The Good Life

AN: This is going to be the last of the one week updates. After this, it'll be every two weeks. This one picks up right after the last chapter and introduces a new, important character for the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopis or the Bad Guys or any canon characters.

Chapter Two:

"I can't believe that don't have real meat in this city," Snake grumbled as they left the restaurant a little over an hour later. Thankfully, the serpent hadn't made too big of a fuss upon realizing that, so Wolf was spared that particular embarrassment. Honestly, while Wolf did remember that little nugget of information, it hadn't quite clicked until they were sitting down to order. He had been living in LA, an overwhelmingly human-populated city, for the past fifteen years, though, so he sort of took that for granted, too.

Oddly enough, he remembered loving the synthetic meat and bug burgers they had here when he was younger. But then he had real meat once he moved away, and that must have turned him off of anything other than the real deal. "It's a city of animals, Snake," he said with a nonchalant shrug once they were walking down the sidewalk. "It'd be in bad taste for preds to eat real beef or pork when cows and pigs are their neighbors." Wolf grinned when Snake groaned at his subtle pun. "At least they still have fish...just don't tell Shark or Pirahna." Actually, he doubted they would care at all, but Snake's annoyed eye roll and huff was worth it.

Just then, his phone rang, taking them both by surprise. Wondering who was calling him, Wolf pulled it out and smirked when he saw the caller idea. He answered, putting the call on speaker since the area was relatively quiet. "Hey, Wolf! You and Snake finished with dinner yet or should I call back?"

"Nope, you've got perfect timing, Diane. We just finished up, and we're heading back to the apartment. And you're on speaker, so say hi to Snake." She did so, and Snake responded with his own gruff greeting. Wolf chuckled at his old partner. "Don't mind him, he's just grumpy after finding out Zootopia doesn't have real meat."

Diane chuckled at that. "Don't be a Mr. Grumpypants, Snake. I'm sure you could bribe Wolf into buying you some push pops." Wolf actually barked a laugh at that.

"I knew there was a reason I liked ya," Snake snickered, clearly pleased with that suggestion.

The three shared another short laugh. "Well, I just wanted to check in with you guys, make sure you're settled in alright. Oh! How's the apartment?"

"It's nice," Wolf replied. "You did a good job picking it out. It's not far from my old home, so I know this area pretty well."

"Says the guy who couldn't find the entrance to the parking garage earlier," Snake teased, making Wolf's ears drop in mild annoyance.

"Hey, it's been fifteen years since I've been here. A lot's changed," Wolf defended himself.

"Well, I'm glad you like it. I saw the name of the building and knew it would be perfect for you." Wolf chuckled, having already guessed as much. That's about the time where they made it back to their building and into the elevators to their floor. There was a short moment of silence before the inevitable question was asked. "You doing okay, Wolf? Being back there, I mean. I know how nervous you were about going."

Wolf didn't answer immediately, ignoring Snake's concerned gaze when the silence stretched on for more than a few seconds. The door opened, and Wolf gestured for Snake to go ahead as he switched speaker phone off. Then, he passed the keys to the reptile, who understood then that Wolf wanted a moment alone. Afterwards, the canine pushed the button for the top floor, remembering that this place had a rooftop sitting area from his research before their trip over. "Honestly?" he finally began. "I, uh...I'm not sure." The door opened, and he walked out onto the deserted roof. It was a nice, little area, actually. It had a small, well-tended garden and a few tables, chairs, and benches for sitting or socializing. He sat down on the closest bench and gazed out across the city skyline. "There's a lot of memories coming back to me."

"Good ones?" Diane asked gently, knowing this whole situation was hard on him.

"A few, yeah." He smiled fondly as memories from another life came back to him. "When I was real young, like five or six, my parents would take me to this ice cream shop at least once a month. It was a family thing, you know? We'd go to the park or watch a movie in the cinema. Go shopping. And then we'd end the day eating ice cream before going back home. It was always the perfect end to the perfect Saturday." They'd passed by that same shop earlier. It was still there, even after all these years, and he swore he saw a happy family of wolves sitting in the window booth, the young pup all but devouring a way-too-big portion of ice cream as the parents watched their son fondly. But after blinking, the scene was gone, a mere ghost of the past come back to haunt him.

He wiped away the moisture building in his eyes, briefly wondering when he'd begun crying. The sniffle he made when trying to compose himself was caught by Diane, who was suddenly much more concerned. "Hey, I heard that. Are you sure you're okay?"

