"Mr. Moesly! What on earth are you doing?" Finnick's only sign that he had heard the high pitch screech was his left ear twitching irritably as the rest of him focused on what he was attempting. He had had enough of sitting in this damn hospital bed, it was time for him to get a move on and figure out what was going on.
His body shook as he heaved himself onto his feet, his paw clutching the edge of the bed as he gave a low groan as pain shoot up his body.
"Mr. Moesly I order you to get back in your bed this instant!" knowing that the voice would only get angrier if he continued to ignore it, Finnick focused his dark brown eyes on one of his nurses. He wasn't surprised to see that it was the middle aged female antelope that had proven, since the moment she had walked into his hospital room, that she did not take any nonsense.
She had been the only one that didn't seem a bit unsure about Finnick or really seemed to have any feelings towards him except the exasperation an adult may have with a kit that refused to listen.
"I'm done sitting in this damn bed!" He had more to say but even he knew when to be quiet when he saw the fire burning behind the nurse's eyes.
"And you will find yourself stuck in that damn bed even longer if you rip open your stitches so SIT DOWN!" Finnick's eyes narrowed but he sat back down. "Thank you." she gained her composure as she crossed over to his machines; scribbling things down on her clip board.
"Seriously Fin? Causing havoc even in a hospital?" Finnick's ears perked up as his eyes widened in shock as he instantly recognized the new voice speaking to him. Looking up he saw Aeron standing in the door way, clutching the moveable stick that carried his oxygen and iv.
A male hare that Finnick recognized as one of the nurses that had taken care of Nick stood by his side; giving space but keeping his eyes focused on him in case he fell.
Aeron's eyes met Finnick and he grinned at him, a shadow of a smile crossing Finnick's muzzle in response. "You look like hell." he laughed, Finnick noticing him wince a bit as his grip on his support tightened.
"At least I'm out of bed." here Finnick's nurse gave an odd 'hmm' sound as he noticed her ears and tail give an irritated twitch. However, she went back to her scribbling and adjustments.
"I'm sorry Jen, Mr. Haimes insisted on visiting Mr. Moesly at least for a few minutes. They both have, after all, gone through a lot." the hare nurse spoke up, earning another twitch from the antelope nurse but, she nodded and looked up at them.
"They can converse for a few minutes though no longer then ten, they both need more rest." The other nurse nodded as he patiently guided Aeron into the room, finding him a size appropriate chair for him to sit in. Once he was sure that his patient was comfortable, he made eye contact with his coworker; who pursed her lips then sighed and followed him out.
Silence answered the snap of the door shutting behind them as Finnick stared at his paws. Though he was happy to see Aeron he was not sure how to say that. He had never been good at expressing his emotions and yet, just like when they were still young, Aeron seemed to understand what he couldn't say.
"You know, the way that Blue had made it sound, I was expecting to see you laying as if this was your death bed." Finnick gave one of his low harsh laughs as he shook his head.
"Well he's always been one to exaggerate situations. Keep on telling him to not be so soft, but he never listens to me." Aeron chuckled as he fidgeted into a more comfortable position, seeming the hard back visitor chair uncomfortable.
"True, he's always been like that, but that's why we like him." Finnick rolled his eyes but he knew that Aeron had seen the corners of his mouth twitching. Aeron had always had an act for reading others.
"So they have you up and moving?" he asked, wanting to get rid of that knowing look in Aeron's eyes. He noticed them narrow knowingly but he went with the subject change.
"Yes. My ribs have mostly healed and they say that the burns are healing remarkably well and that it seems like my fur will grow back in most areas. The big concern now is the damage done to my lungs." Finnick nodded his understanding, his eyes taking in the bandages still wrapped around Aeron's body. From what Nick had told them there were fewer and he could see small burns that had been uncovered and that seemed to have the fur growing back mostly.
"You are going to look even more like a comic book villain once this is over," He joked, trying to keep the pain out of his voice. However Aeron heard it as a care free smile attempted to cross his face.
"It'll add to my character. Besides, you're just jealous that I look more intimidating then you do." Finnick scoffed as he gave another eye roll.
