The Good Life

AN: And now we start getting into the real meat of the story. This is where all the future conflict stems from.

Also, thanks to everyone who favorited and followed. We've ten of each and nearly 500 views already! Honestly, that's better than I expected from a crossover.

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

Chapter Three:

The next morning had Wolf dressed in yet another of his nicer suits in preparation for his interview this morning. This one was a lighter grey compared to the one he wore yesterday or the day before, and it almost blended with his fur. He also had on a white dress shirt with his orange tie underneath the suit jacket. His signature brown dress shoes completed the ensemble.

Even if he pretty much guaranteed to get the sponsorship like his contact had suggested, Wolf still thought it best to make a good impression. That meant he needed to look the part of the upstanding citizen. And obviously, he'd be taking his car, too. They needed to see he wasn't all bark about his skills.

With a final glance in the mirror to make sure he looked good, he nodded to his reflection, spritzed some cologne on, and then left the bathroom. Snake was already awake when Wolf made it into the living room. "Good luck, pal," the serpent bid him.

Wolf picked up his keys and flashed his friend a smirk. "Since when have we ever cared about luck?" Snake just rolled his eyes and went back to watching tv. Wolf just chuckled as he unlocked the apartment and stepped out into the hall.

It was quarter 'til eight right now, and his meeting was scheduled for 8:30. The factory was in eastern Savannah Central's industrial district, but that's not where he was headed. He was actually going to the corporate headquarters building in downtown, which was actually farther away. Plus, this was the morning rush hour, so it'd probably take him close to thirty minutes to actually get there. Hence, why he was leaving so early. He waved at the few other early risers leaving, holding the elevator door open for an elderly she-wolf, who was probably in her mid-sixties. If the young pups who came in after her was any clue, she was probably off to drop her grandkids off at school. "Oh, thank you, young man," she smiled gratefully.

"Not a problem, ma'am," he returned kindly. Inwardly, he rather hoped this old lady wasn't a guinea pig in disguise. She wasn't, obviously, and he allowed her and her grandkids to leave first when the elevator hit the garage floor.

He unlocked his car with his key fob as he approached, and he opened the door just as one of the pups shouted out, "Woah, cool car!" They were on the other side of the isle and a few cars down, entering a car modeled after an old Buick that was built by a manufacturer called Buck.

"Isn't it, though?" he smiled back as he got in, rolling the windows down before cranking the car, the engine all but roaring to life in the enclosed space. He watched the kids all shriek in excitement in his side mirror with a chuckle. He waved as he passed by, the old she-wolf calling out a 'bye' before he was turning out onto the street. Once the windows were rolled up, he couldn't help the small chuckle. Those were some cute kids.

Now on the road, he turned on some music and ended up bopping along to 'Gold on the Ceiling' by The Black Keys. Not only did it have one of the catchiest instrumentals he'd ever heard in any song ever, but the lyrics reminded him of the good ol' days back before the whole Marmalade fiasco. Maybe he wasn't in a police chase after stealing something or other, but that didn't mean he couldn't go a bit faster than the speed limit once he was on the main artery into downtown. He probably hit repeat on that song three times before letting it go to the next one, but who could blame him? It was such a good tune!

Once he turned off the main road into downtown, he turned his music off, having to pay more attention to the road signs now that he was in less familiar territory. A quick glance at the clock showed he still had about fifteen minutes until his meeting. Despite the traffic, he was still making good time. Now everything depended on how quickly he could find the appropriate parking garage. As it turned out, that particular challenge was quite easy. Once he turned down the road he needed to be on, his destination was literally right there, and the above ground garage for the nearby office buildings was right next to where he needed to go.

He ended up parking on the top of the six-story garage for a few reasons. First, there were less cars up there. Secondly, there was a walkway between the garage and the building one floor down. That particular floor had been jam packed with cars, and the floor below it hadn't been much better. Plus, the view was better up here.

It wasn't long before he was across the walkway and headed up to the twenty-seventh floor. He had to share the elevator car with a whole group of well-dressed mammals—all of which were prey mammals and half of which were clearly nervous in his presence. "I swear I don't bite," he commented off-handedly, smirking in amusement when the pig closest to him actually jumped at the sound of his voice. At least they weren't actually screaming in fear or glaring at him in hatred.

By the time they arrived at the twenty-seventh floor of this thirty-story building, it was just him and the pig. "This is my stop," she said, clearly nervous around him.

