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Eren sat at the end of the bar, motioning for Judy and Nick to join him. There were conveniently two empty stools right next to him where Nick and Judy walked over to.
Nick noticed Judy’s steps were unsteady and asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah? I’m not nervous if that’s what you’re asking.”
“No, of course not.” Nick brought his face down to Judy’s level and noticed the smell of alcohol on her breath. He couldn’t believe he didn’t notice it while kissing her. His emotions seemed to have gotten in the way, since his sense of smell had never betrayed him.
“I don’t mean to alarm you, but I don’t think your drink was virgin.”
“I didn’t taste any alcohol…”
Nick sighed. She wouldn’t have noticed. She never really drank. He put his paws out as if to literally smooth out the situation, “Okay, so you had one drink. That’s not so bad. Just don’t drink the rest of the night, unless your life depends on it.”
Judy opened her mouth to argue that maybe it wasn’t alcoholic, but then hiccuped.
Nick gave her a pointed look.
She accepted defeat and gave him a thumbs up. They continued over to the bar.
Nick felt anxious about Judy’s obvious inebriated state and low alcohol tolerance, but trusted her not to get messy. The two of them could handle anything. They were Wilde and Hopps, the dream team.
Nick sat directly next to Eren, completely aware of his much larger size, but not fearful in the slightest.
Eren called over the bartender, a giraffe whose head nearly skimmed the ceiling, and ordered them all a round of tequila shots.
The bartender and Eren seemed friendly, exchanging a wink and a nod. Nick observed the neon green shot glasses which seemed taller than usual. They were doubles.
“Hey, babe, don’t you think you’ve had enough tonight?” Nick whisper-yelled to Judy, hoping only she could hear him over the loud music.
“What do you mean? We’re just getting started!” She exclaimed.
“I know you’re a lightweight. You already drank enough. I don’t want you to get sick. Plus, you really shouldn’t drink if you’re ‘gonna do Taildrift.’” Nick hinted. He was unconvincing, but wanted to get his dialogue right on the off-chance Eren heard. Nick needed to seem like a regular buyer, but couldn't compromise his concern.
“Oh Nick, I’ll be fine!” It was unclear if she meant she’d be fine that her drink was alcoholic or if this was her acting.
“Fine. Just let me do the talking.” Nick decided not to twist her arm anymore.
They clinked their glasses and downed their shots quickly. Eren and Nick slightly winced, but Judy gagged and coughed. So much for appearing cool.
Nick was surprised to see Judy take the shot so willingly, since she originally had no intentions of drinking, especially since they were working. However, Nick knew that she loved to get in character and set a scene. The character she was playing tonight, a regular club goer, an adventurous party girl, would absolutely drink, but she really shouldn’t have been drinking.
Eren piped up with a gruff voice, “So you two come here often? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
Nick replied, “I’m usually more of a Three Bucks guy, but it’s my girl’s birthday, I figured I’d take her somewhere different, somewhere she really wanted.”
Eren looked Nick up and down. “Three Bucks? Really? I didn’t think you were the type… I guess the shirt…”
“My girl likes it because no one bothers her.” Nick explained.
Eren let out an understanding sigh and nodded, “So, who sent you? Unless you just saw me from across the bar and liked my vibe.”
Judy visibly cringed at that thought, Nick let out a rude laugh, and Eren caught on.
“Well, worth a shot. Anyway, how do you know about me?”
“A buddy from Three Bucks told me about you.”
Eren’s tone toughened and he lost his previous sense of relaxation. “Which buddy?”
“Oh! Um…” Nick took a second to think of someone, but didn’t want to throw an existing mammal under the bus, just in case, “He goes by ‘Teddy’ but I doubt that’s his government name.”
Eren chuckles, “The bear?”
“Yeah!” Nick decided to agree. “You know him?”
“Oh yeah, he’s a loyal customer. You know, I just have to make sure you’re legit. There are cops everywhere.”
“Oh, I know.”
Nick realized it had been a few seconds since he paid attention to Judy and looked over at her. She was staring off into the distance. It was admittedly weird for her to not be in character. She usually loved an acting challenge.
Nick gently tapped her shoulder and she shook her head as if she was shaking her drunkenness off. He knew she was a lightweight, but was shocked at how severely low her tolerance was.
