses off in an attempt to wipe them on her shirt. "Thankfully Nick talked me out of it."

"…What?" Judy was so startled she released her grip on Bellwether for a moment, causing the sheep to drop her glasses on the floor of the vehicle. Quickly the bunny recovered, scooping up the red framed glasses and examining them. Not broken, thank goodness.

Judy stared down at the glasses in her possession for a long moment. Nick was in her room?

"Aw, fiddlesticks. Where'd they go?" Bellwether whined, eyes pinched closed until Judy slipped them over her ears. "Ah. There they are."

"When did Nick talk you out of the ambulance?" The bunny asked eagerly.

"Uh…" Her roommate paused for a moment to hiccup. "When he brought you back. It was super late."

Judy's eyes were wide when she nodded her roommate on to continue.

"He snuck-hic-in after some other girls coming back in the-hic-building. He used your key to open the door, scared the living-hic-daylights outta me." she managed to say while battling the wave of hiccups, cupping her mouth. "Oh god, are we almost home?"

"Almost, but keep going."

"Ugh," she sighed, closing her eyes. "So yeah, I thought it was another one of his dumb pranks. But then I saw he had you." She shook her head slow. "You weren't conscious. He basically carried you up to the fourth floor."

Judy bit her lip, suddenly made aware of how actually bad she was that night, even though she had just made light of it to comfort Bellwether. It was embarrassing to even imagine. How did he know which room was mine? Then the bunny realized he must've used the engraved number '402' on her silver dorm key.

"But he said you'd be fine, said he was a pro at drunk mammals or-hic- whatever. You managed to crawl into bed on your own. You responded to some of my questions… you said you were fine. So I didn't call for help." Her head bobbed forward suddenly, and Judy was sure to hold her from slipping off her seat.

Judy didn't know what to think.

Of course, she didn't understand why he'd help her at all. Giving her his jacket too, to top it off. Didn't he… hate me?

"But at least… at least you didn't murder a bouncy house," Bellwether began to sob aloud again, catching the attention of the driver who looked disturbed judging from his cringing eyes in the rear view mirror. Judy's ears stood on end at the sound of her piercing cry, and she instantly made to comfort her.

"No Dawn, you didn't murder anything." Judy tried to reassure the distraught lamb. ''You just got sick from what I guess was, well, a combo of jumping around and drinking too much alcohol."

"Don't tell me what I already know, Judy," Dawn hissed tiredly.

The rabbit had to hold back a laugh at how fiery the sheep became. "Alriiiight. It's okay, just focus on breathing. I can already see campus from the window." It was true, from the car window to her right she saw the familiar palm trees and waving school flag, as well as a series of distant academic buildings separated by green lawns.

Within minutes she brought the wobbly sheep up the Hornstein Hall elevator and lifted her into her bed, where the sheep rolled over and started snoring almost as soon as she hit the mattress.

"Geez," Judy sighed, draping the yarn blanket over the drunken mammal.

If Nick had indeed done this for Judy, then she was suddenly grateful towards the fox. Immensely grateful.

Judy had done it for Dawn because she cared for her roommate as an individual, cared for her on a personal level, even though the sheep proved often difficult and overtly stubborn; Dawn was still someone deserving of the rabbit's respect. Taking her home wasn't solely based out of obligation as a roommate, no, it was because she saw Bellwether as a friend.

Judy didn't necessarily consider herself to be Nick's friend. Oh, far from it.

In this one experience alone, Judy realized that guiding a drunk mammal home was no easy task. Why he would do it for her still remained an odd mystery her mind simply couldn't sort out.

After a long thoughtful shower and slipping into clean pajamas, the bunny held her phone in both paws as she sat on the edge of her bed.

Nicholas Wilde, for some weird inexplicable reason, you brought me home that night when you didn't have to. You could've left me, but you didn't. You didn't even rub it in my face.

You even gave me your sweater.

Although I'm not sure why you did, you made sure I was safe.

It's… unlike you.

Judy hesitated before she started to write a new message with quick fingers.

(11:48 pm) J: Hey Slick. I found out you walked me home Friday night. So I just wanted to say… thanks.

.o0o.

Smoke filled his lungs, a familiar heavy warmth that flooded his chest in that pleasant way, before he expelled the fumes out into the air with a low, restrained cough.

The top ranking members were enjoying what they called a 'smoke break' although just what they were taking a break from surely was a question worth asking.