"Whatever. We both know the truth." pain reflected in Aeron's eyes as Finnick noticed them flick over his much smaller form. Aeron didn't have to speak the question Finnick knew he wanted to ask.
"There were three of them. I sensed them following me but they still got the upper paw. I took two down but both had torn me up pretty good." despite himself, his voice trembled just slightly with fear as he remembered the dark parking lot where he had fought for his life.
"What about the third one?" Finnick's ears tilted back slightly as the machine beeped loudly at them to announce his heart beat rising. Even with his years on the streets guns were rare enough that he had only seen one once before and it had not been pointing at him.
"He had a gun. I was bleeding so badly I knew better then even to try and run so I just stood there until a voice from above us spooked them." out of the corner of his eyes he noticed that Aeron was squeezing his paws into fists. He wanted to comfort him, to tell him that it was okay but he didn't think his voice would let him lie like that.
"Nick told me that they expect the Devil's Bite gang to be involved but have no evidence." Aeron nodded slowly.
"I was told the same. We already know that they, somehow, have access to guns, though majority of them have preferred using their own abilities to do their work." Finnick nodded as well, the corners of his lips twitching again.
"If I remember correctly, you never needed the help of a weapon." with one look at his friend's face he knew that he did not take this as the complement that he had meant it to be. His eyes darkened with guilt and his head dropped.
"Yeah...Weapons were used more by the mammals who felt that they didn't have the brute strength the others did." Finnick fidgeted awkwardly as he debated how to make up for his thoughtless comment.
"That makes sense...I'm pretty sure the one who pointed the gun at me was a rabbit. I saw bucked teeth outlined by his mask." Aeron's head suddenly shot up, his ears perking forward.
"A rabbit?" Finnick nodded slowly, trying to understand why Aeron suddenly looked so excited.
"Yes. The other two were canines. Why?" he added the question as he watched Aeron fidget with his hospital gown until he was able to pull out his phone.
"We know that there is, at least, one rabbit member. I don't remember one while I was a member so he must be a newer recruit." he typed something on his phone then put it away with slightly more ease. "Of course we all know that there are multiple canines that are members but maybe you ca-" Aeron cut himself off as his eyes met Finnick, Finnick doing his best to remove whatever expression was on his face that made him stop.
"Sorry...You've probably already told this to whoever is handling your case and, knowing Blue, to him too." Finnick gave one of his nonchalant shrugs as he leaned back against his fluffed up pillows.
"Yeah but didn't talk much about what happened with Nick. Officer Hopps kept reminding him that they were both supposed to stay away from my case."
"Ahh right. To personally involved. Chief Bogo is probably trying to make up for his mistake of letting Blue be so involved in my part of the case." Finnick gave another shrug as the corners of his lips twitched.
"Probably. Though I heard you didn't really give him much of a choice." a playfully dramatic hurt look took over Aeron's face.
"What? I just offered my help whenever I thought it was necessary." Finnick could no longer keep the corners of his lips curling in his fangy grin.
"Yeah and you seemed to think he needed your help a lot." Aeron did his best to hold the playful look but soon a smile chased it away as he gave a shrug.
"Well needed to make sure that he didn't get hurt again." Finnick felt his grin fade as he remembered hearing about Nick being shot. Not a lot worried him but that had kept him up a bit worrying. Not that he would ever admit it though. He had a reputation to uphold.
"I'm worried." Finnick's eyes snapped back up to Aeron, who was nervously glancing at his paws.
"About Nick?" Aeron nodded slowly as he sighed.
"And others. Valentin might have been a bit hard to understand but he had patterns in his thinking and it was easy for me to know what his objective was. But with Dange...He's a wild card. I have no idea what he's thinking or what he wants only that it can't be good." Finnick had no response as he took in the fear in his friend's eyes. Aeron had every right to worry, they all did. But he didn't want to see anyone give up.
"Hey..." his uncommonly gentle voice was cut off by the door opening and his nurse bustling in with her hooves on her hips.
"You have had plenty of time now you both need to rest!" Finnick's ears tilted back slightly as he gave a low growl, ready to tell the nosey female to shove it, when he was stopped by Aeron struggling a bit to his feet.
