Barkeeps 3: Shots!

Written by Bluelighthouse

Edited by LapisLucius42

At night Zootopia was a tapestry of vibrant colors and vivid images. It was no wonder so many mammals traveled to the city to just take in the sights. When the sun went down the metropolis looked like a kind of brilliant light up show.

While some mammals appreciated the sights and wandered around with their mouths agape, others went about their business or focus on what was ahead of them. One mammal in particular was currently focused on beating his high score in Candy crush.

Nick was so close to getting to his current best score when he heard coughing in front of him. The fox, who normally liked to think of himself as being pretty sharp and hard to sneak up on, nearly jumped from his stool in front of the 10-7 bar.

The vulpine grabbed his chest and felt his heart racing as he looked at the mammal responsible for him falling just short of a perfect victory on his phone.

Before Nick could begin to berate the mammal, his eyes brightened as a broad smile crossed his muzzle, recognizing the mammal before him as not only a member of the ZPD, but as a good friend.

"Spots!" Nick exclaimed as he hopped from his stool and looked up at the cheetah currently clad in a black ZPD workout shirt. Jackie, or Spots as Nick called her, was one of his close friends from Precinct 1.

The slender mammal gave Nick a friendly smile as her amber eyes took in the fox. The vulpine was wearing what he called his "bouncer black" outfit and looked rather handsome to a few of the female patrons. Something Judy had taken notice of during their short tenure at the bar. The gray doe would constantly show her fox affection and glare at any mammal dumb enough to ogle the handsome tod.

"Heard the 10-7 lowered their hiring standards, but I didn't think it was this bad," Jackie said playfully.

Nick rolled his eyes and shook his head at his friend. "You should have heard what Bogo said the other night," He chuckled as the memories resurfaced.

"Who do you think sent me to give you a hard time?" Jackie asked with a giggle.

"Makes sense..." The fox grumbled as his attention went to the mammal beside Jackie.

A somewhat shy looking desert cottontail was studying the fox with one bright blue eye and the other that matched Nick's own emerald ones. The fox inspected the rabbit for a moment before Jackie cleared her throat.

"So I got a favor to ask Nick," She was giving the fox a nervous smile.

"I do like it when mammals owe me favors," Nick said with a smug smile up towards Jackie.

The cheetah rolled her brilliant eyes as she took in a deep breath.

"So this is Jake," She nodded down at the brown rabbit standing at her side. Nick turned and nodded at the smaller mammal while giving him a friendly smile.

Jake opened his mouth as if he was about to speak but thought it would be best to let Jackie do the talking.

"Oh I know Jake very well," Nick said with a wink.

The rabbit's eyes widened at the knowledge that Nick remembered him.

"This guy right here is the only reason I am awake during Buffalo Butt's drone fest every morning," Nick explained.

Jake beamed and finally spoke up, "Dark roast, strong, no additions," repeating the Fox's order from memory.

"Always has a cup waiting for me," Nick explained to Jackie who had a somewhat confused look.

The rabbit worked at a coffee shop right by the ZPD precinct 1 building. A great deal of officers from there frequented the establishment Nick and Judy included. The fox always ordered the same drink to help him through the shift.

"So what brings you to the 10-7?" Nick asked, already having a feeling where this was going.

"Came for a drink…"Jackie began to explain and continued before Nick could say anything. "Listen Nick, I know the rules are first responders only and all, but I was hoping you could make an exception for Jake here. He just got his papers from the ZPA and will be starting classes there soon!"

Nick gave Jake a surprised, yet happy look. He tried to step into the conversation, but the cheetah continued on the defensive. "I know it doesn't make him full ZPD yet, but I really think he has a chance and he is a good kid."

"Jackie," But Nick's words continued to be drowned out by the cheetah.

"Plus it will give him a chance to unwind!"

"Jackie…" Nick said in a sweet voice.

"Also it will give him something to look forward to, you know, a kind of drive to get through the academy..."

"Jackie!" Nick finally had to shout to get the cheetah to stop talking.

Both mammals in front of Nick stood and eyed the fox nervously, wondering what was about to happen. There were always other bars to go and celebrate at, and Jackie wouldn't mind taking the future cadet to one of those. But her heart had been set on showing Jake on what the 10-7 was all about.