“Nick… I think that was too strong.”
“Oh, she should wake up soon.” Eren hinted, then leaned in to whisper. “My stuff is pure.”
Nick thought that was a weird thing to say, but Eren seemed like a weird guy. Nick was familiar with the effects of Taildrift though and what he said wasn’t wrong.
“Perfect,” Nick grinned. “How much?”
“I’ve been told my product is a little pricey. But I’ve graciously given one to you as a sample so you can decide if it’s worth it.”
Eren was sly. Buttering up his patrons before making them pay exorbitant prices and showing them what they’re missing if they don’t.
Nick didn’t want to do drugs, especially not on the clock, but then he realized what Eren had said… “she should wake up soon,” “I’ve graciously given one of you a sample.” Nick knew how Taildrift made him feel, especially mixed with alcohol. Yes, it had been a while, but at most he felt a slight buzz. He looked over at Judy. Her pupils were normal, for now.
“Oh, I know it’s good. Teddy has graciously shared a bump or two.” Nick continued, attempting to hide his panic.
Judy’s ears perked up, “Wait, really? You’ve done Taildrift?"
Nick has never done improv like this in his life, acting for two people at once. His skills were really being challenged.
“Yes, darling, and I’m sorry I didn’t share.”
Eren interrupted, “Well, if you like it. There’s more.”
Eren opened his coat, and on display were ziplock bags ranging in size full with some bright green powder. They were double sealed with a white dime-sized circle sticker with a green lime stamped on. Eren looked proud of his creative choices, having the Taildrift match the club’s theme.
Nick was flabbergasted at Eren’s confidence to admit to two different crimes. There wasn’t a doubt in Nick’s mind that Eren had the bartender slip some Taildrift into one of their shots. That shot ended up being Judy’s
“Wow… are you sure?” Judy asked.
“Trust me, I have plenty.”
She appreciated Eren’s creative input as well and asked. “How is it green? Isn’t Taildrift usually white?”
“It’s a secret,” Eren replied.
Judy scrunched her face, feeling suspicious towards Eren.
“How do I know that it’s pure if it’s green?”
“You’ll feel it.”
Eren passed Judy the smallest bag he had. He was quick; Nick didn’t see him get it from his coat. Judy kept staring at the bag in her palm.
Nick looked concerned.
“Can I see that? I didn’t notice the color.” Nick asked as he reached over in an attempt to snatch the Taildrift from Judy. He tried to have more conversation with Eren too, hoping he wouldn't notice his plan.
“So where do you get this stuff from? Local or overseas?”
Judy pulled the baggie closer to herself and away from Nick’s reach.
She leaned into Nick and whispered, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Nick whisper-yelled, “What am I doing? What are you doing?”
Judy whisper-yelled back, “I’m trying to play the part of a regular Neon Howl patron. We need to earn this guy’s trust, and to do that, I need to prove I’m down.”
“Do you even know what you’re doing? You’re not supposed to actually take it! We need to start arresting him!”
Judy piped up, “Do you know what you’re doing? I’m trying to gather evidence. I can’t arrest the drug dealer without the drugs! Do you have a better idea? I didn’t think so!”
She aggressively got out of her seat, clumsily shoved her stool back under the bar, leaving the baggie behind, and stomped away. By the time Nick reached out to her, she disappeared into the crowd. His paw fell. He needed to get Judy back, but didn't want to make a scene.
“Damn, bitches are crazy.” Eren sighed.
Nick glared at Eren, “First of all, you can’t talk about my girlfriend like that. Second, she’s not crazy, you fucking drugged her!”
“Maybe you should get your little girlfriend, because I think she’s leaving the fucking club.”
Nick rolled his eyes and got up from the bar. He doubted Judy left, especially in her inebriated state, she couldn’t get too far. Lazily, he scanned the dance floor and realized he’d unfortunately have to dig through sweaty too-close mammals of all shapes and sizes. He squeezed into the crowd and with every step he took, looked around. He called for her, but he could barely hear himself over the booming bass. After a few more steps, a large hippo next to Nick hip checked him, sending him across the dance floor and closer to the exit.
