"N-Nick…" she spoke in a warble, ears low and pupils wide.

All apprehension fell when the red fox approached her, the rabbit exhaling in relief despite his disheveled appearance: red neck hairs frizzed, lips curled over bared teeth, back rounded and claws at the ready. The sight of the protective fox made a sensation travel through the length of Judy's spine for reasons other than fear.

The fox straightened himself and relaxed his defenses. "Almost became some lowlife's dinner there," he murmured low, standing before her as he smoothed down the hackles and relaxed his lips. The vicious glint in his green eyes lessened as his sight was filled with small quivering bunny.

Fortunately there wasn't a single tear in his Alpha jacket which meant his clothes weren't the ones that were clawed at. On the contrary, Nick held a tethered piece of burgundy handkerchief in his left paw, a handkerchief that was once neatly tied around the neck of the freshman bunny's assailant only several moments prior. His beige slacks were also noticeably soiled, most likely the result of tumbling with the same predator with a dangerous hankering for tipsy rabbit.

If her observations were correct and she wasn't hallucinating as a result of alcohol and endorphins at this point, he wasn't wearing a shirt underneath the jacket. The creamy fur of his chest was exposed down to the junction of silver zipper located on his lower abdomen.

His unkempt yet strangely captivating appearance caused a delay in her response.

"You didn't have to intervene. I could've handled it," she slurred rather confidently, crossing her arms as she took a defiant stance.

Nick rolled his eyes. "And how exactly would you have handled that?"

She interjected with a sarcastic huff through her teeth, creating a whirring-sound between her lips. "I would've kicked him. Maybe use my fists somehow... either way, I'm perfectly capable on my own."

"Uh-huh," Nick would have chuckled if it weren't for something that had previously gone unnoticed suddenly catching his eye. He stepped closer and she surprisingly didn't back away from him; instead she curiously watched as he inspected her closely with furrowed brows. "So… were you gonna knee the bastard before or after you received that raw hickie you've got on your neck there?"

"W-what?" Judy gasped, one of her paws flying to meet the fur above her shoulder. In a panic, she ran that paw over frizzed grey fur until she felt a small patch of fur missing, a bit of raw skin in its place that was quite tender to the touch. A single brush over the area with her fingers was enough to discover fine divots where sharp feline teeth prodded, having produced cuts deep enough to break the skin yet keep the blood from running without some assisted suction.

Raw hickies were a frowned-upon action in the modern world, surviving in the form of carnivorous kinks that lingered within the underbelly of society along with other equally questionable practices. Just the thought of having received the unwanted mark from a weird stranger at college party made the rabbit shudder.

How she didn't yelp in pain at receiving one, she hadn't a clue. Maybe the numbing abilities of alcohol had something to do with it?

"You didn't tell me this party was gonna b'filled with carnivores!" She squeaked the accusation drunkenly at him as her ears shot up, a display of undeniably adorable frustration that only made the fox crack a smile.

"C'mon Carrots. You're gonna pin this on me?" He referred to himself with both paws finding his bared chest. "It's a party at a predator-pride house. What'd you honestly expect?"

"I… ugh well, I dunno…" Judy shook her head. "Something actually safe to attend? An easy-going atmosphere? Not being eaten?"

"Well, you signed yourself up for this. I warned you not to come didn't I?" His nostrils flared for a moment when he caught a good whiff of her wound. At this rate, every kooked-up pred in the damn house is gonna prowl. "So with that said… you should probably get going." His tone was a bit cold but was slightly spared by the concern underlying it. He turned slightly, hoping she would heed his suggestion.

At the sight of his likely departure she stepped forward and held out a paw. "W-wait!"

He paused, his ears perking in her direction.

"I'm not leaving." Judy boldly stated, her ears rising the way they did when she stood her ground in an act of bravery. But to him her bravery was nothing less than stubbornness—especially in a situation like this, a situation that clearly put her in danger for a lame cost. "Just because… just because I'm prey doesn't mean I can't party like a predator."

He turned to face her again, the color of his fur enhancing when the strobe gleamed red. "Well, can't argue that one. And I can't force you to leave. So you wanna stay? Fine. Party your heart out. Go nuts." She's definitely different than any prey I've ever met. In both refreshing and aggravating ways.

Judy smiled in her trivial moment of triumph.

That was, before a tipsy wolf hovered over her from behind, bandana around his neck as he sniffed the back of her neck. At the sensation of his wet nose she yelped and hopped forward towards the fox, mindlessly clinging onto the hem of his jacket, slightly wobbling from the speed of the motion.

The wolf eyed her hungrily until he glanced upwards to catch the unforgiving glare of a protective fox.

The two predators exchanged menacing looks, emerald eyes narrowing as the fox hooked an arm around the bunny burrowing her face in his fur. Scoffing, the looming wolf surrendered without so much of a flash of his teeth, disappearing into the crowd.