"You could have just said he was your date," Nick suggested as he gave the cheetah a playful wink. "I mean I won't judge."

Jackie blushed as she remembered the 10-7 had a policy about letting dates in. Even if they weren't first responders, exceptions could be made sometimes. The predator put a paw to her head and began to laugh as she closed her eyes.

"D…d...date?" Jake asked in surprise.

The outing had actually been more of a chance for the two friends unwind and celebrate Jake's start at the ZPA. Nick being Nick; he couldn't pass up the opportunity to suggest something. Jake looked wide eyed up at the slender cheetah and then to Nick.

"You better get in there and buy your date a drink," Nick said with a wink.

"D…d…date?" Jake asked again.

"Just ignore him Jake. He likes to joke around with fellow officers," Jackie said with a wink to her friend, "Which is why he is on parking duty most days."

At being called a 'fellow officer', the buck beamed at Nick, "Thanks Officer Wilde."

"It's Nick," The fox said as he pushed the door open for the two mammals. "And congrats on making the ZPA. Come talk to me and Judy before you head out ok? I have a few pranks I want to try on your drill instructors."

"Don't corrupt him!" Jackie said with a laugh as she strolled by.

"I won't," Nick shot back. "Gonna leave that to you." Nick gave Jackie a suggestive wink.

The cheetah gasped but soon a sweet laughter escaped her lips as she followed her friend into the bar.

Once inside, Jackie took a moment to look down at her friend from the coffee shop. She smirked as the small cottontail's mouth fell open at the sights inside the bar. His multi colored eyes scanned the walls, taking in all the different pictures that adorned the bar.

"This….this..." He stuttered as his eyes fell on the flags on the far end of the bar. Each one representing a different department.

"This is the 10-7," Jackie said happily. A wicked grin crossed her face, "Now come buy your date a drink. First round is on the rookies."

The cheetah burst out laughing at the stunned look on Jake's face as she strolled over to a small table against the wall. Jackie was known in the ZPD for being a playful tease sometimes as a way to break the ice. Jake, however, was still getting used to all of this.

As the light brown buck walked over to their table, he heard someone shout and turned suddenly to the source of the commotion.

"Sneak attack!" Trisha shouted as she bolted past Jake and jumped onto the seat from across Jackie, only to propel herself at the cheetah.

"Oh gosh!" Jackie screamed as she braced for impact. There was a loud yet soft thud as Trisha impacted with the larger predator and wrapped her arms around Jackie's chest and squeezed. "Trisha, it's not a sneak attack if you announce it." The cheetah laughed as she patted the doe on her head.

Trisha looked up and beamed at Jackie with her own bright blue eyes. "My bar, my rules."

The cheetah rolled her eyes and chuckled at her friend's antics. Most members of the ZPD were friends with the bubbly brown doe, and they had learned that Trisha made her own rules in life and it was best to just go with it.

Jake took a moment to hop up onto the seat Trisha had just used as a bouncing board and watched the two friends exchange pleasantries. The cottontail looked Trisha over and smiled at the doe as she gushed over the cheetah, chuckling at how the bunny made herself comfy on top of the predator. The laugh didn't go unnoticed by Trisha whose black tipped ears twitched and turned in the small mammal's direction.

Trisha looked over at Jake and tilted her head. Jake froze, like an animal suddenly picked up by a predator. The doe slowly crawled down from the cheetah and across the table on all fours.

Jake gave Trisha a nervous smile. He had heard about this doe and how intense she could be. He also heard she wasn't one to take anything from no one and had a lot of…

The cottontail's thoughts were cut off as a pair of brown paws squished his cheeks together and brought his face close to the brown bunny in front of him.

"Oh my gosh!" Trisha exclaimed as she looked directly into Jake's eyes. "You have the coolest eyes!"

"Thank you?" Jake said as he looked right at Trisha, his words sounding funny as the brown doe squished his face.

"Trisha, this is Jake," Jackie said with a chuckle as she watched her friend be handled by the rather bubbly doe.

"Judy!" Trisha shouted as she looked over at the bar.