"Thank you for giving us some time." Finnick's nurse just twitched her ears irritably in response as the hare nurse that had helped Aeron in earlier slipped behind her and helped Aeron get to his feet. "Bye Finnick, we'll talk again soon." Finnick nodded, his expression still annoyed as he watched Aeron be led out of the room. As the door shut behind them his glare turned to his nurse, who was scribbling more things down on her clip board.
Her eyes quickly met his and she glared right back. "Don't you glare at me Mister! You both are still healing and need to rest. Now, lay back down and I will get something for you to eat."
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Unlike the last time the DB drug had made it's comeback, Zootopia was frustratingly normal. There was the normal traffic, the normal comical feuds, the normal tourists asking directions, and the normal boredom that Nick faced when all they were doing was patrolling.
"Carrots, haven't we already been down this street multiple times?" Nick whined as Judy took a left turn that would take them back to where they started their patrolling.
"That's what we do when we are out on patrol." her tone was starting to sound exasperated so Nick kept his frustrated groan to himself. He hated just patrolling, especially when he knew that there was more that he could be doing.
"Are you sure we shouldn't at last offer our help?" Judy's ears twitched irritably as she kept her eyes on the road.
"Nick you heard what Bogo said, you are to personally involved to be a part of Finnick's case!" Nick huffed as he turned a bit so that he could see her better.
"Didn't stop him from having us on the scene when Aeron was almost killed." her ears twitched again as she slowed down, eying a small group of smaller predators standing on the edge of the street. Nick recognized most of them as harmless street rats, but with Dange having finally made his move they couldn't be to careful.
"That was different. We were the closest and someone needed to be there ASAP." she had slowed to a crawl now as her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the tight knit of predators. They were obviously having some kind of heated discussion as they all were waving their paws at each other and more then one had their fur sticking up.
"And we were quite professional correct?" by the way his rabbit sighed he knew that he was starting to push to far as she turned to face him.
"Nick listen, I know you hate taking a back seat with this, but you lost it when you found out about Finnick. Now, I don't blame you at all, I can't imagine how I would feel if it had been one of my old friends, but it's clear that you can't be unbiased when Finnick is concerned." a frown creased Nick's muzzle knowing she had a point.
"Then why don't we offer our help with Aeron's case?" another exasperated sigh escaped Judy as she looked away, returning her attention to the heated discussion across from them.
"Chief has let you get invoiced with Aeron's case to much already. It is best that, for now, we keep a back seat with this and help by keeping an eye out for either a known member of the Devil's Bite gang or for a hint of this new strain of DB." one of the ferrets had pulled away from the small group, his ears pinned back and his tail twitching irritably.
"Wonder what's got his fur all roughed up," Nick wondered out loud, figuring it was best to move on for now.
"Not sure." Judy's head moved slightly as she followed the irritated ferret, Nick focusing his eyes on the still standing group. They seemed more subdued now that one had left, but something still seemed off about the way their noses, ears, and tails were twitching as they spoke to each other. However, maybe he was just hoping it was something thanks to being bored.
"This might be nothing but just something doesn't feel right." Nick was about to verbalize his agreement but stopped when he saw Judy grip the handle of her door.
"Carrots?" she didn't respond as she quietly pushed open the door and hopped out. Unreasonable panic struck Nick's heart as he tore at his seat-belt in an attempt to free himself, but in his haste the seat-belt only tightened. Heart still pounding his head snapped up as his eyes searched for Judy.
And there she was, disappearing into an ally after, at least Nick guessed, the irritated ferret. At least the other rodents apparently hadn't seen her as they continued their discussion. Gritting his teeth he, more carefully this time, removed his seat-belt.
He knew that Judy wanted him to stay there and keep an eye on the rest of the group, but Nick wasn't sure that she really should be going after a suspect alone. Though what kind of suspect was the ferret really? All they were going on was a small gut feeling. Although...
Making up his mind, Nick opened his door and jumped down, his paw resting on the butt of his dart gun to make sure that it was there. He must have closed his door louder than Judy had for suddenly all four pairs of ears were twitching in his direction and beady rodent eyes were all fixed on him.
