Nick entered The Vulpines and breathed in the musty air, "Ahhh smells just like before." He hadn't been in this bar for the past three years. Nick and Finnick had a long history with this bar. It used to be one of their favorite places to stop by when they wanted a drink. It was notable for being a bar by foxes and for foxes. One of the few safe places for foxes in Zootopia.
When Nick started dating Judy, he hadn't found much reason to come back here. He would make up excuses, like it was too far or Judy wouldn't like this kind of bar. Once entering though, he realized that the main reason he never came back was because he was frightened that he would run into Finnick. He felt his ears droop down a little, ashamed of his fear.
He scanned around the bar, looking for Finnick. He found the bar was mostly empty except for a few stragglers who had nowhere else to go, none of them being Finnick.
Nick felt devastated, this place was his last hope. Now he was unsure how he was ever going to find Finnick. He felt the cold, sharp pain spread throughout his body, telling him to give up and how shitty of a friend he was. He quickly gave into the idea that this was for the best, that he was never meant to find Finnick. He would have to learn how to live with this guilt forever.
Nick checked his phone for the time, it was only 12:40 pm.
Judy should be home by 6 pm, so that gives me just about 4 hours to drink my sorrows away. Better get started now, wouldn't want to keep my liver waiting.
He sighed and slumped his way to a barstool and placed his head down on the barstand, waiting for a bartender to assist him.
"Well, look who it is, it's the famous Nick Wilde, first fox cop."
Nick peeked up and saw a white arctic fox standing tall right in front of him.
"Wakey, wakey Mr. Cop."
"Oh hey Skye, a shot of whiskey please. And keep them coming."
She smirked at him before she bent down to get a bottle of whiskey.
Skye placed the shotglass in front of Nick's head and poured some whiskey for him. He downed the shot and placed his head down on the barstand again.
"So Nick, I haven't seen you for a few years, and now you're here at...," she glances at the clock, "12:42 in the afternoon?"
"What are you trying to say?" Nick asked.
She chuckled, "Oh you know, just making observations."
"Shouldn't you be helping other customers?" Nick said in an annoyed tone.
"Meh, most of them are probably passed out."
"Shouldn't you be worried?"
She shrugged, "I don't know, I'm not a doctor. Anyways, shouldn't you be saving the city from heinous crimes like speeding or parking at a red lane?"
"I got some time off," Nick said curtly.
She teased, "And you're spending it here?"
"What's it to ya? Shouldn't you be happy about another customer?"
"I am...but not because of that. But because I get to see a friend I haven't seen in awhile."
Skye poured another shot for him, and looked at him with a smirk on her face.
Nick rolled his eyes, "Oh no, is this another guilt trip thing you're doing?"
"I'm surprised you haven't downed that shot I poured for ya."
His eyebrows furrowed, annoyed that Skye ignored his question. Alas, he couldn't turn down a blatant offer for alcohol, so he quickly downed the second shot. He then laid his head down once again, hoping she'll take the hint. He just wanted to be left alone so he could sulk and mellow in his own failure and guilt. She did not.
Skye furrowed her eyebrows, trying to come up with her next plan of questioning. A smart and crafty vixen, it didn't take long for her to come up with an idea. Her eyebrows relaxed and a smile appeared on her muzzle.
Skye tapped Nick's head several times, "Hey!"
"What? Did you pour me another shot?" Nick grumbled.
"So how's Finnick doing?"
He raised his head and shrugged, "How the fuck should I know? I'm not his babysitter."
"You played his babysitter sometimes."
He briefly reminisced those memories and smiled for the first time in this bar today, "Heh, those were good times."
Skye leaned down, her arms crossed on top of the barstand, "You guys used to tell me about your cons all the time. You two made good partners."
"We did, but...we both moved on."
Skye poured another shot for Nick and handed it to him, "What happened?"
Nick downed the shot. That third shot let him feel a bit more loose, the walls he built up around him started to break down.
"I abandoned him. I abandoned him for Judy."
She let out a quiet gasp. Her smirk disappeared as her mouth gaped open slightly.
"Oh…shit," she quietly said.
"Yeah, I know, it's bad. I'm a bad mammal."
A worried look appeared on her face, "Nick…don't say that about yourself."
Nick started to raise his voice, "Why shouldn't I? Why fucking shouldn't I?"
Skye stayed silent. Nick took it as a cue to continue his rant.
"What else am I supposed to think? I constantly have this guilt inside me that's eating me alive. I can't stop thinking about how Finnick was a fucking saint to me while I'm a fucking asshole who used him for my own gain. I used him in order to make sure our scams worked out. Then when I found something better with Judy, I left him. I fucking left him. No wait, no, I fucking abandoned him."
Nick sighed, "God I'm such a shithead." He shook his head slightly in disappointment of himself.
Throughout his whole rant, Skye listened intently, hanging onto to every word and observing his every facial expression and body language.
After she was sure he was done, she asked, "So, what are you going to do about it?"
"Well I was going to find him and well...basically apologize, but I couldn't find him. It's for the best though. He wouldn't want to see me. I don't deserve to see him either. I give up, I can...I can live with the guilt.