"If you don't want to be a target," Nick began to murmur patronizingly down at the bunny, his breath husky and thick with the scent of alcohol. "Then you shouldn't be standing in the warzone."

"The… warzone?" She arched a brow skeptically up at him before a mild heat swarmed her inner ears at the realization that she was attached to him. She cleared her throat and scrambled backwards, his arm around her small frame releasing its hold.

"Yeah, the warzone," he breathed a laugh. "Where newbies get hammered with drinks and the succeeding survivors try to hook up with girls. Trust me, been there, done that." He shook his head. "Other creepy stuff tends to go down here too. So I advise that you move. Or that wolf won't be the last."

"Alright then." Judy nodded slowly as her eyes roamed the area, one of her ears draped over the bite on her neck. "So where in here am I safe? Y'know this place better than I do."

Nick considered her question for a moment before scratching the scruff on his neck. "Uh. Well let's see…"

In sincere honesty, Nick knew she wasn't realistically safe anywhere in the house, whether she stood in the warzone or not. The predators at this party were absolutely wasted, the majority of them large and powerful enough to pose a realistic threat any small predators, Nick included—not to mention a teensy, tipsy rabbit.

With all the catnip and weed swirling in the secluded space, all the alcohol being consumed at concerning rates, and other substances likely present in the house, it could be assumed that these partiers would get even wilder as the night progressed.

Ergo, making the house uninhabitable to any of those that couldn't defend themselves.

The fox pursed his lips. She won't leave, she can't stay. Guess that leaves one option.

Judy patiently waited for a suggestion, violet eyes glazed and watchful of all movement swarming around them.

Nick drunkenly sighed. "In here you're only really safe… with me."

As he said the unlikely combination of words he watched her intently, fully anticipating her to disagree or laugh mockingly at the ridiculous suggestion. Not like she absolutely had to take his survival advice. But it would certainly be in her best interests, in his opinion.

Yet her expression was hardly offended; her eyes widened a tad and her lips parted, but she said nothing at first.

After a moment of silent deliberation she finally conceded. "Yeah. I should've figured that much."

Not that she necessarily wanted to spend the rest of her night with the fox she frequently quarreled with, but she knew she'd rather bicker than be eaten alive. And when it came to her safety, the fox had proven he had her best interests at heart.

"Oh. Well uh, okay." Nick was a little staggered that she agreed with his suggestion so easily. It was nice for a change, knowing a prey mammal had the ability to instill their trust in him without much difficulty. It didn't guarantee her full trust in him however, he was sure, but it was definitely a start.

"Let's move." The red fox slowly began to lead her towards the entrance into another room down the hallway, and the bunny hardly hesitated before pursuing him, her paw moving along the wall for support. Judy watched how he cleared the way and lingered at times for her to catch up, actions she silently appreciated as she kept her eyes on him though the bustling crowd.

"Hey, Nick?" Her voice penetrated the receding boom of electronic music.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for, y'know. Saving my fur back there and all." The bunny humbly mumbled as she kept with his steady pace. "This's like the second time, too. I guess… hah, I don't know what to say."

He paused in his stride for just a moment, looking over his shoulder at her with a hint of a smirk on his muzzle. "You could say, 'Gosh Nick, you were right about the whole reconsider going thing! How're you so wise and all-knowing?' Something along those lines."

The bunny sputtered a sarcastic laugh at his words and smiled amusingly at the impersonation of her voice. "Not a chance."

They broke out of the crowd into a more open space inside of the kitchen where Judy's eyes were spared from the dizzying pulse of the strobe light. Instead there seemed to be an actual source of persistent light that filled the room with a radiant glow.

The rabbit was filled with gratitude until she spotted its source: a fire that brought its surroundings into an astonishing golden hue. But there was just one thing off about it.

It was inside the house.

"Shouldn't we… put that out?" She half slurred, a look of concern dominating her features. But the smug fox beside her, his red fur glowing orange in the light of the fire, only grinned. She directed her attention to the flame again, noting how it kept the apartment complex from burning to a crisp since it was contained in a metal garbage can. Still so very risky, though.

A daring tiger wearing an Alpha sweater approached the bonfire trashcan and used it to light an astonishingly long joint, one that was made of a foot long roll of papers matching the length of one of Judy's arms. Taking a long draw of the joint, the tiger erupted in a fit of coughs before passing it to others in the room.

Across from him, a skunk held up a shish kebab of arranged meats and poked it into the fire, roasting the flesh as others around him watched almost longingly at the browning morsels.

The smell of weed and cooked chicken was not a pleasant combination to the bunny. Without thinking she almost considered making her leave, momentarily preferring the dangers of standing amongst a rampant dance mob and blood-hungry predators, but ultimately decided a little discomfort in watching the skunk eat meat still beat being hunted down herself.

"Yo asshole, that you?" Asked a deep, familiar voice from a small mammal dressed in Alpha Preda apparel; a short fennec fox with large ears to be in fact, strolling past the crowd to stand in front of his flat mate with his arms outstretched.