A second past as they all stared at each other and then, as if becoming unfrozen, the rodents all dashed off in different directions. Shocked, Nick took a second to respond before jumping into action, rushing after a weasel that was the closest.
"STOP ZPD!" as Nick figured, this only made the weasel sprint faster as he rushed down the alleyway that Judy had gone down. Hoping that Judy was still near by, Nick skidded around an overflowing dumpster, his eyes glued to the retreating form a bit a head of him.
He saw the weasel glance over his shoulder back at him, those dark beady eyes narrowing a bit as he scampered around a corner, Nick close on his heels. He was forced to skirt around another dumpster then found himself at a dead end.
His suspect was fruitlessly attempting to scale the brick walls, his claws scraping against them as he attempted to escape. Taking deep breaths to fill his strained lungs, Nick found his composure as he slowly took a step forward. The weasel had given up trying to climb to freedom and was now facing him, his eyes narrowed and his teeth bared dangerously.
A warning growl escaped him as he slashed at Nick with his claws, Nick jumping back out of the way, holding his right paw out in front of him in a calming gesture.
"I'm not here to hurt you buddy, I just wan-" but Nick was cut off by a splitting pain through his skull as something solid hit the top of his head. Groaning, the world spun around him as he fell to his knees, his eyes blinking in an attempt to clear his vision.
As he attempted to stand he felt another hit, this time to his ribs, send him back to the ground, gasping for air. "Quick! Before he gets back up!" a squeaky voice ordered from behind Nick. His world was still spinning as he felt a larger paw grip his arm.
A growl escaped him as he slashed out at whomever had their paw on him, but his vision was to blurry for him to see and he felt something forcefully pressed against his mouth and nostrils. An overpowering smell filled his lungs and blurred his mind as his body gave a feeble jerk to get free. It was to late though, the darkness was falling fast and he could feel his mind slowly slip away into the waiting darkness.
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Aeron glanced at his phone, a slight frown curling his lips. He knew that he shouldn't be surprised that his late boss was running later then he said he would be, but apparently part of him had hoped the years would have cured the lion of his constant tardiness. However, it's not like Aeron was really on a tight schedule.
He laid his phone down with a sigh as he stared at the ceiling. His body was aching from his little walk but he knew that was to be expected and had appreciated Nurse Gianni's insistence that he was doing better then he could have ever hoped. He was, after all, a fast healer. Though not fast enough, the Devil's Bite gang was still out there and he knew for a fact that they would eventually threaten another mammal he cared about.
Feeling his heart beat rise anxiously, he pawed his phone and turned it on, his ears perking as he saw that he had an unread message on Muzzle-book. He quickly unlocked his screen and saw that it was from his old boss saying that he was in the lobby and that he needed his room number again.
Aeron rolled his eyes but a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he sent the room number along with a teasing reminder that he had told him to write it down. The response was almost immediate and contained a just as teasing reminder that Aeron should show more respect to his elders.
The smile still tugging on his lips Aeron sent a quick text to Nick to tell him that Oliver was on his way then put his phone down. A few minutes passed and he heard someone knocking on the open door. The smile took over as Aeron gave a soft chuckle and wiggled into a more up position as he called out.
"The door is open you fool."
"A gentlemammal still knocks when entering the room of those whom are not his kin." a low gruff voice answered him as a lion walked in. he was average height for a lion but his fur was the same color of falling snow and his eyes were a gray blue. His fur was perfectly groom and his mane brushed out away from his elegant face that held a warm smile.
He was dressed in a pair of tailored black slacks and a royal blue dress shirt that had the top button loose to show off a silver chain that held a simple banded gold wedding ring.
Aeron's smile warmed even more as he took in his guest's appearance. "You haven't changed a bit, Oliver." a low rumble escaped the lion as his eyes gleamed in greeting.
"Did you expect me too, Aeron?" Aeron answered with a careful shrug as he watched him pull up the largest chair he could find and took a seat. They stood in silence for a moment as they both took each other in, Aeron noticing an almost sad shadow darken Oliver's smile.
"I apologize that it's been so long since we've spoken." Aeron smiled and dismissed his words with a wave of his paw.