Nick scanned his surroundings and noticed a thin counter built into the wall with some stools close by. Judy sat facing the wall. The sequins on her top glimmered in the club lights, acting as a beacon for Nick.
He approached her, only resting his paw on her shoulder. Judy didn’t immediately turn to him, so he leaned in, approaching her from the side. Her green glitter eyeshadow brought out her huge pupils. His suspicion was correct. Definitely Taildrift.
Nick didn’t want to stress Judy out, so he proceeded to say in a slow calm tone, “Judy, I know you’re not happy with me, but you need to be honest with me.”
Judy crossed her arms.
Nick hesitated and asked, “Did your shot taste... weird?”
“I don’t drink much, but it was gross.”
Nick chuckled. “Yeah, cheap liquor doesn’t taste great. It’s more painful than bitter.”
“Bitter… was yours bitter?”
“No.”
Just sank her head in her hands and muttered, “Sweet cheese and crackers, was I drugged?”
Nick slowly nodded, “Taildrift is bitter. It’s not as effective dissolved in water. I’m going to get help, but I need you to do two things for me.”
Judy tilted her head.
“Don’t leave my sight, and dance like your life depends on it.”
“How am I supposed to–”
“You’re gonna feel worse if you don’t have fun. The least you can do is have a good trip. It’s your birthday, remember? Act like it.”
Judy got up out of her seat, headed over to the corner of the dance floor, enough to be in the action, but far enough away from the hoard, and grooved.
Nick winked at her, and slightly danced in place. He pulled out his phone and calmly called the precinct.
“Hey, it’s Nick. We got our guy and the bartender too. We just need backup… and paramedics. I’ll explain later. Thank you!”
The voice on the other line began barking at Nick for things not going according to plan. He ignored it until he knew they absorbed what he said, then Nick hung up and joined Judy to dance. He made sure to keep his hands on her waist.
“How ya feeling, my little drifter?” Nick asked.
Judy grinned, “This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”
In all honesty, the club was pretty nice, but the most beautiful place ever was a drug-fueled exaggeration. The strobe lights were cool and the bar was modern, but the ceiling was mostly unfinished and the bathrooms were too dark.
Nick decided to agree with Judy. Now was not the time to criticize the space.“Yeah, but not as beautiful as you.”
Judy looked away bashfully, then stood on her tiptoes and looked back at Nick. She leaned in and closed her eyes to kiss him. He turned his head and offered his cheek.
His rejection was kind, “You’re high. It’s not right.”
Judy seemed disappointed, but quickly got over it as she looked around the club. Nick held her a little tighter and pressed his chest to hers. He felt the rapidity of her heartbeat. It was so strong against him that he was more aware of her heartbeat than his own. He rubbed her back, trying to keep her calm, as well as himself. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her. Nick was not a man of faith, but he thought of a quick prayer to whoever would listen, hoping that the paramedics would come soon.
Nick slightly pulled away from Judy and twirled her. It was a weird move for a nightclub, but he knew Judy would enjoy it as it made her laugh. He did it again and again to more uncontrollable laughter. Soon, she stopped laughing and slowed down. Nick then pulled her close, chest to chest again. Her heart rate was slowing, surely a result of the mixture of alcohol and Taildrift. Nick felt panic creeping in. What now?
Before the tunnel vision kicked in, the cops and paramedics did. They immediately approached Nick and he ordered the cops to go get Eren and the bartender, and the paramedics to help the floppy rabbit in his arms. He was instructed to lay Judy down, which he felt bad doing since she looked nice in her new outfit and the club floor was sticky and dirty. She was still mildly conscious and glad to follow rules.
“Just Taildrift, I hope.” Nick said to the paramedics, which they understood. Then he remembered to add. “Oh, and alcohol. She’s not on anything else. No medications.”
Her blood pressure was taken. Slightly high. Her pulse was taken, which was surprisingly fast, but Nick knew it was nothing like before. The paramedics uncautiously ripped a hole in her tights mid thigh. They wiped the area with alcohol and injected something that Nick knew to be anti-drift.
“Damn, those were new too.” Nick thought out loud about the tear in Judy’s tights.
They took her blood pressure and pulse again. They returned to normal. Judy was still not fully conscious, but her normal vitals were a good sign. The paramedics decided it would still be best for her to go to the hospital, which Nick agreed with.