"Sure is, missed me?" Nick smirked down at his long-time friend and pounded both of his fists, enacting their usual salutation ritual. The exchange was kind of sweet, if Judy was honest with herself.

"I lost ya back in the alcove. You missed some funny stuff, man. Wolford did that bottle-balancing trick on his nose again…" Finnick glanced to the bunny standing directly left of his flat mate and he paused mid-sentence to acknowledge the surprise guest. "Oh wait, it's Booty-Bunny. Huh. Weird seein' you here." He asked, a jell-o shot held in a small paw. "Fang invited you?"

"Judy," she corrected him without much malice, offering a kind smile down at the intoxicated fox. "And no. Nick did."

"Oh?" Finnick referred to his pal with a cheeky grin. "What's that all about?"

"Classified information," Nick spoke nonchalantly.

"Uh-huh. That means you hustled him again. Or, he was probs plotting on having himself a bunny-kebab tonight." The tan fox chuckled amusingly up at her as the red fox frowned. "The name's Finnick by the way, mammals call me Fin. We sorta-kinda met at my flat last weekend. You likin' the party so far?"

Judy giggled to herself at the boisterous flat mate, very much enjoying this side of him than the grumpy side she had the displeasure of witnessing the day she returned Nick's sweater. "Nice to meet you Finnick. And uh, as far as liking the party goes… I think I do?"

It was a good question, one she wasn't quite sure how to answer. Although she did like the rush of adrenaline danger often gave her, there was a fine line where that rush turned to fear, a feeling she wasn't particularly fond of. And it was a feeling she perpetually felt throughout the night, at least when she wasn't giving herself optimistic pep talks and alcohol wasn't sliding down her throat to silence her fretting.

"You think you do? So ya like The Jungle better?" Finnick asked before downing the shot in his possession and balling the empty cup.

"They're different. Here I'm jus' trying to stay clear from, well, you know…" The rabbit gestured to two nearby flocks of preds, the predators from the ZU football and soccer teams to be exact, that were holding back two members who seemed to be prepared to claw each other's eyes out.

On the other end of the room a lion wearing a red bandana leaned back in a positon that made the bunny think a game of limbo had commenced. Little did she know, no such childish games were ever played at the frat house.

Instead, the lion pining for membership was tilted back and hovering over the burning trash because of a foolish dare, being cheered on by a rowdy group of drunk Alpha members. The lion willingly set the back of his mane on fire, bellowing a roar that made the rabbit cringe. He ran around the room with his head aflame, several alphas laughing hysterically at the sight of his panic, until a lioness swung open the bathroom door for the burning cat. He sped inside, dunking his head into the toilet and filling the small quarters with smoke smelling of burnt hair.

"Oh my god," Judy gasped. "I-Is he okay…?"

Finnick was one of the predators that shook from laughter at the ordeal.

"Whatta dumbass," Nick shrugged, as if completely desensitized from the harsh way the fraternity dealt with aspiring members. Was this supposed to be normal in here?

The lion appeared from the bathroom after a few moments with a weak smile, his arms up and paws making bullhorn signs as his drenched mane hung flat around his head. "Alpha Preda for life!" He roared, inciting the most in the room to howl and cheer. Judy was personally relieved that the feline was okay, and joined in on the cheer for that reason alone.

"Finnick, let me answer your question properly this time. This party… it's insane," She exhaled once the commotion simmered down. "I'm surprised the cops haven't busted this place yet for all the hazing. And there're predators practically mauling each other in the other room."

Fin's ears perked up at her ramble and he laughed. "Fights and pranks happen all the fuckin' time in here." He turned when someone poked his shoulder, and he graciously took the offered foot-long joint after he downed his shot and tossed the cup behind him. With eyes closed he dragged smoothly, smoke evading his nostrils as he expanded his chest and exhaled the majority through his mouth. "Surprised you haven't gotten bitten at yet, bunny."

"Ohhh, she has," Nick informed, sounding more displeased than whimsical. "Check out her neck."

The fennec fox stifled a cough as he scanned her, making the suddenly embarrassed rabbit try to quickly cover the wound with her paws.

"Ho-o-oly fuck!" Finnick's laugh was deep, almost yipping with content that was dangerously contagious. She couldn't help but breathe a small laugh with him, but Nick looked less than amused. "Damn. How the hell did that happen?"

"Some weird leopard recognized me, said he wanted to 'dance' with me because he was a fan or whatever." Judy rolled her eyes as she recalled it satirically.

Nick clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "And you said yes?"

Judy turned to face him, her lips parted in hesitated protest. "N-no. Well, kind of. But still."

The fennec fox took a few chest-filling drags before speaking again. "But on a more serious note. You should disinfect that thing."

Judy blinked. "Oh. Good idea." For some odd reason, disinfecting the wound hadn't even crossed her mind yet. She nodded in agreement, the responsible gears in her inebriated brain beginning to turn. "There wouldn't happen to be a… first aid kit on the premises by any chance?"