Wolf sniffled again, wiping away the moisture in his eyes with his palm. "No, Diane, I am definitely not okay," he whispered, as if afraid to admit that. "The absolute worst moments of my life all happened within miles of where I am, and—" He cut himself off, not willing to delve into those particular memories right now...or ever. No one, not even Snake, knew about the darkest moments of his past, and he planned on keeping it that way. "I don't know why I agreed to come back."

Diane was a very intelligent fox, and he could almost guarantee that she knew he wasn't telling her the full truth. She had probably already figured out something happened to him here in this city that he had never spoken to anyone about. She also probably assumed that he probably wasn't going to say anything further on the matter. And in all three cases, she would be correct. Her decision to not pry, however, was probably the smartest thing she did in that moment. "I know we haven't been dating for long...but I hope you know you can trust me enough to talk to. Not now, but eventually. When you're ready."

The offer was appreciated. It really was. And he did trust her, but this wasn't something he would ever be prepared to talk about. "Thanks, but I never will be."

There was a moment of silence before she gave a soft, "Okay...then I won't push. But I will say this: you're not the same wolf you were all those years ago. You've changed for the better. And whatever it is that's hurting you, I hope it doesn't change you back." He sighed quietly at that, not knowing what to say. "I'll let you go. Call me if you need to, alright? It doesn't matter if it's three in the morning and you just need to vent to someone that isn't Snake." That actually got a small smile out of him.

"I'll keep that in mind," he promised.

"Good. I'll talk to you later, then. I love you." And that brought a genuine smile to his muzzle. Making things personal after she dissed them on television was probably the best thing that'd ever happened to him. The Dolphin heist may have been a bust, but he'd scored something better in the end: the absolute greatest—and coolest—girlfriend in the world. They'd started dating a mere week after he got out of prison, and while they weren't at the point of living together, they were really, genuinely in love with each other.

"I love you, too. Bye." With that, she hung up, and he sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead. "I changed my mind, this is going to be much harder than I thought," he muttered to himself. If seeing an ice cream store had brought this on, he feared what other horrible memories would get dredged up. Oh, how he wished he could go back a few hours, where he was excited about fitting in rather than dreading the probability of facing the skeletons in his closet.

He spent probably ten more minutes up on the roof just to compose himself before heading back down to the room. Snake even had one of his rare moments of showing concern for his oldest friend. "Hey, buddy...everything alright?"

Wolf merely shrugged the question away as he paused outside of the bedroom and leaned against the doorframe as he replied. "Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well...you were out for a while," Snake began uncertainly, having never been too good at this kind of thing. "And I know ya don't like talkin' about your past, so I thought that maybe...maybe it was wrong of us to make you come back here." Wolf smiled genuinely at the reptile, grateful that Snake was trying to look out for him. "We don't have ta stay, ya know. I'm sure they'd understand you not bein' comfortable stayin'."

His original plan was to just make up some excuse that would allay Snake's worry but hearing how genuinely concerned he was made him reconsider. Wolf walked over to his best friend and took a knee to be more at level with him. "I'm sure they would, too, but I promised them that I would at least try." He looked away for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm just...afraid," he admitted, taking Snake by surprise. He figured his best pal deserved to know that much. "Some really bad things happened to me when I was young, which is why I moved away and swore I'd never come back. And that's kind of why I wanted you to come with me. I won't sugarcoat things, Snake; I need your help. I need you to do what you do best and look out for me, alright?"

Now, Wolf was many things. He was very self-confident and charismatic. He was also adaptable and very much someone who would willingly shoulder other people's problems. Which is why Snake was rightly surprised when Wolf, someone who had never admitted to needing help or being afraid, ended up doing just that. Snake studied his canine friend skeptically. "I don't like this, Wolf. You've never asked for help for somethin' like this before." Then, his expression hardened. "If you think you've got somethin' to prove—"

A gentle paw on Snake's 'shoulder' calmed the serpent enough for Wolf to speak again. "This isn't me trying to prove something, Snake. All I've ever wanted is what's best for you and the rest of the gang, and if that means facing some of my demons, so be it." Secretly, however, he hoped that would be entirely unnecessary. As naïve as it was, his hope was that he could take part in the festival, get a lot of money, and never have to deal with anyone who remembered him or have one of his darkest secrets brought to light.

"I don't know what kind of demons you have, Wolf, but I've got your back." Wolf smiled at his best friend, bringing Snake in for a hug, which was returned without hesitation.