Nick decided to carry Judy, since getting a stretcher in and out of the club would be disastrous and a waste of time. He carried her bridal style into the elevator, out of the club, and into the ambulance parked next to a police car. He never even realized which cops showed up. He peered back and saw the Zebros dragging Eren and the bartender out of the club and into the cop car parked behind them. Nick realized that he should’ve specified for them to take the larger police car, since the bartender barely fit. Nick knew that it was bad he basically let someone else take the mission, because when your partner gets drugged, it’s hard to focus on anything else besides her safety.
A doctor and some nurses monitored Judy. When Nick was informed that she was okay, he took her home, and was given another syringe of anti-drift to take with him, just in case. She was able to respond to the nurses and doctor fine, but did drift into regular sleep after a while, which was understandable given that it was late.
Nick carried her because he didn’t want to wake her, and maybe he’d get a pump going and she’d notice when she got up. She didn’t budge the entire time. She’s always been good at sleeping in less than ideal situations, due to growing up with a large family and living next to her more recent disruptive neighbors.
Judy and Nick were back at her apartment. He was relieved to find out her neighbors were out of town, or at least that’s what he figured by the lack of yelling or general sound next door. Most of the other residents were asleep. Seeing a fox carry a lifeless rabbit around could appear suspicious, and that was the last thing Nick wanted to deal with.
Nick felt bad rummaging through her bag for her keys, again fearful of seeming suspicious, but he needed them to get in. He briefly considered taking her back to his place since he lived closer to the hospital, but having her wake up in his bed with ripped tights would be frightening, and also an HR violation. Nick felt weird even doing this, but it seemed like the safest option, and he couldn’t leave her alone.
He didn’t want her to lay in her clean bed with her clothes that had become a petri dish since they were both on the club floor and in the hospital. There was a towel hanging up behind her front door, which he took down with his teeth, then dropped on her bed. He smoothed it to the best of his ability using his forearms, then gently laid Judy down. Nick couldn’t help but rub the top of her head, admiring her peaceful state and messy makeup, smoothing her already flat ears back.
He sat at the end of her bed and stared at the wall. He wondered how much of this Judy would remember. He wondered if the club had cameras and if the other officers would believe that Judy’s drink was spiked, given the duo’s unconventional and rule-breaking track record. He wondered if Judy would be okay, even with the doctor’s assurance.
So much happened throughout the night, Nick retraced his steps, and remembered their kiss on the dance floor. It felt so good, like a barrier crashing down. Nick’s stomach flipped thinking about calling Judy his girlfriend and how comfortable he was getting with it, and just how comfortable he had gotten with the charade of it all. If the night went better, maybe it would have all been real. Just maybe.
Nick’s pulled out of his daze when Judy started to stretch and groan. She opened her eyes and Nick’s attention quickly shifted to only her. She ended up in his arms, throwing herself at him, and melting into him.
Nick held her for dear life, then loosened his grip a bit when he realized he could be hurting her.
“You’re okay?” Nick asked into her shoulder.
Judy confirmed, “I’m okay. I’m safe.”
They pulled away from one another.
They stared at each other wordlessly. Nick was deciding on whether it was more important to be relieved or angry at Judy. He wanted to kiss her too, which also complicated his choice of words and actions. She noticed his gears turning, and answered.
“Nick, I can’t remember much of the night, but I know that I did something stupid, and for that I’m sorry.”
Nick decided to toy with her and pushed his luck, specifically since she admitted to doing something stupid. “What stupid thing did you exactly do?”
Sheepishly, she broke eye contact with Nick and uncomfortably looked at the floor.
“I… tried to buy drugs. Can I justify myself?
“Sure, sure.” Nick waved his paws around.
“How could we accurately arrest someone for Taildrift if we don’t test it ourselves?”
“So you wanted to do drugs?”
Judy snapped, “No! I wanted to test drugs.”
She pulled drug test strips out from her tube top. Nick blinked slowly. Judy was always full of surprises.
“I was excited to use them too.” Judy said, disappointedly.
“If it’s any consolation prize, your drug test at the hospital was positive for Taildrift only.” Nick replied.
“Damn. I wish I beat them to it… did we get Eren?”
“Well, he got arrested… by someone else.”