"Nooope." Fin coughed a bit, a wise-crack grin creeping along his muzzle. "We predators just lick our wounds. For the taste, of course." He immediately doubled over, shaking with a laugh he could hardly contain until he regained composure "Ha- no we don't, I'm just fuckin' with ya. But seriously. Fang doesn't have a med kit. Not sure if he even gets injured—he's the one that does the injuring, on account of all the duels over title of head Alpha he's won… which were a lot. Freaky times, man. Huh, I sure could use another beer. How about you guys?" When he glanced over, the two had disappeared from their previous positions, a late realization made by the rambling fennec fox. "Shiiit. I've been talking to my damn-self this whole time?"

.o0o.

"You mean, this is seriously the only thing you wanna use to disinfect it? There's a Wallabygreens like… five minutes away from here if we walk fast," Nick suggested as he watched the rabbit grab an unopened bottle of vodka and climb down from the cluttered kitchen island counter. She nearly lost her footing which intuitively made the fox try to catch her, but she made it down on her own, standing with the bottle in both paws and beaming confidently.

"No need Nick, this'll work fine. I'll jus' pour some right over it..." She assured him as she opened the bottle.

"Hold up fluff, use this." The fox snatched off a sheet of paper towel and handed it to her, a sheet she generously saturated with vodka, so much so that it leaked onto the floor between them. He winced when she applied the dampened towel against her neck, but in his rightful opinion she took it like a champ, cleaning the area as she bit down on her tongue before discarding the material in a nearby over-loaded trashcan.

"Phew. That… wasn't fun." She spoke her thoughts aloud, placing the transparent liquor bottle back on the counter with a hop, only for it to be swooped up by a tiger.

"That didn't even look remotely fun," the fox breathed a laugh. "Hard-core? Absolutely. Fun? Not at all."

"Hard-core, eh?" Judy gave a tipsy smirk. "Isn't that a compliment?"

He pouted at the smug expression on her face. "Actually it's a synonym for 'reckless' or 'really, really dumb.' Terms that suit you pretty well in my book."

She scowled, initiating a mild moment of tension that made the fox reconsider his taunt. If he was going to be stuck with her all night, he could at least try to make it a decent time.

Before she could give him a drunken lashing with her tongue, the fox began tying the tethered scrap of bandana over her fur to conceal the clean wound. The startled rabbit watched his quick handy-work with a tilted head, her animosity melting gradually as he winded the cloth around her shoulder and underarm twice before tying it off in a knot. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until her lungs audibly unleashed a heavy exhale.

"There," he tutted. "With that on you shouldn't be attracting anymore creeps. Which means you won't be served on a snack platter and I won't have to worry about playing bodyguard and kicking anyone else's ass for the night." Or, having my own ass handed to me, he amusingly added to himself.

Of course, Judy was touched by the unusual display of affection, but instead of caving into awkward sentimentalities she broke out with a smirk of her own. "I'm already stuck with a creep for the night," she mocked smoothly, rotating her shoulder to test the quality of his makeshift bandage.

"Oh-ho-ho, hold on a sec," the fox bellowed with a wide grin. "How am I the creep here?"

"Well for starters," her drawl was playful, but the tone she continued with was definitely abrasive. "You sent me an inappropriate note in class last week. Secondly, you took a peek under my skirt during our race at The Jungle. And you even took an interest in becoming my sex slave—any o'that ring a bell? Sounds awfully creepy to me." With one of her ears cocked and arms crossed, she shifted her weight and eyed him expectantly.

The fox mimicked her position, crossing his arms. "In my defense, for one: yes, you really do have a nice ass. At least my note was honest. Two: Your skirt ripped and I was behind you. Anyone in my position would've seen your panties. So cut me some slack. And three," a toothy grin conquered his muzzle. "That offer still stands."

His cheeky reply along with the funny wiggle of his eyebrows made Judy laugh, slightly flattered although she feigned annoyance well. "You know I'd reject the offer in a heartbeat." He didn't fall for it however, seeing upward curl at the end of her lips, a sight that strangely warmed his chest.

The two were then confronted by another tray-toting tigress offering an array of more shots, a new batch of malleable cups filled with red sugary gelatin and heady alcohol.

Nick took up a red shot without hesitation. The bunny, however, shook her head sluggishly. "Pass."

The two constantly-bantering pair were then aware of the mild air of awkward silence between them, one that could potentially haunt them throughout the night. Although their malicious spite had died down a few notches within the last few days, a nameless discomfort now took its place.

Let's see. What was there to talk about?

"So…" The fox swished his tail as his eyes traveled up her ears and towards the ceiling. "What d'ya think of your fake?" Nick slurred the question like he was fishing for conversation, one of his ears drooping as he looked over her frame. She was too distracted to notice his stare, her dilated pupils focusing on the dancing gleam over the surface of his jell-o shot, the way it trembled in the cup he held in response to the commotion in the house.