"Thanks, pal." He was really glad his pal was so understanding. Of course, he shouldn't be surprised. Snake had his own secrets that Wolf didn't know about, and the canine had no intention of prying. It was the same for the rest of the gang, too. Wolf would simply be there to support any of them if necessary, and he was grateful that Snake was willing to do the same for him. Then, he pulled away and stood. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm beat. I think a hot shower and bed is exactly what I need right now."

Thankfully, there were no wet dog jokes as he went to do just that, and the shower did feel wonderful on his mildly achy muscles. He stayed in there for longer than necessary, merely letting the water splash down onto him while he sat down in the tub, deep in thought. In the end, he never came to a conclusive plan of action. He hoped that his anxiety and worry would be for naught. None of that had concerned him a few hours ago, so maybe he just needed a few days of nothing world-shattering happening to make everything alright again. Perhaps making new memories with Snake and the festival would be enough to overwrite the bad ones.

Those worries carried over to the bed, meaning he had a mostly sleepless night. At one point, he even gave up on sleep and merely laid atop the covers as he stared at the ceiling. He almost wished they had a tv in here, too, because at least that would keep him somewhat distracted. And he couldn't just watch tv in the living room because Snake had turned the sofa into his bed.

"Why am I so worked up about this, anyway?" he wondered aloud. Maybe it was because he was so used to helping others confront their worries while running away or simply ignoring his own. That was sort of a pack alpha mindset. He was a wolf, after all, and the gang could technically be considered his pack since he was the unquestioned leader. He was the one that brought all of them together and turned them all into world-class thieves, the one who planned all their heists. But now he was away from them, except for Snake, which meant his mind had more time to worry over himself rather than his pack. "That's probably it," he assured himself before realizing how badly he was already missing the guys after only a week away. "I just have time to spare right now. As soon as I get busy again, I'll be fine."

Surprisingly, that was enough to make him fall asleep, though he ended up waking later than he normally did. The morning was rather simple. He and Snake took the car out to find somewhere to eat breakfast, which ended up being a simple old-timey diner a few miles north of their apartment. And then, they went to a nearby supermarket for groceries where they spent nearly four hundred bucks. Wolf may not be a gourmet chef, but he knew how to cook, a skill he picked up after getting tired of microwavable dinners and cheap ramen.

After dropping off the groceries, which took several trips because of the amount of bags he had to haul up, Snake came with him when he went looking for a good garage. That was their main goal, obviously, but they also just drove around to see the sights, too, though they stuck to Savannah Central and downtown for now. It was as they were driving around the western side of Savannah Central when Wolf saw a promising shop. Pretty much all of the auto shops they saw had been either the quick and convenient five minute oil change and tire rotation type places or the normal mechanic shops where regular people had their cars fixed up. This particular one he pulled into, however, was neither of those.

"Look at that..." he grinned in triumphant awe. Several cars, all with custom aftermarket bodykits and paintjobs were parked in the large building's parking area out front. His own car didn't look out of place here. "This is exactly what I need." Pulling into a parking spot, he quickly turned off the engine and stepped out of the car, looking around at all of the specialized equipment that had him all but drooling.

"Hey! That's customer parking only!" a gruff, rather angry voice shouted—one with a distinctly Russian accent. Wolf turned in slight surprise to see a large brown bear wearing a mechanic jumpsuit and holding a massive wrench in a clenched fist. The bear was walking out of the shop

Not letting the larger animal with the bad attitude wielding the tool like a weapon put him off too much, Wolf grinned. "Well, what do you think I am?" The bear paused and glared at the two of the suspiciously. "I need some work done on my car, and this looks like the kind of place I need."

The bear just grunted. "I'm not accepting new customers. Now, get lost!"

Wolf took a few steps back from this clearly angry animal as he started stomping over to them again when they didn't immediately scram. Wolf kept an arm in front of Snake, as much to prevent Snake from attacking to protect his friend from the bear. "Hey, we don't want any trouble, pal. We just want some work done on our car." As much as he wanted to talk this situation down, he wasn't going to put either of them at risk. If that bear tried to escalate things, he and Snake would be burning rubber on their way out.

The bear pointed the wrench at Wolf once he was a few feet away, and the canine braced, expecting the bear to attack. "You...and half of Zootopia!" Then, he gestured around the parking lot. "Look at all these cars! I have fourteen angry customers wanting their rides back, and no one to help me work! All I have is distractions like stubborn wolves that don't scram when I tell them scram!"