"Coincidentally, it's mine, too," he replied as the doors opened. Seeing that she was all but frozen at that, he simply shrugged and walked out before her to show he was actually serious. "Have a good day, ma'am," he saluted her as the doors closed. She hadn't stepped out. Apparently, some mammals were still pretty afraid of predators even after nine months.

Not letting that get to him, he took in the posh reception area. The grey tiles were freshly waxed, and the wooden veneer on the walls were equally shiny. Neither were the cheap stuff, either. No, they looked like the real deal, but his keen eye could tell they weren't. Then, there were some small potted trees on either side of the receptionist's desk, which was made from high quality wood and topped with actual marble. And, of course, the doors leading to the executive offices on either side of the desk were made of glass, the wall between bearing the logo of the Animal Motor Company. The seats in the waiting room were actual leather sofas and chairs. Really, all that was missing was a fancy chandelier, and it would feel like walking onto the set of Die Hard or something.

"Something I can help you with, sir?" the receptionist, a chestnut mare asked.

Wolf glanced at his watch. The time read 8:27. Cutting it a bit close, but he was still on time. "Yes, I believe so," he replied, walking over to her desk. "I'm supposed to have a meeting with someone at 8:30." Wolf thought for a second before shaking his head. "I'm afraid I can't quite remember who it was off the top of my head. Andy something or other, I think?"

"Ah, I believe that would be Andy Grazinski. He's the head of our mammal resources department." the mare responded. "And you must be Moe Wolf. Mr. Grazinski mentioned you would be coming today." She picked up the phone to call it in, though she hung up a few seconds later. "I'm sorry. His previous meeting is running a bit longer than expected. He'll be with you shortly. Feel free to take a seat."

Wolf did so, but he couldn't help but think that maybe this was an obligatory delay. Maybe this was a test to see what Wolf would do when forced to wait despite having a set meeting time. It was a good test of character. Those too impatient or self-important to wait would end up going into the meeting looking bad while those who were patient and courteous were treated well.

It was about ten minutes later when a white-tailed deer buck dressed in a standard black suit came out into the reception area. "Mr. Wolf? Apologies for the wait. If you would follow me?" Wolf stood and did so, following the deer through the offices, each one separate spaces to allow for privacy. The office they entered was along the outer wall of the building, meaning it was made entirely of glass and provided an excellent view of the city. Based on the material lining the wall, the office was also sound-proofed. Other than that, the furnishing and decorations were even more posh than the reception area. A few personal touches, mostly photos, lined one of the wall shelves and one of the expensive—and large—oak wood desk's corners. "Before you ask about my name: yes, I am of a species found almost exclusively in North America, but I was adopted by a polish couple when I was very young." It was said in a joking manner, so Wolf chuckled as he was offered a seat.

"You get asked that a lot?" the canine wondered.

"Enough that I started giving that disclaimer with every new mammal I meet," the deer replied with a small smile as he took a seat behind his desk and logged into his computer. After about thirty seconds, Andy sighed. And Wolf was suddenly nervous. "Your resume was quite impressive, Mr. Wolf. With all of the skills you claim to possess, it should be a stupidly easy decision to sponsor you during this year's racing festival. But..." He sighed again and turned off the computer, fully facing Wolf now. "But I'm afraid your criminal history is making things...difficult."

Wolf blinked incredulously. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! "When we spoke on the phone, you told me that wasn't an issue," Wolf replied, his voice carefully calm. "You were also the one that assured me that my pardon made sure my history couldn't be held against me." And he wasn't just talking about Diane's pardon, either, as that would have only been good in California, anyway. Diane had forwarded all of the Bad Guy's pardons directly to the President, who had granted all five of them amnesty.

"Yes, I know," was his reply. And to his credit, the deer did actually seem genuinely regretful. "But some unfortunate circumstances arose over the last week. It turns out our CFO was embezzling vast sums of money for her own use, and our CEO is worried that sponsoring a former criminal in the racing festival would lead to even more bad PR." Wolf just sat there, too stunned to speak, his jaw agape at this unfairness. "So unfortunately, I have been ordered to deny your request. I truly am sorry."

Now, if there was one talent Wolf had that was on par with his driving skills, it was his ability to speak. He was charismatic and persuasive enough to scam a beggar out of his last penny, and he wasn't about to back down. "Bad PR?" he asked, feigning confusion. "You'd think giving a pardoned and reformed criminal a chance despite the company's scandal would actually be good, as doing so would show how open-minded and forgiving you are as a company. What's that popular saying around here? 'Anyone can be anything?' Like, say, a former criminal could become an upstanding citizen and a professional racing driver?"