Once she acknowledged his question, Judy glanced up from the shot in his paw and scowled softly. "You mean the ID you helped me get? Well, it's obviously fake."

At the sound of the sass in her tone he barked a laugh, suddenly becoming more invested in the small talk he initiated. "Oh? And why's that? Flash did try his darnedest. Hmm, I wonder. Do farm bunnies actually speak like that?"

"We don't." She muttered dishonestly, not wanting to get into the countryside lingo he'd definitely tease her about for the rest of the night. "But the card's obviously fake because… well," The rabbit flipped out her wallet a bit recklessly, nearly dropping it between clumsy paws before she caught it in mid-air, and finally flashed the fake identification card backwards towards the fox. "See?"

He took the card from her, flipped it over, and scrutinized it before exhaling tipsily. Judy surveyed the fox as he analyzed her card, his fur glowing gold by the fire light as he stood there over her, white collar standing high around his neck and framing his scruff in a way that made her slightly mesmerized.

"Looks like the right nerd to me." He affirmed mockingly.

"Nooo," she grunted after his comment snapped her out of her trance. "Not the picture, dumb fox. It's the fact that…the font's smudged… and the—"

"Layout is outdated," he finished, his brow arched. "So what? Not like it's going to mean a thing. You'll still get into the bars. Like I promised."

"Well I better, after this thing cost-me-ah whole two hundred zoobucks," she grumbled drowsily at the thought. She was so dazed then from the mixture of copious amounts of alcohol, she didn't realize the small frown he failed to hide.

The stolen money was something he intended to return. If only he hadn't left it at the flat with the assumption she wouldn't show up. "Hey. Don't worry fluff, it'll all work out. I haven't forgotten our little deal, that card'll get you into the bars for sure."

Judy extended her paw towards him, a signal for the fox to return the card to its rightful owner. "Huh. We'll see."

The fox finally lifted up his shot, his skillful tongue delving into the small cup and scooping the red jelly into his maw with a noisy slurp. He caught her staring as he did, licking his lips as she suddenly averted her eyes.

It was then that the fox played the oldest paw-trick in the book: while she was distracted, he tucked her ID into his jacket pocket and handed her some random business card instead. A card swap. With a Goat-to-Guys plumbing service card, to be exact.

"Like what you see?" He taunted her sweetly, tossing the malleable shot cup aside and taking up two cans from a nearby tray.

The doe groaned awkwardly and turned away from him, stuffing the incorrect card blindly into her wallet. "Not even a little. Someone seems to forget I'm still pretty upset about that fake ID run… I know you made me take the stairs and let it take forever on purpose," she slurred quietly.

"Says the certain someone who's been bargaining her way into parties by trying to expel me and steal my sweater," he nearly sang, before he dangled one of his cans over her shoulder, making her hesitate before turning on her heels with a wobble to properly inspect it.

A can of seltzer water.

Judy mulled over his words before she shook her head. "Lame peace offer."

"Not a peace offer." Nick assured. "I just want to share a sobering drink with the bunny I made popular, is all," he quipped in good spirits as he retracted his offer. In reality, even the fox knew when it was time for them to start sobering up, with the way they jumbled their words and swayed in place. "Ever shot-gunned a can before?"

She looked at him curiously, slowly shaking her head.

"Allow me to demonstrate," he hummed, stuffing one of the cans in his pockets.

With a sharp claw, he punctured a hole on the side of the second can and eyed the bunny as he snapped its tab open. He then held the hole near the end of his muzzle and guzzled the drink that shot out. Easily, he tilted his head back and drank the sparkling water out of the puncture greedily.

She had watched his demonstration, observant of how the water dripped down his chin until he managed to down it all without a fuss, a somewhat spellbinding sight if she was painfully honest. He wiped his muzzle with the sleeve of his jacket and crushed the can, sending it flying somewhere in the room.

Her eyes followed the projectile until it fell into the crowd. Well then.

"Your turn," the fox hummed, offering a newly punctured can carefully towards the bunny. "Let's see if you can finish it faster than I did?"

The bunny smiled deviously. "Just watch and learn."

Judy adored challenges almost as much as she adored trying something new; fortunately enough, this was both of those things. She directed her undivided attention to the can and took a deep breath before bringing the large puncture to her mouth, her lips eclipsing the opening. It almost seemed like he tore a larger hole in her can, perhaps purposely so, but she disregarded that inference.

Maintaining eye contact with the prankster, she snapped the tab open and prepared for the sudden gush of ice cold bubbling water. She nearly choked trying to manage its demanding current, swallowing fast as it flooded her mouth. This 'shot-gunning' technique was different—an odd way to drink out of a can in the bunny's personal opinion, but regardless the seltzer water did wonders to dilute the troubling contents in her stomach.