Skye said, "What if...I told you that with a phone call," she pointed at Nick like a gun, "I can find Finnick for you?"
He tilted his head to the left, looking at her incredulously. He wondered how could a bartender find someone with just one phone call. His first instinct was that it was a cruel joke, but that wouldn't be Skye. Whenever Skye offered Finnick or him something in the past, a very rare occasion, they knew she would follow through with it. So yes, even though, it was difficult to believe, he knew he could trust her to find Finnick.
When he was about to ask her to tell him more, he felt his heart freezing under that same cold, sharp pain. He felt voices bombarding him telling him he was worthless, he was full of guilt, and that he was disgusting. They used the memories of Finnick he thought of today to convince him he was undeserving to see FInnick. He was a failure at finding two twin-sized mattress, he forced Finnick to wear the elephant onesie, and he failed to have Finnick's back. He felt this pain transform into a darkness that started spreading throughout his body.
It's time...to give myself into the guilt.
He then heard another voice.
No! I won't give up!
He felt the burning sensation in his heart, but it didn't hurt this time. Instead, it was a welcome comfort that radiated throughout his whole body. He began to realize how familiar it felt, it felt like all the times he was around Finnick. And like that his desire and determination came back.
"Nick? I don't got all day to wait around for you." She took a quick scan around the bar. "Well actually I kinda do, but that's besides the point."
He smiled, "Then I would say, go do your thing."
Skye smirked, "Okay, hold on."
She grabbed her phone and started tapping the buttons to get to her contact.
Before she pushed the final button, she said, "Before I call him, I just want to say, you're not a bad fox. You're just flawed, but who isn't? We've all made mistakes, but what truly makes a mammal good, is someone who tries to fix their mistakes and make the world better. I think that's what you're doing."
She gave him a warm smile and pushed the button to call her contact.
Nick smiled and said, "Tha-"
She held her finger up, "A-buh-buh! I'm on the phone Nick!"
Nick kept his mouth shut and listened to her phone conversation.
"Hey sweetie? I need you to do me a favor."
She seemed to have an impatient look on her face as her foot started tapping on the ground. Nick guessed the mammal on the other side was being hesitant, and she was not used to that.
Skye said with more authority, "It's really really important you do this for me."
She rolled her eyes and smirked at Nick. Nick snickered. From her confidence, Nick knew that mammal was gonna be worn down by her. And soon enough, he was.
"Oh yay! Thanks! You're the best Jack!"
"Okay so I need you to find Finnick Fang for me!
She flashed Nick a reassuring smile. Nick smiled back, feeling a sense of relief and excitement.
I'll tell you later what it's for! Can you just please do it now?
He's there? Oh what the fuck? Okay whatever, thank you! I'll talk to you soon! Bye!
Skye hung up the phone, wrote down the address on a piece of receipt paper and handed it to Nick.
Nick looked at the address and his eyes widened.
He looked up at Skye and said, "Are you absolutely sure?"
Skye got close to him and whispered, "Just one of the perks of dating a ZIA agent."
She then stood straight back up, crossed her arms and said, "Isn't it time for you to head out?"
With urgency, Nick got a Zuuber and headed straight towards the train station. He wanted to make sure that he got on the next train to Zootropolis, so the whole time, he yelled at the bobcat driver to hurry to the train station. After a record time of ten minutes and one very angry bobcat, Nick rushed to buy a ticket, with only minutes to go before his train arrived.
He was on the Zuuber app to give the driver a very generous tip and rating when Judy popped up on his screen with a text.
"Hey! How did it go with Finnick?"
Oh shit, I forgot to tell Judy where I was heading. She's probably not going to like this.
"Ugh turns out Finnick is at Zootropolis. I gotta take a looooooooooooooong train ride there. Probably will have to spend the night there too now that I think about it. Hope that's okay with you."
Nick awaited her response nervously, twitching his fingers.
"Oh, that's a hassle. Sucks you won't be home tonight, but that also means I get the whole bed to myself! So have fun at Zootropolis for me!
Nick let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks Carrots, you the best."
"No worries slick, I know this is important to you. I trust that you'll make the right decisions."
The train sounded out its large horn sound, indicating it was here. Nick stepped in through the train door.
Yeah, I hope so too.
Nick stood outside the ice cream shop. It was late into the evening, the shop was in the midst of closing. He studied the ice cream shop closely, inspecting every detail about it. There was only one thing he could conclude, it was perfect.
He saw the creativity and brilliance behind the shop. It was situated near a college campus, whose students of course needs their fix of ice cream no matter what time of day. In fact, there was still a decent stream of young mammals entering the shop. The shop was in a small brick building with a large display window and a bright red and white tarp above the window. It was sure to attract children with its bright colors and older customers nostalgic for the classic ice cream shop during the day. The logo, however, was what impressed Nick the most. It featured a very adorably drawn fennec fox sucking on red pawpsicle, with the words Finicky Treats underneath.