“Darn it. And the bartender?”
“Arrested. Not by us either. My excuse is that I got a little busy helping a certain bunny not overdose. And you know what? That’s such a waste of product! Taildrift is expensive. You’re throwing money down the drain spiking drinks like that.”
Judy sank her head in her paws, dramatically sighed, and lamented, “Can we do anything right?”
Nick inched closer to her. “Hey, Carrots, we have next time.”
“How do you know there will be a next time?” Judy whined.
Nick thought of an optimistic answer, since she made a good point, clearly worried about her career and their partnership.
“Because you’ll be alive to experience it.”
That seemed to do the trick. Nick wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. She leaned into his shoulder. They were happy to have each other, despite everything.
Judy looked up at Nick and asked, “Can I ask you something weird?”
Nick shifted his gaze toward her.
Judy continued, “Did we kiss before?”
Nick grinned, “Yes, and it was without the influence of drugs.”
“I’m glad the only part of the night I remember was the best part.”
Nick leaned his face towards Judy’s, smirking, “Would you want to do it all over again?”
Judy winced, “Oh my god no, this night was a disaster. We can’t get into something like this again.”
“Judy… I’m trying to kiss you.”
“Oh! Well in that case.”
They turned towards each other, Nick’s face in Judy’s paws and Nick’s arms around her waist. Their lips met. They were in perfect sync like this was a regular occurrence, but Nick still felt a rush. It was always meant to happen. Despite the whole night going wrong, this felt so right.
When they pulled away, and Nick knew for sure Judy was okay, he decided to get off her bed despite not wanting to. Their kiss was good, comfortable, but that feeling was unusual and scary for Nick. He almost got caught up in it, but he didn't want to open that can of worms.
“I should really get going. I had fun tonight. I’m glad you’re okay.”
Judy tilted her head and furrowed her brow, clearly unsure of what caused his reaction.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to overstay my welcome.” Nick said, paws in pants pockets, heading toward the door.
“Why would you think that?” Judy asked, sounding hurt.
Nick turned back around toward her. Her adorable pout was hard to resist.
She put on a sarcastic tone, “Plus, you should really stay with me. What if something happens? Oh, you’ll feel so bad if I’m all alone just off the craziest high of my life. Who’s going to protect me from Taildrift?”
He smirked and nodded his head. Her spell was starting to work, but he needed to resist, “You don’t need protecting. It’s out of your system, carrots. The paramedics anti-drifted you. They gave me another syringe just in case.”
“And you’re just going to leave with the anti-drift I might need? Even if you leave it with me, I won’t be able to use it on myself if I’m unconscious!”
Nick rolled his eyes and headed back to her bed, plopping himself on the foot of her bed yet again.
“If I stay, where would I sleep?” He groaned, faking annoyance.
She shifted herself closer to the wall, leaving a space for Nick on the outside of the bed.
“We’re small. We can both fit.”
He sighed and sat next to her, acting like it’s a chore, when really he wanted nothing more. A peck on the cheek was the reward for his cooperation. Judy’s boldness was surprising to Nick. Maybe she really wanted him to stay. Or maybe she felt like affection was owed to him, since he helped her all night.
Nick saw Judy staring at the ceiling, clearly pondering something. After a few seconds, she got her question out.
“Have you ever done Taildrift?”
Nick’s head went back with a little nod, as if blown away by her forwardness.
“Not like you.” He joked.
“No, but seriously. I’m not going to judge if you have. I especially can’t judge now.”
Nick leaned his head against the wall, thinking back and getting comfortable while retreading uncomfortable memories.
“Our experiences are a little different because I did it on purpose. It was a long time ago, at Neon Howl, funny enough. I was really heartbroken and acting stupid.”
“Well, did it help?”
Nick chuckles, “No, but luckily I didn’t need to get anti-drifted,” he poked the tip of her nose to make a point, “but it turns out when you do drugs in a bad mood, it doesn’t make you happy. It just puts you in a bad mood on drugs.”
“I’ll never let that happen to you.” Judy promised unprompted.
“Heartbreak or Taildrift?”
“I think the first one is the only one I really have control over.”
They both laughed. Nick accepted her promise, and accepted another kiss on the lips from Judy. Maybe it was all real. Just maybe.