The fox's stare followed the tantalizing drip of sparkling water down the side of her muzzle. She ignored the trickling sensation down her muzzle, feeding on the can fervently and simultaneously breathing through pink nostrils. It took thirty seconds tops before the can ran empty, beating Nick's minute-and-a-half lap by a landslide.

Victoriously she held up the empty can and smirked at the dumbfounded fox.

His jaw dropped. Well, that's an interesting little talent.

"Boom," she slurred confidently at him, rocking on her feet a bit as giggled.

"Big deal, so you're fast," he snorted playfully, flicking the can from her paw with a finger and sending it to the floor.

Judy gasped in a mock-offense. "You are such a sore los—" she was interrupted by her own unannounced sound, a loud burp to be exact, which was the result of her fast consumption of the canned fizzy drink. The brutal noise that drifted from her made her cup her mouth in blatant embarrassment, her face heating up instantly. Whoops.

Her burp caused the fox's eyes to widen before bursting into a sudden fit of laughter. His amusement stemmed from a sole question: how could a sound like that come from a cute little bunny? Nick's laughs were so sweet-sounding and contagious they even rivaled Finnick's, and so the rabbit couldn't help but drop her paws and giggle along with him.

In that temporary moment between them it seemed like all the animosity that existed when they were sober had disappeared. Oddly enough, it felt like they had known each other for years during that shared heartfelt laugh, no sarcasm or awkwardness capable of tainting it.

Even when she thought she regained composure, all it took was a single snort from him to reduce her to a two-feet tall pile of childish giggles.

"Okay… okay I'm done…" Nick breathlessly heaved, wiping at one of his eyes.

"Hah, oh my gosh, excuse me," Judy panted with a bashful smile, holding her sides. One can of seltzer water was already slowly sobering her up, much to her relief, even if it had some embarrassingly gaseous side effects. "Can't promise it'll be my outrageous last burp though. Might shot-gun s'more down before I head back to campus."

"Good idea." Nick agreed once he recovered from his chuckling. "So uh… wanna do two outta three?"

Within the next few minutes they took up a few more claw-punctured seltzer cans, held several shot-gun races (all in which Judy won, of course), and even commented on the quality of their burps.

"How was that?"

"Hmm, that one was a solid six out of ten. Needed a little more base. Nice crescendo though."

"Alright, ready? Aaaand… go!"

"Fuck wait, I wasn't ready!"

Nick was winded when he broke contact from the puncture, unable to finish his third can as he looked down at a smirking bunny showcasing the already-empty one in her paws. "Holy shit, isn't that breathing trick of yours considered cheating? I call four out of six. Rematch."

"You'd just lose again," she hummed tauntingly, small paws on tilted hips.

The two tipsy mammals were smirking at each other for a moment before the bunny broke eye contact, averting her eyes after realizing how entirely strange it was for them to do anything more than just simply tolerate one another. Or rather, how strange it should've been. "Anyway. It's uh, getting kind of late."

"Boo. Leaving already?" Nick leaned back against the kitchen island, his tail swishing pleasantly behind him.

"Since I'm sobering up a little and managed to survive this madhouse so far unharmed, I'd say it's probably time to head on out." Judy shrugged indecisively. "I think I got my fair share of the frat house. I completed that ridiculous funnel challenge, downed some jell-o shots, witnessed some fights…" She counted the happenings with her fingers while he smirked and nodded at each mention. "Oh, and let us not forget my almost getting eaten alive and all. That was the highlight." She breathed a small laugh.

"If I recall correctly, you were almost eaten twice," Nick jokingly amended.

"Ha, true. But despite the odds… I had a good time tonight." She peered up at him warmly, an expression that was entirely new to the fox until this point. His smirk faltered slightly at the very sight. "By the way, now that I can properly English," she started amusingly, "I really want to thank you in person for walking me home that other night. And fending off those creeps from earlier. You saved me."

Nick's eyes widened at the genuine gratitude coming from the bunny he was usually at odds with, suddenly unsure of how to respond. Gratitude like that didn't come his way very often. "Oh, that? Psshh." He swatted the air with his paw. "It's no big deal, really," he murmured as he nonchalantly crossed his ankles, his elbows on the counter behind him.

Judy shook her head. "Well I think it's a very big deal." And truly, she meant it. Who knew the guy I considered a bully had the capacity to be selfless? And actually… not completely terrible to spend time with? "Look, I know we're strangers. And yeah, we don't get along all too swell. But… I think I can confidently say you're not the snarky fox you make yourself out to be."

Deep emerald eyes watched her for a moment in baffled disbelief. Speechless.

While he did have the capacity to be cruel, even he knew there was limit to it. Nick didn't usually dwell on his tendencies to assist mammals that desperately needed help, but tonight he reevaluated that trait he first considered as weakness to be something more of a gift.

There was another moment of silence as the two watched the dying flame in the kitchen trash can, which gradually darkened the room into a dim amber glow. The silence between them was surprisingly more comfortable than the last, and was broken once the grey rabbit returned her eyes to the fox to speak.