Judy was currently helping Em with some drink orders, but her ears twitched and she looked up from the bar with a smile.

"Come meet my new friend Jake! His eyes are awesome! It's like if me and Nick made a beautiful kit!"

"Wait what?" Jake asked as his eyes widened.

Outside the bar, Nick was unaware of the mischief being caused by the pair of doe barmaids. He was far too focused on his phone. He was so close to getting to where he was before and he knew if he just got one more-

"They will hire just about to anyone here won't they!" came a strong voice using the same joke Nick had heard over a dozen times since picking up this gig. The fox lowered his phone, resolute that he wouldn't get that high score during this shift. His eyes went to the owner of the voice, ready to berate whatever mammal had caused him to actually work that night. At first, his emerald eyes were sharp and ready to attack. However, when he noticed the mammal before him the look on his face softened.

"Alex!" Nick exclaimed in some concern as his worried eyes looked over the gunmetal lynx then fell on a cane the predator before him was currently leaning on for support.

Before Nick stood two mammals. A dark gray lynx in a dark blue ZPD shirt and black BDU pants. A badge hanging around his neck, showing off a well-polished badge and pair of dog tags. The other...

"Kira, how are you doing kiddo? Saw your smiling face on the news the other day," the fox said to the rather beautiful black doe standing next to Alex. Kira was one of Judy's many siblings that had moved to Zootopia a while back. The doe picked up a job as a combat reporter for the ZNN and had been sent all over creation. Sadly, not all of Kira returned with her. She had a fair amount of scars and was missing a third of her right ear. She had been a little self conscious about the wounds after returning to Zootopia and even more so when meeting Nick for the first time. Kiara didn't want to admit it openly, but she didn't see herself as pretty anymore and would constantly question her looks. But leave it to Nick to make the doe forget about all of that. The two hit it off wonderfully when they first met, and now the bunny saw Nick as an older brother.

"Oh gosh, tell me you didn't let Judy record it..." Kira groaned.

"Carrots has already made DVDs for the family," Nick said slyly with his signature wink. His attention then went back to the lynx. "When did you get out of the hospital?"

Alex gave the fox a weak smile as he did his best to keep his eyes forward, knowing full well his date was currently staring daggers at him. The predator was part of the ZPD tactical unit at Precinct 1, which carried a great deal of risks. One of those risks was getting shot. A bust recently had gone a little south and Alex had paid the price by taking one to the chest and was still recovering from it.

"Few days ago," Alex muttered, feeling the heat from the doe's gaze. Kira had been berating the feline about the incident since it was obvious the mammal would survive. She, of course, was very relieved he would recover, but she was also mad that he had gotten himself shot in the first place.

"Sounds like someone can use a drink then," Nick said quickly. Realizing the subject was still somewhat touchy. He had a feeling though that once inside the black doe would calm down and cuddle up to her mate like she normally did.

Nick didn't need to see any credentials for this pair, knowing Alex was ZPD and Kira was pretty much family either way.

"So where is she?" Kira asked. Her mood suddenly brightened as Nick opened the main door.

"Bar detail, just ask for her and I am sure Trisha will send her your way."

"Is Trisha her boss?" the black doe asked as she looked at the fox.

Nick began to shake with laughter, "Trisha is everyone's boss."

"Oh gosh Trisha…" Alex grumbled as he led his date inside, using the cane and the bunny for support.

"What?" Kira asked, a hint of jealousy in her tone. One thing the Hopps girls had become known for among their family and friends is the fact they could be very territorial of their mates. Kira especially since she was worried that Alex would leave her for a less damaged bunny. Of course, Alex reminded her constantly that was the last thing she had to worry about. But the thought was always lingering in the back of her mind.

"Oh nothing, I just know that she will probably give me a hard time for getting hit is all," Alex muttered as he wrapped arm around the black doe and led her over to a cushioned booth that was the perfect size for the couple to get cozy.

Meanwhile across the bar, Jake was starting to feel his face go numb as Trisha squeezed his cheeks together once more. The bunny had already taken their orders and returned with the two mammal's drinks, only to climb up on the table and bring Jake close to her face once more. She was obviously mesmerized by the buck's rare eye color.