He had an idea, one he wasn't sure would work to calm this angry Russian bear, but he tried it, anyway. "Then let me do what I need to do myself, and I'll be out of your way in twenty minutes." Honestly, he probably could go somewhere else. All he needed right now was an oil change and tire rotation. The reason he hadn't gone to any of those five-minute places was because he had plans for the future that would need the specialized equipment in a garage like this one. He thought that maybe he could convince the bear to allow him to work on his own car, and maybe convince him to allow him to come back and do the same at a later date.

The bear's frustration transitioned to suspicion and a bit of curiosity. "You're a mechanic?"

Wolf nodded, realizing he had this bear's attention. "Yeah, and I can do bodywork, too. I had a car similar to this one that I built from the ground up, pretty much."

The bear hummed in thought, using his wrench to scratch his neck as he looked at Wolf's car. He walked around to the front, still in thought. "This is nice car. Open up, let me see," he motioned at the hood. Not really knowing where this was going, Wolf granted the bear's request, regardless and popped the hood. The bear studied the engine with a begrudgingly impressed expression. "You build this car, too?"

"No, my girlfriend had this one built for me after I—well, after the last one got totaled." He was originally going to say 'after I got out of prison', but didn't think that would be smart to admit. Besides, what he said was technically true. His old car was totaled because of a certain deranged guinea pig, and while Diane did do some bits of this car herself, most of the work was done by someone else. Of course, Wolf, being who he was, had gone through the whole thing with a sharp eye for anything amiss and changed a few minor things here or there.

The bear closed the hood and studied Wolf for a long time. Then, he glanced at the other cars in his lot before studying Wolf once more. "Fine. You can use my garage..." Wolf grinned in triumph, though he probably should have expected what came next. "...if you work for me."

Wolf's grin fell as he digested that statement. "Are you...offering me a job?" While he wasn't opposed to the idea of working in a place like this, he had other plans—namely, the upcoming racing festival—that would prevent him from being able to.

"Yes!" the bear snapped. "I need help, and you have skills to do just that! You work for me, you can use my garage to work on your car after hours, but you pay for parts."

"Well, don't you have other employees?" Wolf wondered.

"Not anymore! All gone in one week!" The bear huffed in frustration as he shook his head. "One just disappeared and didn't come back. Probably got killed street racing. The second I had to fire. He kept coming in late with hangovers, and I said if he wanted to drink that much, he could find new job. The third quit. Said work was too hard by himself. Bah! Useless, all of them!"

"That's...unfortunate," was the only thing he could think of saying, but the bear merely nodded, still awaiting his answer. "Listen, I'm only going to be in the city for six months, and I plan on entering the festival when it opens on the first of June." It was nearing the end of March right now, but registration began on the first of May, which meant he'd be unable to work here after that. That meant he had barely more than a month of free time. The bear seemed to realize that, too, as he crossed his arms with a frustrated huff. Wolf, however, had a compromise. "Maybe I could stick around and help until you find a new, permanent employee?" he offered.

The bear thought about before nodding resolutely. "This idea is acceptable!" Then, he turned to reenter the garage. "Now, come! We have much work to do!"

Wolf just recoiled in surprise. "Now?"

"Yes, now!" Right when Wolf was about to argue, saying he didn't have the proper clothes for doing mechanical work, the bear continued. "One of my old employees was a wolf. His old uniform should fit you fine."

"You're actually agreeing to this?" Snake asked as Wolf walked after his new boss. He'd been miraculously silent through the whole exchange.

"We could do with a bit more money," Wolf shrugged as the bear lead him to the back room where the old employees' uniforms were hanging, freshly cleaned. Plus, it gave him something to do, which would keep him distracted. That reminded him, though. "I should mention that I have a meeting with the Animal Motor Company tomorrow."

"Your sponsor for the festival?" the bear asked, to which Wolf nodded. "Very well, but you come back as soon as it is finished. We have much work and little time!" Then, he paused as if realizing something. "Ah, yes! Introductions are in order. It would be hard to write check for payment if I don't know your name. I am Viktor Ursin."

"Moe," he replied, shaking Viktor's hand.

The rest of the day went by a bit slowly as Wolf's new boss showed him around the garage and explained how things worked around here. They'd be working from seven in the morning to seven at night until the backlog was trimmed down, and then it would change to the standard eight to five job. Weekends were off, so at least he had a few days free. They also agreed that because of the nature and spontaneity of this deal, Wolf would be paid $25 an hour, a good pay rate for this kind of job.