"Alright, have a good night. No need to walk me out, I'm quick on my feet. And this bandage you made me should keep me from being a target." Judy confidently assured as she started towards the kitchen exit.

"Hold up Carrots," Nick chirped, making Judy pause in her tracks to look back at him. "I think you're forgetting something?" The fox then flashed a mischievous grin that inspired an inquisitive look from the rabbit.

Slowly, he withdrew the fake ID from his jacket pocket and presented it to her.

The bunny was confused for a moment before her mouth when agape at the object he held.

How in the world…

"Whoa. But… I could've sworn you gave that back to me." She looked into her wallet, spotting the bait card he gave her instead and gasped in good-humor at the sight of it. The bunny cracked a surprised grin up at him, clearly impressed at his paw-trick. "Hah. Very funny, Slick Nick."

Nick shrugged coolly, twirling the card between skillful fingers. "It's an old trick. Nothing special, really."

Judy laughed as she read the print on business card aloud. "Goat-to-Guys plumbing service, 'We've got the best pipes in town'…? Ha, what even? Why?" She looked up at him with a confused smile.

He chuckled low, quite appreciative of his own sense of cheesy humor. "Figured the pipes over at Hornstein Hall might need some expecting after those sprinklers mysteriously went off two weeks ago."

She smiled sarcastically, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "That's real kind of you. A fireless activation of the sprinkler system definitely raises a red flag," she teased, "but I won't need this card since I think I have a hunch on what caused it. Or, more accurately, who caused it."

Before Nick could respond, Judy quickly closed the space between them, rising onto her tippy toes in an attempt to snatch her card away from him. He certainly didn't expect her next move, and she certainly wasn't about to let her first wrestling lesson go to waste. But he held the card higher, grinning down at the semi-tipsy rabbit that pressed herself against him.

"Whoa, a little, hah, eager there," he breathed a laugh at how she struggled to reach and tugged on his jacket to gain leverage. She even started to hop up in place to grab it but he held it higher with a toothy grin. "Y'know, I was just gonna, ack, give it back and show you the trick. But now," he turned around so his back faced her, yet she relentlessly tried to get a hold onto his jacket sleeve, "you've ambushed me… so now you've gotta try harder for it, fluff butt."

Then the tipsy rabbit blinked at the sudden loss of proximity from him, almost tripping over her own feet once he managed to slip away.

On quick feet he snuck off into the strobe light room and she sped after him, the two laughing and stumbling past the crowd until they collided in the pulsing darkness.

"Got you!" Finally she caught him, grabbing his arm breathlessly and he relented with a playful sigh of surrender. "Now, give."

As he yielded, he stood there frozen in the midst of the moshing chaos around them, his eyes fixated on her gloriously goofy smile.

In the darkness something hot, blissfully hot, smoothed over her lips causing the rabbit to thoughtlessly respond by softly parting them. The second pass of his tongue skimmed over her lower lip, then her tongue which willingly extended to meet his, her front teeth, and higher still, rolling over her pink snout and withdrawing in an upward curl.

The taste and smell of sugary alcohol was suddenly acknowledged by the dazed rabbit with the suddenly wet nose. In a daze, she ran her own curious tongue over the front pair of teeth he licked.

It took five whole seconds for them both to realize what just transpired between them in the supposed rush of the moment.

.o0o.

"…Uhh," he nervously exhaled, his eyes fluttering.

Judy wore a ridiculous expression before she realized just who just initiated the unwarranted tongue-slip with her. Weakly she shoved him back, despite the sincere delight she felt from the exchange, the force behind her shove barely affecting his stance.

"W-what was that?" She asked incredulously, her heart racing furiously behind her ribcage. Just what the hell was that?

And why did I kind of like it?

Nick wondered similarly, mulling over the reason behind his strange action.

The taste on her lips lingered on his tongue. Maybe it was the scent on her that got him going. That's it, the lick was just me giving into some weird fucking primal urge to taste her. That has to be it. God, that's embarrassing.

After a long moment of contemplation and dilated violet eyes waiting for an explanation, he responded. "I-I dunno." He murmured in a monotone grunt. "Look, I'm shitfaced. Plus your raw hickie isn't doing me any favors."

Judy gasped as she cupped the raw spot on her neck, hiding it from him. "Oh…"

Nick watched her nose quiver in what he assumed was fear. "Chill out. It's not like I'm gonna eat you."

No, he never wanted to snack on her like that disturbed leopard did from earlier that night. This physical exchange was different. Tender instead of aggressive, soothing instead of painful. It wasn't inspired by the mere thought of her taste or her smell, no. His licking her wasn't a mindless act out of ancient instinct. Not in the slightest.

Just then the fox realized— it was a silly action inspired by an even sillier sentimentality.

An unannounced emotional weight suddenly crushed him. Nick would rather believe it was the weed smoke and alcohol in his system that made him want to taste her, or the blood in her fur that riled some ancient nature in him. Those were the only reasons he wanted to buy into, for the sake of not complicating his life with any implication of romance.

