It was getting harder for the two to ignore the obvious discomfort. A little over a week had passed since their "crazy" night and although nothing particularly changed between them, it was beginning to feel awkward whenever they were left alone together—which was often, since they were partners. Judy had a feeling it was going to be difficult to move on, but she didn't think it would be unbearable.

Strangely enough, they were doing exactly what they had agreed to do; pretending it never happened. They didn't bring up the subject and they didn't try to talk about it with each other. Judy had thought that would help, that acting like nothing went down would keep their friendship healthy. But it just seemed to be making things worse.

Judy couldn't let this go on much longer. She needed her best friend in her life, and they had to get back to how they used to be. She decided to no longer question if she had any strong feelings for him. That insane idea was out the window. Nick was just her friend, end of story. But how to go back to what they had before was tricky. Thankfully, Judy knew just what would help.

Movie night was one of their favorite things to do as friends. Nick would come over and they would have a pile of junk food spread out in front of them while they took turns choosing whatever movies they wanted to watch. If they didn't fall asleep before the last movie was over, then they would end the night sharing a secret that they never told anyone else before. It was a somewhat childish tradition they had, but it was special. If that didn't fix things between them, nothing would.

Inviting him to a movie night was a last minute decision she made on the evening they didn't have to work. She just randomly thought of it and texted him as soon as it popped in her head. She didn't expect him to agree, but at least it was a start. Unfortunately, since it was sudden, she didn't have the key ingredient; snacks.

She sighed as she opened her pantry to find it basically empty. All she had was canned food and spices, nothing that would constitute as actual snacks. Great, do I even have time to go to the store? She thought, grabbing her phone to see what time it was. Nick had already texted to say he was on his way, and he didn't live far from her. So to answer her question, no.

It might've been silly to be frustrated over the lack of snack food, but Judy needed tonight to be exactly like their other movie nights. I guess we can get food together. But that would mean spending extra time alone. Oh god, that might make it worse. She mentally argued with herself, pacing around the kitchen.

The need for things to go back to normal while also keeping a distance to prevent more awkwardness was a struggle alright. The fact that she was even worried about it made her angry to no end. She cursed herself for drinking as much as she did that night. Maybe if she'd been more responsible with her alcohol, this wouldn't be a problem.

She got so lost in her thoughts that when she heard a knock at her door she nearly jumped. But she quickly calmed herself down when she realized it was just Nick. Hesitantly, she walked to the door to open it, revealing the fox dressed in some casual wear. In his paws were a couple of DVDs, so clearly he was more prepared than she was.

"Hey, you're here early." She said, stepping aside to let him into the apartment.

"That's a first for me, isn't it?" He said with a smirk as he walked in. He was usually a few minutes late, but for some reason he felt like he had to be more punctual tonight.

Judy scoffed and closed the door behind them. They both attempted to give a hug, but putting their arms around each other made them feel uncomfortable, so they retreated and walked away to pretend like nothing happened. Judy grimaced, hating that they couldn't touch each other without being reminded of what they did that night.

"Anyway, I'm glad you suggested this." Nick said to move past their failed hug. Good thing he was much better at hiding his embarrassment than Judy was. "After the long day we had, this is exactly what we need."

"I know. Besides, it's been a while." She said, following him into the living room. "But here's the thing, I actually don't have anything to eat, so I was gonna make a quick trip to the store to get some snacks."

"Oh, that's okay." He shrugged, "Do you want me to go with you?"

Judy instantly dismissed the idea. Luckily she had a better reason to deny his offer other than not wanting to create more unnecessary tension. "No, it's fine. You've had a long day, just make yourself comfortable." She gestured to the couch. "It'll just take a few minutes, anyway."

Nick sensed there was more to it than that, judging by her frantic behavior and immediate denial. But he wasn't going to question her about it (not like had to). "Alright, if you say so." He said, sitting down on the couch. "Just text me when you're on your way back."

The bunny nodded, reaching to grab her wallet and keys from the little table next to the door. "Okay, try not to mess up the apartment while I'm gone." She joked.

"I make no promises, Carrots." He pointed at her.

Judy laughed in response. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I'll be back in a bit. Love you, bye!" She announced before making her way outside. It wasn't until she closed the door that she realized what she just said to him. As if things couldn't get any worse, she had to use that word.

She cringed and brought her paw up to smack her face. "God, why did I say that?" She groaned aloud, scolding herself once again for screwing up what was already in jeopardy. This wasn't going to be like their other movie nights, she could tell that already.

With a heavy sigh, she walked down the stairs and out of the apartment complex.

—

Nick was surprised at first, since he didn't expect her to actually use the term 'love', with what was going on with them right now. But he wasn't complaining. If anything, he had missed when they were able to express their affection to each other without it being weird.

With nothing left to do on his own, he decided to turn on the TV just to see what was on. At the very least it would be good background noise, since the silence was somewhat unnerving.

It was a boring couple of minutes since she left and it had kept Nick alone with his thoughts. He didn't care for it one bit, he needed a better distraction than channel surfing. His eyes shifted elsewhere, searching for something to take his mind off current situations.

In the corner of the room where Judy's desk was, he spotted something orange and cylindrical. It didn't take him long to realize it was just the carrot pen that he and Judy shared. The first time he laid eyes on that pen last year, he hated it. It had had evidence that could've been used against him, and all he wanted was to take it from her to get rid of it. But now whenever he looked at it or held it in his paws, he felt a sense of comfort. It was reminder of how he and Judy became friends/partners. He never knew something so small could have such a great significance to him.

Oh, that was a better time for the two. Back before they slept together and ultimately ruined their friendship. Nick had tried to go along with her denial that anything happened, but he hated what it was doing to them. There was no doubt he wanted more with her, but not at the risk of losing the closest friend he ever had.

Nick sighed and lowered his head, once again letting his mind wander aimlessly. What could he do to make it up to her? What could he do to save their friendship before it was too late? He wasn't a miracle worker, he couldn't just snap his fingers and undo their mistake.

Before he could beat himself up over it, he felt a sudden jab on the back of his neck that sent him collapsing to the floor. He grunted, instinctively reaching his paw up to where he was hit. What he felt was an unusual damp and gooey substance that had splattered onto his fur. He had no idea what it was or where it came from, but it sure hurt like hell.

As his paw came back into his view, his eyes went wide with fear and horror. The goo on his fingers was a violet color, one he would recognize anywhere. Night Howlers.

"No.." He whispered before letting out a painful groan, bowing his head closer to the carpet. His body twitched and spasmed while he struggled to maintain control over his mind. He couldn't let this happen, he couldn't give in. He had to prevent it somehow.

But the serum was stronger than him. It was stronger than anyone, no predator was ever able to fight it before. Night Howlers were a powerful toxin, they could turn any mammal into a killing machine with a single touch.

Nick felt himself losing the battle. He was no match, he couldn't hold it off any longer. His paws tensed as his nails dug into the carpet, his tail and ears went stiff, and his eyes began to shrink.

His last coherent sentence was uttered in a growl. A low, desperate growl. "No..Judy!"