"It's fine, it's not like the ZPD was going to let you know where I had been sent any time soon and after all you were the one who found me after I got out." a faint smile took over the lion's face as he gave a short nod.
"Yes I was, though I could have found you sooner if I had tried harder and, for that and other things, I apologize." by the way his eyes swept over Aeron's older scars, he didn't have to ask what he meant by 'other things'.
In an attempt to steer the conversation away from that painful road, Aeron fixed a playful grin on his face as he leaned forward a bit.
"Tell you what, if your help is as valuable as you made it sound I might just forgive you." Oliver mirrored his smile as he also leaned forward.
"Straight to the matter I see, you truly haven't changed." his face turned serious as he shifted slightly in his seat, Aeron watching him patiently. "I have yet to speak to whomever is now running the show however, when Valentin was still running things, he sent a Representative to speak to me about renewing our...friendship." by the look on Oliver's face, Aeron could tell that word left a bad taste in his mouth.
"I explained as politely as possible that I had no plan to returning to the old days. Two months of prison time had been enough for me and since my release I have been tracing the lines of the law carefully." a playful smile had returned to Aeron's lips as he raised an eyebrow at his companion.
"Two months Oliver? Sounds like a light sentence for someone who was allowing the selling of drugs in his business." Oliver gave him one of his intelligent smiles as he gave a wave with his large paw.
"Money talks my friend along with the promise to stay clean and to even agree to being monitored for the rest of my sentence." his body relaxed as his eyes turned sad as he frowned at Aeron. "I honestly do not know how you lasted six years in such confinement." Aeron gave a carefree shrug but his eyes darkened as he spoke.
"Well I was used to being imprisoned and at least that place I didn't have to fear for my life. I'm also grateful for the help I received in getting clean and healing the more emotional side of the abuse I had faced." Oliver nodded as his paw moved to lightly brush over Aeron's much smaller one.
"I'm glad that they treated you well then. It wasn't that the guards were overly hostile or rude to me it was more that I didn't like being so confined and to suddenly be having to follow the rules of others." Aeron laughed as he shook his head at Oliver's words.
"Well you've always been better suited to be the one in charge. That was why Valentin wanted you watched so much, I'm honestly surprised he had tried to rekindle your relationship." Oliver nodded his agreement as his frown returned.
"I admit to being surprised myself. However, his representative left peacefully enough and Valentin nor any of his cronies darkened my doorstep again. However, I heard from some of my old clients that he had also reached out to them, trying to rekindle old connections and create new ones." Aeron nodded slowly, listening.
"Makes sense, he was trying to regain the power he had while also gaining more."
"Yes and the rumors of this continued until Valentin was murdered. After that I had expected that the Devil's Bite gang would disappear. However, this was quickly proved wrong by a new client telling me that he was hearing rumors about how the Devil's Bite gang had a new leader that was continuing Valentin's work, though being far quieter about it."
"Worried, I reached out to an old business partner, Mr. Big, though of course you know who he is." Aeron felt his heart squeeze at the mention of the tiny mob boss, his head slowly nodding.
"Yes and he is no fan of Valentin or the Devil's Bite gang." Oliver nodded in agreement, leaning forward in his seat.
"Yes and he quickly explained that to me when I contacted him though calmed when I explained that I was looking to cut them off and not give them more power. We have agreed to pool our resources together but also agreed that he should talk to his contact in the ZPD and I should talk to you." Aeron nodded slowly, remembering Nick mentioning that Mr. Big had offered them his support and also remembering his conversation with Mr. Big's daughter.
"The question is though, why should the ZPD take the offer of your help? I obviously agree that we need all the help we can get but I'm not the one you need to convince." a knowing smile lit Oliver's face as he shook his head with a deep chuckle.
"Ah yes, the real concern is the stubborn buffalo. Am I right in guessing that he has not changed?" Aeron smiled as he remembered the multiple encounters he had had with the Chief of the ZPD over the last couple months.
"Still as stubborn as ever and just as rule abiding. However, he seems to becoming a little more...understanding towards those trying to make a fresh start." Oliver's smile widened as he gave another low chuckle.