"Trisha, the poor guy's cheeks are gonna get sore at this rate," Jackie teased.

Trisha picked up a small cardboard coaster and tossed it at the cheetah without looking, hitting the predator in the nose with the small object.

"How do you do that?" Jackie asked between fits of laughter.

"Bunny secret," Trisha said as she gave Jake a wink. The bunny giving the doe a nervous smile. "Ok handsome you enjoy that drink. I'll be back to terrorize you more later!"

Trisha then hopped off the table and skipped away.

"You get used to her," Judy explained as she leaned on the table and gave Jake a friendly smile. "You excited to go to the ZPA?"

Jake took a sip of his drink and nodded. His eyes widened as he tasted his Long island and let out a pleased noise. "This is amazing. So sweet."

"Just like me," Trisha whispered into Jake's ear, causing the buck to jump. Apparently, the doe hadn't gone far and had to get one last scare in before hopping back to the bar.

"She must like you. I haven't seen her take to a rookie this early," Jackie said as she raised her own glass and tasted her mixed drink, smacking her lips at the pleasant taste. "Take the drinks slowly now Jake. The bunny behind the bar knows how to make them sweet which makes it easier to lose track of your drink count. Isn't that right Judy?" Looking at the off duty officer who had come over to help drop off the pairs drinks.

At the last part the gray doe's cheeks turned a shade of pink. She looked back at Jackie with a pair of eyes that told the cheetah to keep that private. Jackie, however, wasn't planning to let the doe off so easily and began to tell Jake about a certain night at the 10-7 involving Judy and Trisha. Judy did her best to cover Jackie's mouth, but it was of little use. Jake, meanwhile, felt his ears raise up as the embarrassing tale involving his idol was shared.

Trisha skipped around the bar and checked on a few of the patrons, making sure everyone's glasses were either full or close enough. She then spied the new couple and bounced on over. When she was close enough to Alex and Kira, she stopped and let out a gasp that caught the couple's attention.

"Oh no..." Alex grumbled as he saw Trisha dart his way. The bunny climbing up onto the large cushioned seat so she was eye level with Alex.

"You!"

"Me…?" Alex asked hesitantly. He had a feeling the conversation was about to go one of two ways. The first way would be Trisha gushing over him and trying to see if he was alright. She had obviously heard what had happened. Not much went on without Trisha finding out about it. Plus since many medics frequented the bar, the lynx had a feeling someone must have slipped the news of his injuries. The other way Trisha could react was…

"I didn't give you permission to get hurt!" Trisha shouted as she grabbed pawfuls of Alex's shirt and brought him close to her. The lynx noticed a fire in the bright blue eyes belonging to the doe.

The display was rather amusing to watch. The small doe was roughly half the size of the lynx who could had easily overpowered the small bunny. Instead, it almost looked like he was trying to hide as he huddled down and did his best to scoot away from Trisha.

It took a few minutes but Trisha soon changed from angry to her regular caring self. The whole while Kira was eyeing the doe with a great deal of contempt. She wasn't exactly a fan of the slender bunny being so pawsy with Alex.

Trisha must have taken notice of this and quickly released her grasp on Alex and turned to the black bunny. The bright blue eyes widened, however, as she eyed the bunny up and down. Kira was feeling slightly nervous, worried that Trisha was either sizing her up or staring at the bunnies damaged body.

"Oh my gosh..." Trisha said as her mouth fell open.

Kira winced and felt a slight anger boiling inside her. First this doe comes over and puts her paws on Alex, and now she was about to make fun of the black doe for the body she already knew wasn't-

"Alex, how the hell did you convince a beauty like this to be seen with you?"

Kira was in shock at the words and looked over at her lynx with a surprised expression. Alex just smirked and gave Kira a knowing look.

"She lost a bet," he suggested.

"Must have," Trisha whispered as she climbed over Alex and then sat on his lap. Kira thought it was odd and was about to speak up when she noticed the dream like state that had come over Trisha. She wasn't using Alex as some kind of plaything or trying to feel his body. She was literally using him as furniture as she stared at Kira.

"I'm Trisha," the brown doe said in a rather warm and inviting tone.