"How about…" he spoke without his usual semblance of calmness, offering the fake ID back to her without teasing this time. "We just… pretend that never happened?"

Judy nodded slowly once she noticed the abundance of awkward tension between them as well as the apologetic expression on his face. "…Nick." She extended her free paw out towards him to accept his offer. "Whatever just happened..." Nick let the card fall out of his grip and watched it land directly onto her paw, probably to prevent any unnecessarily contact with her. "…don't worry about it. It's- it's okay."

Then when the strobe light blinked, he was gone.

.o0o.

It was rather unfortunate, that when the night was starting to look up for the fox, he managed to soil it with just one mindless move.

But it was even more unfortunate, that the said mindless move was seen by a particular mammal reclined against a nearby wall in the very strobe room it transpired in.

That mammal went by the name of Duke Weaselton.

At the sight of Nick Wilde dodging his way through the crowd he typically reacted how he usually did when the red fox entered his sights: he rolled his eyes. Or grumbled beneath his breath. This time, it was both, the beer can in his paw even crackled with how tensely he held it.

He normally disliked Nick for the same reason that most other lower ranks had grown to dislike him; he had become particularly popular at an astounding rate and started to demand low ranks around just like the other high-ranking Alphas did. But in his ascension to ZU fame, his requests were less merciful than those made by the other high ranks.

Nick's influence over the frat, or the university in general, was beginning to rival even Fang's authority.

Although Weaselton would have rather stared at the two sorority girls making out sloppily in a corner of the room, he had his eyes peeled on the fox when he realized that a familiar little bunny had chased after him. What the hell was she even doin' here?

Duke sipped silently from his crinkled can as he observed the two collide into one another amidst the dancers.

The strobe light made his spying particularly tricky. His eyes were excellent for seeing in the dark, but the constant flash of the bright light directly behind him made it difficult for his skillful eyes to properly adjust.

So when he saw that the fox and bunny were muzzle to muzzle through the squint of his eyes, of course, he choked on his beer and hacked into his elbow. Drunkenly, he jerked his head upwards again, catching the return of the fox's tongue into his maw before the two shared a brief exchange of goofy smiles.

"Holy shit…"

The weasel stood behind a nearby lion, peering from beyond his mane so as not to get caught watching the two. He scandalously grinned when the bunny tried to shove the fox, watching as they spoke rigidly and their previous frivolous demeanor shifted to discomfort or frustration. After he passed the rabbit something that Duke couldn't quite make out, the fox dipped.

Nick hastily pushed through the crowd towards the frat house exit like he was trying to beat a runner's marathon.

Immediately, Weaselton dropped his half-full can of beer and sped through the dancers in the opposite direction, shoving past inebriated predators and circling around the blazing trashcan in the kitchen. He was headed towards the alcove, where the head Alpha was bound to be relaxing since he was nowhere else to be seen.

Separating the beaded curtain, Duke ducked into the alcove and breathlessly approached the hyena at the end of the water bed. "Heya, boss! I got some news yer not gonna fuckin' believe…"

But it was obviously a bad time, judging by the way a wolf had been grooming the hair down the head Alpha's chest with her tongue, her paws on the belt buckle of his jeans.

"Not now, Weeze. I'm kinda busy here if you couldn't see." The hyena didn't even break eye contact with the silver wolf that crouched on all fours atop of the waterbed in front of him. He growled seductively as his frayed tail wagged close to the floor. "It can wait. So scram."

"But boss… It's about… Wilde." Duke murmured hesitantly. "And that Hornstein bunny."

The hyena said nothing although his ears perked up at the mention of Nick's last name, the wolf entertaining him moving to sit upright to nip at his neck.

Weaselton continued, shaking his head with a wicked smile. "I… I saw them, boss. They kissed. He kissed that bunny, and I saw it with my own two eyes."

A high-rank Alpha, kissing an unwanted prey guest at a predator-pride house.

The hyena's head snapped up and away from the darling wolf, inciting a sad moan in her. After a few seconds of pensive silence, he stepped away from the bed. "This'll have to wait, love." Fang gave her cheek a stroke with a clawed thumb before turning around and buckling his belt. He now addressed the weasel standing in front of him. With eyes dark and grin curious, he brought a paw to Duke's shoulder and gave it a hard pat. "Tell me exactly what you saw."


A/N:

Clumsy fox.

I really wanted to title this chapter "Slip of the Tongue" because that idiom works so nicely with what happens (and also happens to mean "a blunder" or mistake) buuut I was afraid it'd be too obvious! Hahah.

Writing this chapter honestly gave me butterflies.

The song that was on repeat for a majority of me writing this was "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby," by Cigarettes After Sex.

This chapter is so diabolically long, as most "party" chapters will be, because they just don't feel complete if they're short. Hopefully it can be cherished since I most likely will not publish the following week. Anywho, tell me what you thought! Comments/reviews are love!