"He had to with hiring an ex con to his force! I admit I nearly died from shock seeing that Nickolas had become the first fox police officer." Aeron also laughed as his eyes warmed with the pride he felt for his friend. Of course he knew that Oliver only knew of Nick and didn't know fully the amazement of him becoming an officer, but it was still not surprising to hear that it was shocking.
"I don't blame you. He's an excellent officer though, and he and his partner are quite the power team."
"Ah yes the first rabbit officer...I have to admit I am a bit curious to meet her, she seems quite interesting." Aeron's smile widened as he gave another laugh.
"You have no idea. I'm sure you'll meet them both. If we can get that stubborn water buffalo to agree to take your assistance." Oliver nodded as his smile turned sly as he leaned forward to gently cuff Aeron's shoulder.
"I will leave that up to you! Of course I would be happy to sit down with him to discuss how I can assist in more detail, so would Mr. Big, but I am leaving the introductions up to you." Aeron narrowed his eyes playfully as he smirked.
"You are to kind, Oliver." the lion responded with a booming laugh as he slapped his paw on his knee.
"I try, my friend, I try. Now for the other reason I came to see you." his face turned serious again, causing Aeron's insides to squirm uncomfortably, wondering what else could there be.
"Now I completely understand if you don't want to take this, but I know how hard it can be to find work with a criminal record." he spoke as clearly as he always did though the words came out of his mouth a bit rushed, as if he was unsure how Aeron would respond to this. Aeron blinked at him, taken completely off guard by the offer, though in the back of his mind he knew that he really shouldn't be.
"A day doesn't go by without a loyal customer asking if you'll be returning. Of course every thing is legal now so you will be only expected to either dance or serve drinks and I have explained that. A few have been upset but most would just love to watch you again, you were quite popular as a dancer." This was quite true. Aeron would never forget his nights underneath the pulsing lights, letting the loud base pound against his body as he moved to the music and felt multiple pairs of eyes focusing on him and only him.
However, he wasn't sure that he wanted to go back to that life. He appreciated that Oliver was legit now and he knew that he would make sure that the costumer's understood the expectations would be different, but still...
Oliver gave him a gentle smile that said he could see the conflict going on in Aeron's head as he brushed his paw over his again. "You don't need to answer right away. I just wanted to offer." Aeron nodded slowly, his mind wheeling to much to say anything.
The two of them sat in silence for a moment, both seeming unsure how to change the topic, until a loud ringing broke through the silence. Surprised, Oliver reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his phone, frowning as he stared at the caller ID.
"It's one of my employees, excuse me for a minute." he hit the answer button and placed the phone near his ear, giving a slightly stressed hello. Aeron quickly looked away and closed his ears, determined to give him some privacy until he heard Oliver's voice raise.
"What? Are you sure? Where did you get this from?" his eyes, wide with shock, met Aeron's and he instantly knew that whatever news Oliver was getting, it concerned him too. "Alright, be careful I do not want them to find out that you have been tailing them. Meet me back at the club and we will talk more, good bye." he hung up, staring at his phone, the shock still etched on his face.
Aeron waited a few seconds before speaking until the power of is heart beating against his ribcage was to uncomfortable to ignore. "What happened?" Oliver didn't answer right away, his face now seeming like he was trying to make sense of what he had just been told. "Oliver!" Aeron's cry made the lion twitch as he slowly lifted his head, his eyes full of worry.
"My employee was tailing a canine we suspect is a member of the DB gang and he followed him to a gas station where there were two cops talking to the employee on duty about something. One cop left and the mammal my employee was tailing followed him out. My employee followed him, concerned, but it was to late." Aeron's heart now felt like it had dropped into the pit of his stomach, his eyes widening a bit.
"What do you mean to late?" Oliver sighed as he looked down at his phone, as if hoping it would ring and tell him this was all a misunderstanding.
"They took him, Aeron. One of the ZPD officers has been abducted."
Notes: And there we are chapter thirteen! I apologize for taking so long to tell this story but hoping to speed up the process of the rest of it. Next chapter we will find out more about Dange's plans for the abducted ZPD officers and also learn if Bogo plans on taking Mr. Big and Oliver on their offer to help.