The Good Life
AN: Yet another new thing for me. I saw the Bad Guys movie and absolutely loved it, so I decided to try out my first ever crossover fic. A little fyi, I've never read the books, so all of the Bad Guys 'lore' is taken from the movie.
My premise for this one is simple: Wolf was raised in Zootopia, and he wasn't always a criminal. i.e.: Wolf has a tragic backstory. So I'm going to explore that idea in this fic, and I had so much fun coming up with this idea, that I've actually got three chapters, not including this one, already written. I've never actually done that before.
Since I don't explicitly state it in the story, I'll explain how the timelines for the two movies match up. It's nine months after the Bad Guys were released from prison, and nine months after Bellewether's arrest. Nick has only been an officer for three months at this point. I'll answer any questions anyone has in the author's note for next chapter since this is a crossover.
But yeah, other than Bad Guys and Zootopia, there'll be some Forza Horizon/Midnight Club sort of vibes going on, too.
Hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Bad Guys or Zootopia. Any non-canon characters were created by me.
Prologue:
"Remind me again why we had to drive all the way to the other side of the country?" the moody reptile groused. Wolf just glanced at his old partner with an affectionate smile before returning his gaze to the road. They were getting closer to their destination, which meant traffic was getting thicker. And since they weren't 'bad guys' anymore, he couldn't drive as recklessly as he used to. Hence why he was driving safely. He didn't need another ticket on his record; his insurance was already astronomically high as it was. Actually, come to think of it, it was a small miracle he even had insurance with his reputation.
"We talked about this, Snake. If I can get into the racing festival held here, us and the rest of the gang will be set for...years, at least." Shark, Webs, and Pirahna were still back in LA since they were fortunate enough to get work so soon after being released from prison.
Shark was putting his career as a master of disguises to good use on the theatre scene. Not only did he dabble in acting here and there, but he was also a costume designer, too. The big fish was even dabbling in writing his own plays, too. If one of his could be put in production, that would be great, and Wolf would be first in line to see it. Until then, Shark was having fun where he was.
Webs was a web designer to absolutely no one's surprise. She'd already had a few commissions, but she had bigger aspirations. She wanted to be a software engineer at some big tech firm. He wished her the best of luck, but with their past, he doubted it would be easy. Of course, the first step on that particular journey was for her to get more clients. Which is why, savvy business-spider she was, she'd given him a hundred business cards to hand out for her.
As for Pirahna, the thing he was best at other than stealing priceless art and beating the snot out of guys bigger than him was what he ended up doing. That's right, the guy with anger issues had found himself singing at local bars, clubs, and the occasional fancy restaurant. It was all for the fun of it right now since he didn't have an agent. But Wolf was sure the crazy fish could make it big if given a chance.
They all had big plans in the works, but money was tight right now. Wolf had seen a chance at breaking into the pro racing circuit, and he'd taken it...or was on his way to take it, at least. The sponsor he'd been in contact with wanted a face-to-face interview before the contract was signed. And that's why he was currently driving along an interstate on the east coast instead of relaxing in their new apartment on the west coast.
"Now, ya see, that's why you're here. Why exactly am I here?" Despite the fact this was the nth time Snake had asked this question, Wolf couldn't help but chuckle at the old serpent. As bored as he seemed right now, he was sure Snake would appreciate the change in scenery. He'd been living in LA his entire life, so it'd do Snake some good to get out of the city and see a bit more of the country.
Wolf glanced at the passenger side mirror and saw Snake's sulking face as he watched the trees and billboards go by. "Oh, come on, Snake, we haven't even made it to the city yet!" Wolf nudged the serpent with an elbow. "Give it a chance before you start making judgements, yeah?" Snake just huffed and Wolf couldn't help but shake his head in mild exasperation. A sign at the side of the road caught his eye. "It's twenty-two miles 'til we hit the downtown exit, which means you should see it any minute now."
Snake just shook his head in frustration. "I don't get what the big deal is! Who cares if it's a city built for animals!? It's still a city! So what's so special about it!?"
Wolf wasn't really paying attention to Snake's mini rant as the traffic was getting even heavier. A quick glance at his watch confirmed that it was getting close to rush hour. "Just my luck we hit the city at the worst time of day," he grumbled to himself. Snake muttered something next to him, but Wolf was too concerned with the reckless idiots on the road.
...huh. So that's what that felt like.
A red SUV pulled up beside them on the left, and Wolf found himself smirking at the awestruck zebra boy—probably like six or seven—in the backseat. When it was kids staring at him, it was usually because of his car. With him being so proud of his baby, it always made him feel good when someone else was staring at it like that kid was. He pushed the gas just enough to rev the engine and send him a few feet ahead before slowing down enough to see the kid looking that much more giddy.
The passenger window rolled down to show a suspicious mother staring back at him. He rolled down his own window and gestured at her son, ignoring the slight fear in her eyes. "Cute kid," he said, pointing to the kid with his thumb. In response, both windows on the SUV were rolled up as the vehicle sped up. Wolf just rolled his eyes. "That was rude..." Of course, he'd read the news articles about the city-wide conspiracy from almost a year ago, back when they were still in prison. He shouldn't really be surprised there was some lingering fear of predator species like him.
Then, they were on a bridge over the water. Wolf glanced to the left for a moment before doing a double take. He stared at the city in awe for a few seconds. It's towering skyscrapers, the different biomes he could see even from way out here, and the futuristic-yet-not façade of the city just seemed like something from a movie.
A quick glance over to Snake confirmed that the moody reptile was still staring spitefully out to sea. "To answer your earlier question, Snake...that."
He almost laughed at the confused silence before Snake turned to look at him with a, "What are you talking about?" before his jaw went slack, and he stared wide-eyed at the city.
"Not something you see everyday on the west coast, huh?" Wolf chuckled, using his right hand to gently close Snake's mouth. "Welcome to Zootopia, Snake."
The reptile shook his head before narrowing his eyes and turning away with a huff. "It ain't that impressive."
AN: I know it's short, but it's just the prologue. The actual chapters are longer.
Unlike a majority of Zootopia fics I've read, this one won't be dealing with a new Nighthowler conspiracy. There will be some lingering fear and maybe some references here and there about the events from the movie, but that's it. Marmalade will also not appear in this one except for a few references.
Until Next Time
AdmiralCole22