Finnick has really outdone himself. He created the perfect ice cream shop. And he has really...he really overcame his past and learned how to use his cuteness to sell his brand. It's...it's amazing.
Done inspecting the shop, he was about to enter shop when he had a thought.
Did I...was I the one holding him back from all this?
Feeling the warmth in his heart, he remained steadfast towards his goal.
Well, the least I can do for him is to not hold myself back then.
Nick took a deep breath and walked into the ice cream store. He could see a small line of college students, either taking a break from their studies, having just smoked a joint, or both. At the very front was a glass display of all the different ice cream they had along with other pastries. To his right, he saw a poster on the wall that showed that the red pawpsicle was one of their bestsellers. Nick put his paws on his hips and smiled.
It was a bestseller back in Zootopia too.
He turned around and there he was. Finnick, at the cash register. A genuine smile on his face as he's talking to a customer while getting her change.
Wow, he actually looks really happy here.
Right then, he was brought back to one more memory.
1.5 YEARS AGO (ONE DAY BEFORE THEY MET JUDY)
Nick was sitting on their bed trying to plan out their pawpsicle scam. He checked his phone for the time; it was 3:02 am. He mentally groaned. It never took him that long to come up with a plan. It was just this one missing puzzle piece that was holding him back from saying this plan is a guaranteed success.
He took a glance at Finnick, who was just lazily lying down by him and staring at the roof. Nick felt bad, he was keeping Finnick up trying to come up with this plan.
He was almost ready to give up, and complained, "This scam with the pawpsicle and you wanting to be an elephant is almost there, a nearly perfect scam! It's just... missing one thing," Nick said. Nick rubbed his chin, trying to keep up the impression that he was still dedicated to figuring this out.
"What is it missing?" Finnick asked.
"I just don't know where we're going to get enough juice to make a shit ton of pawpsicles at a cheap price."
"Why don't we just go to an elephant ice cream bar? We can just buy one of their giant jumbo pops or get someone to buy it for us. Then that's more than enough to make a shit ton of pawpsicles and profit."
Nick faced Finnick, his muzzle agape, "Finnick...you're a fucking genius. I now declare our plan, perfect. All thanks to you Finnick."
Finnick looked away, secretly blushing, "Ahhh shut up, don't patronize me."
Nick smiled, entertained by how embarrassed Finnick would get from praise sometimes. It was one of the things he liked about Finnick. He realized that he actually liked many things about Finnick. With that realization, a vision, a vision of his future with Finnick enveloped him. He saw himself spending late nights with Finnick, laughing and joking around as they plan their next scheme or watch a bad movie together. He saw himself waking up in the mornings right next to Finnick, and kissing him in the head to be his alarm clock. He lastly saw himself lying down on his back, with Finnick right on top, stroking his cheek and laying a kiss on his muzzle.
Nick let out a quiet gasp, realizing his true feelings for Finnick. All the blushing, the sweaty palms, the warmth in his heart. It all meant one thing. He loved Finnick. He always did. He was just too dumb to realize it until….until now.
Overwhelmed with passion, Nick felt like he had to tell Finnick right away.
Nick rested his left paw on Finnick's shoulder, making him turn around surprise.
He gave Finnick a genuine smile and said, "You know, I don't know if I say this enough, but I'm really glad that you're my partner in crime. Let's face it, we're both in a really shitty situation and we both had a pretty shitty past. But you know what? It's okay because I got you. I know with you by my side, nothing can stop us. And that's more than a fox could ever ask for."
Nick suddenly felt shy, and looked down to the ground. The next part of this impromptu speech, a confession of his love, felt much harder to spit out.
Is it worth it? This could change our friendship forever.
He thought about it, there always had been those moments between the two of them, where there was a bit of awkward tension between them. He never knew why it happened so often, but now looking back, he could see that possibly, that perhaps, Finnick saw him as more than just a friend.
Finnick has the same feelings as me, he must. That explains all those moments we had with each other. I should tell him. I need to tell him. I have to tell him!
Right when he was about to speak, Finnick said, "Wow Nick... thanks. Hey I wanted to tell you something too."
Nick looked up, hopeful it was Finnick confessing his love, "Yeah?"
He felt his heart beating rapidly and his paws sweating.
Finnick lightly punched Nick in the arm, "Just wanted to say that was a pretty cheesy speech you had there.
Nick felt his heart deflate.
Nope, it was nothing. It's never been anything. God I was so dumb to believe...there was something more between us.
Nick smirked, "Heh, shut up dude."
Finnick gave him a smirk back.
PRESENT
I love Finnick.
His eyes widened and his muzzle opened slightly as his heart spoke the truth.
I still do…
His heart has always declared it. It was just blocked out by other voices, but this day has shown him the light. He finally, at last, sees the light. That he was absolutely, positively in love with Finnick.
Right then, Finnick finished talking to the customer, and turned towards Nick's direction. Nick saw the look of disbelief on Finnick as he flinched from the sight of Nick. Finnick rubbed his eyes and took another look at Nick, this time, a look of absolute shock.
"Nick?" Finnick said.