This one's short oops. But I've actually got the next few chapters plotted out so things should be getting good!
Benny drove. As a courtesy to Bad Cop, he'd grabbed the aviators off the bureau in the bedroom before assisting Unikitty in dragging Good Cop down to the parking garage. Unikitty was very strong for their size, and did most of the heavy lifting. Benny mainly ended up just opening doors for them, explaining what Bad Cop had told him along the way. They wrestled Good Cop into the back seat, and Benny began the drive to the station, Unikitty riding shotgun.
After a few moments of cruising in silence, Benny said, "I'm sorry about beating on your bro, dude."
It wasn't like we had a lot of options, Bad Cop replied.
Benny made a dissatisfied sound and went quiet again.
Unikitty spoke suddenly. "Benny," they said. "What actually happened in the cops' mindspace?"
Benny's grip tightened on the wheel. "I kinda freaked," he replied. "Accidentally brought some of my own issues along." He glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, and was surprised to see they actually looked guilty.
"I shouldn't have let you go alone," Unikitty said miserably. "I'm so sorry, Benny."
"Please don't be," Benny said, putting a hand on their head. "It's not your fault."
But Unikitty's ears drooped, and their shoulders slumped. They sniffled.
"Oh no, don't cry," Benny said desperately, petting their pink hair as it began to fade to a drab grey. "It's gonna work out, yeah?" And idea struck him. "Hey, you know what? I know Jenkins always keeps a stash of candy in her desk. I'm sure she'll let you have some when we get to the station!"
Unikitty brightened up at that. "Really?" they exclaimed, shooting off a couple of stars. Benny ducked a little to avoid being hit by one.
"Really," he said with relief.
Well, they're easy to appease, Bad Cop said dryly.
Benny opted not to reply.
Jenkins sat at her desk, chin propped up on her hand, trying not to fall asleep. There were only a few other officers here – this late at night, the precinct was practically a ghost town. She covered her mouth as she yawned. There was a report on the desk in front of her, but every time she tried to read it, the words started blurring together. Since Bad Cop had been hospitalized, she'd been covering for him, which meant she'd been here since… eight in the morning? What time was it now?
She glanced at her watch and groaned when she saw it was pushing midnight. Her mind kept wandering back to when she'd called Benny. The deputy had sounded… odd. She tapped her pen idly on the desk and considered, not for the first time, going over to Bad Cop's apartment and checking in.
The station doors slammed open, and she was startled out of her reverie. It was Benny, Bad Cop, and a weird unicorn… cat… person.
Jenkins hurried out from behind her desk, tripping over a trashcan as she went. The uni-cat-person was practically carrying Bad Cop, with Benny supporting the other side. Bad Cop looked like he'd been in a fight and lost badly. "What's going on?" she asked and she drew up to them.
Benny looked relieved to see her. "I'll explain in a minute, JJ," he said. "Can you get some of your candy for Unikitty and meet us in the holding cells?"
"Princess Unikitty?" Jenkins asked, staring at the small, brightly dressed person holding up Bad Cop like it was nothing even though he was nearly twice their size.
"The one and only!" they replied cheerfully.
"Um," Jenkins said.
Bad Cop groaned, head lolling, and Benny looked alarmed. "Quickly, if you don't mind," he said, starting to push Bad Cop and Unikitty in the direction of the holding cells.
When Jenkins still didn't move, completely baffled by the situation, Benny's face formed into a strangely familiar scowl, and he barked, "That's an order, Jenkins!"
Purely on reflex, Jenkins snapped to attention and spun around, hurrying back to her desk. She rummaged through the drawers for a second, grabbed a box of chocolate covered raisins, and then sprinted after the trio.
By the time she got to the holding cells, Benny and Unikitty had already laid Bad Cop out on a cot, and were proceeding to lock the cell they'd left him in.
"Wait," Jenkins said, absently handing the candy to Unikitty, who tore into it with glee. "Is Bad Cop under arrest?"
"How much do you want me to tell her?" Benny murmured, seemingly to himself. There was a moment's pause, then he looked at her. "It's a bit of a long story," he said. "You might want to sit down."