Kira was still a little reserved and eyed Trisha hesitantly, "Kira….Kira Hopps."

Trisha nearly jumped off Alex as she heard Kira's last name.

"Hopps?! As in a relation to Judy?"

Kira smirked and nodded.

"No wonder I can't take my eyes off you."

"Wait…what?" Kira blurted out and blushed.

"Oh yeah, me and your sister go way back," Trisha said with an evil grin. "You should ask her about this one night we drank together here."

Right on cue, a pair of gray paws covered Trisha's mouth as Judy arrived to the table.

"I don't think anyone else needs to hear that story!" Judy shouted as she dragged Trisha off Alex. "Hey sis."

"Hi Judy!" Kira said as her mood suddenly brightened at seeing her sister. "You look amazing."

"Thanks," Judy said as she put an arm around Trisha's neck and did her best to contain the small brown fluff ball of energy. "I see you met Trisha."

"Oh yeah we….met," Kira said as she looked at Trisha who began to shake with excitement, her mouth still covered by one of Judy's paws.

"Well just know she is pretty harmless," Judy explained. Trisha suddenly froze and her eyes slid towards Judy who realized she may have just made her night a little harder. "Mostly…harmless?" Judy asked, hoping it was enough to keep the bunny in her arms from exploding. Judy suddenly shivered and her eyes twitched. The reason became clear as she pulled her paw away from Trisha's mouth, a small trail of drool coming with. "Trisha! That is gross!"

The brown doe giggled as she raised her arms in the air. She then looked at the couple who had been watching the whole event and winked. "Regular?" She asked Alex who nodded, knowing what Trisha was getting at. "And what about you cutie?"

The word cutie threw Kira off a little but she smiled at Trisha, starting to get used to the bubbly brown bunny. "Pina Colada?"

"And getting caught in the rain?" Trisha asked, quoting the famous song.

This earned an eye roll from Alex but a sweet smile from Kira who nodded.

Trisha then skipped away as she started to hum a familiar tune.

Judy took this moment to grab a napkin from the table and wipe the drool from her paw.

"Sorry about Trisha. She can be a little intense," Judy said as she smiled at her sister.

"Is she always like that?" Kira asked.

Both Alex and Judy answered as one with a simple, "Yes."

Kira let out a sigh as she leaned against Alex who wrapped an arm around his doe.

"So, how have you two been?" Judy asked as she leaned against the table and gave her sister a warm smile.

Judy spent a few minutes catching up with her sister but sadly had to get back to running drinks to tables. She promised to return a little later to chat with them and resume catching up. Both bunnies agreed that they needed to do a double date soon with their boys. Alex was more than happy to join and looked forward to giving his buddy Nick a hard time. Judy, however, pointed out that if anyone would be having a hard time it would be Alex. She then looked at the lynx's chest, eyeing the spot she knew the mammal had been hit.

It didn't take long after Judy excused herself that Trisha came bouncing back to the couple who were getting rather cozy on the cushioned seat that was normally made for one large mammal. But Alex and Kira had no problem squeezing into the seat as the lynx kept a strong arm wrapped around his date.

Trisha passed out the drinks which were received happily, but she remained at the table with a rather goofy smirk on her face.

"What?" Alex asked hesitantly as he eyed the brown doe. Her beauty had been somewhat a nagging worry in the back of the predator's mind. Kira was normally very protective of her Alex, and the lynx was worried that there could be trouble if the brown doe lingered around much longer.

"Just admiring the view," Trisha said with a playful wink. "You are one lucky mammal."

"He is spoke-" Kira began but Trisha's smile told Kira everything she needed to know. Mind you, Trisha still had to throw in her own words.

"I wasn't talking about him cutie," Trisha said with a wink.

Alex snorted into his drink as he watched Kira's ears turn a shade of pink as the doe blushed at Trisha's words.

"Told you," Alex whispered lovingly into Kira's ear. "The ladies dig scars."

"Oh that we do," Trisha said as she took a seat on the table and scooted over till she was right in front of Kira.

Alex watched in amusement as Trisha eyed the beautiful specimen in front of her, but Kira was at a loss. No matter how often Alex complimented her on her looks, she always felt he was just being nice, or trying to get lucky. But to have a doe like Trisha sitting in front of her and eyeing the black doe the way she was certainly helped the bunny's confidence.