Snake ended up taking public transport back to the apartment, not wanting to stick around for the rest of the day. Based on the work he did that day, he got a feel for what kind of boss Viktor was. He was strictly no-nonsense when there was work to do. He wanted things done quickly yet correctly. While not normally used to working against the clock, Wolf had enough experience working on his car to speed up without curbing his efficiency. Which was a good thing since Viktor clearly didn't care for lazy or incompetent workers. He pushed those under him hard, but he also took care of them. They had a thirty-minute break in the morning and afternoon and an hour for lunch.

At seven that night, Viktor remained true to his word and allowed Wolf to do what he needed on his car, which only took about fifteen minutes, and then Wolf was heading back to the apartment after an honest day's work. And he had to admit he kind of liked it. It gave him a sense of normalcy he hadn't really experienced before and had the thought that maybe this was the kind of job he would've had if he hadn't turned criminal. Hell, maybe he never would've left Zootopia and ended up working with Viktor. Wasn't that an amusing thought...

It was half past seven when he finally made it back to the apartment in the suit he originally wore that morning. The jumpsuit he'd worn was one of five identical ones that used to belong to Viktor's former employee. The bear always stopped by the garage on Saturdays to wash and dry all of the jumpsuits, so they'd be fresh and clean at the start of the next work week. The one thing that wasn't in that garage—other than air conditioning—was a shower, so when Wolf walked into the apartment, he was rather smelly from the sweat and grease that had accumulated throughout the day. This suit definitely needed a professional cleaning. He also made a mental note to buy some plain white t-shirts, a few shorts, and some cheap sneakers. It wasn't attire he'd normally wear, but he didn't want to ruin his suits. "I'm back!" he called, seeing that Snake wasn't in the living room.

"Yeah, I know, I could smell you from all the way down the hall," Snake said with a grimace as he came out of the bedroom. Wolf tried not to appear too offended, but he wasn't sure if he succeeded or not. "Never thought I'd ever ask you this question, but uh...how was work?"

Wolf paused at the question. "You're right..." he chuckled. "That's not a question I ever expected to be asked, either. Makes me sound domesticated." He took off his jacket and tie, throwing them in a basket just inside the bedroom they'd bought earlier to hold their dirty clothes. "It was fun, actually."

Snake grunted. "Figured you'd say that. You really looked in your element there. I, uh..." Wolf placed his phone on the kitchen counter as he waited for Snake to continue. The serpent, however, shook his head. "Nevermind. Now, go take a shower! You smell like a sweaty mechanic."

"Gee, I wonder why," Wolf deadpanned before heading into the bathroom to take a shower, though he did briefly wonder what Snake was about to say. This one was quicker than the one last night. He was in and out within ten minutes and walked out into the living room wearing his pajamas—no, not the bunny onesie—to see Snake facetiming someone from his phone. "You have your own phone, you know," Wolf remarked before focusing on the three familiar faces on his screen. "Hey, guys! How's it goin'? Miss us yet?" he asked rapid fire with his signature grin.

"Hey, Wolfie! Goin' good! And you know we do!" Webs greeted, followed by the others.

"Snake told us ya got a job as a mechanic!" Shark said, clearly happy for his friend. "Good job, man!"

"Yeah," Piranha agreed. "Hard to imagine you at a regular job, though."

"So how was it?" Webs asked, eagerly awaiting the latest news.

Wolf chuckled at their eager expressions. "Well, it's not something I expected to happen, but I can't complain. Money is money, and admittedly, I did have fun."

"Well, congratulations!" Webs said before realization dawned upon her. "Hey, Piranha, weren't you supposed to leave by now?"

The little fish blinked before horror crossed his face. "Why didn't anyone tell me it was so late!?" No one got a chance to answer as the sound of a door slamming was the next thing to come over the phone.

"What's that all about?" Snake wondered.

"He's got a gig tonight," was Webs' simple explanation. "And I've actually got some work to catch up on. We just wanted to call to say hi."

"Well, we won't keep you. See ya later, guys," Wolf said, waving bye. Those others waved bye, as well, and then the call ended.

Supper that night consisted of a pizza Snake had ordered while Wolf was in the shower. After that, the canine went to bad, knowing he'd have to get up early, not only for work but also for his important meeting tomorrow.

AN: Yeah, this one was meant to really hammer home that Wolf's past isn't exactly a happy one. It also establishes the relationship between him and Diane to where she's really the only one he opens up to. And Viktor is going to be a recurring character that ends up with a rather important role later on.

Hope you enjoyed!

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22