Nick passed the blunt on to Delgato, who took the lit roll of tobacco and weed and puffed it a few times. The fox leaned back against the black chain-link gate behind him and inhaled some cool air with the intent of returning some of that good ol' oxygen back into his system, but then he was made suddenly aware of his breathing, and tried to make the rises and falls of his chest look normal.

He was faded as hell.

Probably a little more than he felt comfortable being. The fox stuffed his paws into his pockets in an effort to seem perfectly fine and comfortably sober, although his reddened eyes deceived his effort. It wasn't exactly his idea to get so mind-numbingly stoned with the guys since they smoked like fucking tank engines, but he didn't want to pass up the opportunity to hang exclusively with the frat inner circle now that he was a part of it. If he was worthy to chill with the big guns, why would he say no?

"Most of the girls on campus just ain't for me, man. Know what I mean? I'm just not feelin' em," the hyena commented in a mumble, smoke pouring from his nostrils. "They're jokes. Just wanna date us Preds for the publicity. Ya feel me?"

"I feel ya boss," replied Griffin, albeit a bit more humorously, taking the blunt and nearly finishing it in a single long drag that made Nick somewhat grateful it would probably go out before it reached him again in their circle formation.

"Yeah, yeah exactly," Fang held in a cough, an urge he opposed with a hard knock against his chest. "You get me, Wilde?" The alpha looked over at the red fox, his eyes lidded.

Nick tried to reply as soon as he was referred to but his perception of time felt completely altered. Just as he was going to crack a wise joke to get the hyena's mood up he was interrupted by a random ding in his front jean pocket—his cell phone.

He whipped his phone out with an irregular jerk of the arm and glanced down at the cracked screen, his eyes readjusting with how bright it was in contrast to the lighting in the dark alleyway. The groggily apathetic look on his face melted when he realized who it was from.

Carrots.

He pulled himself up from the gate that supported him and stared at his phone for a long moment before he opened the text notification and read her message to himself.

(11:48 pm) Judy: Hey Slick. I found out you walked me home Friday night. So I just wanted to say… thanks.

He blinked mindlessly at the words. Nick felt his shoulders tense once the message finally registered in the currently most reliable part of his brain. Why did he walk her? He honestly didn't really know himself.

Out of pity? Guilt? Or maybe because he just thought it was the noble thing to do?

Taking her all the way up to her room was definitely uncalled for, unreasonable even, since they clearly were at odds with one another since the very beginning.

One of his ears drooped while the other remained perked as he fathomed all the possible explanations.

"I… don't know." Came Nick's quiet murmur, words meant to be thought to himself instead of spoken aloud.

Fang smirked. "I can take a guess," the hyena's eyes were glowing as the sky darkened. "We all know you're a natural with the fuckin' ladies, Wilde. Now more than ever." He flicked the ash off the blunt. "Yer romances don't ever last long though… I wonder why?" He gave Nick a taunting smile, which earned him a few chuckles from the guys and a concealed look of contempt from the fox he addressed.

Regardless of the hyena's tease, the fox was struck with contentment from Judy's simple yet honest text. A text expressing gratitude he never would have expected in a million years from her, one he wondered if he even deserved.

Nick's hesitance behind honestly confessing to her that he had walked her home stemmed from insecurity. Altruism he had mistaken as a predator's vulnerability. He believed that his act as an Alpha predator was, well, a disgrace to predator pride, helping a prey mammal like he had done. If the guys ever found out he'd never see the end of their teasing. Finnick was the only one that knew about it, and Nick trusted him enough to not tell the others. Fin was his closest friend, after all.

The red fox was definitely relieved that Judy had spared him of any sarcasm or skepticism for his helping her. Feeling authentically appreciated actually seemed… pretty nice.

Nick replied to the text with focused green eyes, a bit of a dumb smile on his face as he typed slow.

(11:59 pm) Nick: You're welcome. Fluff. :)

A/N:

Bellwether is totally an angry drunk. Leave it to the sheep to say what Nick can't, and who knows, maaaaybe our fox and bunny's dynamics will start to change?

The change will be gradual. I'm an utter sap for romance, but let's make this realistic. Let's see how these two adorably stubborn mammals slowly fall head over heels for one another. I honestly am getting a wee impatient myself. Fluff is a guarantee, once we work through the angst. And smut? Hmm. We'll see.

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