Over on the other side of the establishment, Nick had taken a moment to come inside to get a drink. Being on door duty didn't mean he had to spend the whole night outside. He came in occasionally to grab some water, bug Trisha, and of course see Judy. This time the fox was busy chatting with Jake and Jackie who were both chuckling at his hijinks.

"Now the beds over at the ZPA are designed for a lot of different mammals, but I find the elephant size ones are just right and also offer the most support," Nick explained a few tips that were more jokes than anything to Jake who at this point was a little too tipsy to care.

"It also helps to have the extra space if you want to get cozy with any cute cadets," Nick suggested as he threw a wink over to Jackie who blushed.

"Quit trying to corrupt him," the cheetah said as she gave Nick a playful shove.

"I am just making sure he enjoys his time as much as I did at the ZPA," Nick said defensively.

"Oh like you got cozy…." Jackie trailed off as Judy strolled by with a tray of drinks. The gray doe looked over at her fox and bit her lip as she gave him a suggestive wink. The cheetah put two and two together and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "No way!"

"What?"

"You and Judy?!"

"Wow, took you this long to figure out about us?"

"No not that," Jackie laughed. "You two were together while you were at the academy?"

"I have no comment!"

"I do," Jake suddenly joined in. The poor buck hadn't taken Jackie's advice seriously and sadly was already feeling the effects of the strong drink Trisha and Em had made. The two predators stared at the buck who smirked, "I am going to build the biggest pillow fort at the ZPA!" The words were slurred but thrown out with such confidence that Jake's two friends couldn't help but laugh.

"You are gonna fit in just fine kiddo," Nick said as he patted Jake on the shoulder and then excused himself.

"So how is everything?" Nick asked as he took a moment to check in with Judy who had just finished another run of drinks.

The gray bunny sighed as she took a moment to stretch her arms. She then looked right at Nick and smiled as she lowered her arms and held them out towards Nick. The fox took the hint and brought the bunny into a warm embrace.

"I like it here," Judy mumbled into Nick's chest as she nuzzled into him.

"Well if the ZPD doesn't work out, we could always see if they want us on fulltime." Nick suggested.

Judy giggled at the thought of making this a permanent thing. She then looked around the bar and smiled. Jackie was busy telling Jake a fun story from her days at the academy. Across the bar, she spotted Kira who was giving Trisha a playful slap on the arm as she giggled uncontrollably at Trisha's shenanigans. Alex was doing his best not to spit out the jack and coke he had ordered, but it was a losing battle as he joined in on the laughter.

"Maybe," Judy chuckled as she watched all their friends enjoying a well-deserved night together. "Till then we have a few more shifts."

"Good," Nick muttered as he pulled out his phone and held the screen level with Judy. "It will give you a chance to beat the new high score."

"Oh come on! No fair!" Judy groaned as she took the phone from Nick's paw and eyed the rather high set of numbers.

"You know you love me."

"Judy, could use some help," Em interrupted from down the bar as she opened a few bottles.

"Coming Em!" Judy shouted back. She then looked over at Nick and gave him a sly smile, "Yes, yes I do."

Lots of new friends showing up in this chapter!

Special thanks to the following awesome people.

Libious for the use of her character Jackie Spotters from Wilde Heart. This author is amazing and has done some great work. I don't get a chance to reads too often and I have to avoid their stories because OMG…too late…I am hooked…there goes all my free time.

Lucario389 for the use of his creation Jake Thumpings. This was a fun character to play around with because at first he was this hesitant buck that wandered in. But of course walking into the 10-7 means you aren't a stranger for very long. Thanks for letting me play around with Jake bud!

That lynx and bunny couple was kind of cute right? Course I had to throw Trisha over to rock the boat. Thanks to Zeronone for the use of Alex Declawe and Kira Hopps. Such a fun couple to write into this fic. If you enjoyed them then you should go check out Highlander. Really dude? A Highlander AU in zoo…..oh wait…firewatch… nevermind. I love this fandom! We manage to Zootopify everything. Thanks again dude for the use of your characters and all the help!