The deer just sighed in frustration as he rubbed his temples. "Yes, yes, you have a way with words. Listen, if it was up to me, I would have you sign the contract right now. But it isn't up to me. And despite the near-hour I spent trying to persuade the CEO otherwise prior to your arrival, he won't be moved. It's a risk he's not willing to take."

"Then maybe—" he began, only to be interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wolf, but this matter is out of my hooves." He stood and gazed down at the canine with a stern expression. "Now, I must ask you to leave."

Wolf stood slowly, glaring at the deer with suppressed anger. He barely stopped himself from growling as he left, shutting the office door harder than necessary while not slamming it. There had been no point staying to continue the argument. In fact, the only possible outcome would be getting escorted out of the building by security and further proving that he was 'unfit' for their sponsorship. By the time he was out to the reception area, he actually was growling to himself, his anger having grown with every step he took away from that office. They couldn't do this! He'd driven all the way here from LA for this! Did they really expect him to be understanding after wasting all that time and money while on the road!? And that's not even mentioning the money Diane spent on the apartment for him and Snake.

He all but smacked the down button on the elevator, uncaring of the startled gasp the action elicited from the receptionist. When the car arrived, it was thankfully empty, so he entered and slapped the button for the fifth floor. His impatience and frustration was shown through the clench of his jaw and the relentless tap of his shoe against the floor of the car. Wolf didn't get this angry very often, but he felt his anger in this moment was justified. In an impulsive move, he slammed the side of his fist into the wall of the car with an angered yell just as the door opened. He snapped his glare up when he heard a gasp, the female cheetah watching him nervously. "I'll...just wait for the next one," she muttered, not meeting his gaze even as the doors closed.

He probably should have felt guilty or even nervous about the incident. She might even be reporting him to security at this very moment, but he didn't care. He was leaving, anyway. When the doors opened, he all but stomped through the crowd of waiting mammals as they quickly got out of the clearly agitated wolf's way. He didn't stop until he was in his car, the door all but slamming shut behind him.

And that's when he finally took some deep breaths, trying to calm down. Going out on the road this upset wasn't a smart idea. He'd basically be asking to get into an accident. He ended up crossing his arms atop the steering wheel and resting his head there as he tried to figure out what to do next. Everything—everything—had been riding on this contract! It's why he came all the way here in the first place! Not only that, it's why he came back after swearing he never would!

He'd have to tell Snake about this eventually. Even if it wasn't today or even tomorrow, he'd have to come clean some time. He just didn't want to tell him yet because...he didn't know what to do. There had been no contingency plan since they all thought this was a guaranteed win.

Before he knew it, he had pulled out his phone and was dialing the only person he thought could help talk him through this. On the third ring, she finally answered. "Hey...you realize what time it is over here right?" Based on her voice and what time his watch said, he realized he'd woken her up.

"Sorry, Diane, I forgot about the time difference," he apologized, his voice slightly muffled from his current position.

"It's alright," she assured him with a yawn. "My alarm goes off in like ten minutes, anyway, and I did say you could call whenever you needed to, so...what's up?"

He was quiet for a few seconds as he tried to figure out what to say—his normal skill with words having all but left him completely. In the end, he decided to beat around the bush a bit, unwilling to go directly into the main issue just yet. "I just got out of my meeting..." he began.

"Oh, yeah? How'd it go?" She thought he was calling to tell her the good news. He could hear that expectance in her voice, and it made him feel worse when he inevitable had to tell her the truth.

"They wouldn't sign me on..." he muttered, his voice barely audible even to himself.

A moment of silence. "I'm sorry, babe, I can't hear you. Your voice sounds all muffled."

Wolf just sat up and slumped against the back of the seat. "I didn't get the sponsorship," he repeated, both loud and clear.

Another moment of silence, and this time he could picture the stunned confusion on her face. "W-What? But...I though—"

"Yeah, I did, too," he interrupted her with a sigh. "There's some kind of company scandal going on involving embezzlement, and they didn't think sponsoring a former criminal would be in good taste right now."

"I'm sorry, Wolf. I know how much this opportunity meant to you." Diane was the only person in the world he would accept sympathy from. "What are you going to do now?" she asked gently.

And there it was. The question he'd been asking himself since storming out of that office. Normally, he was the one with all the big plans and grand ambitions—the one expected to have contingency plans for every scenario both foreseen and unforeseen. But this was the one time, the one thing, he hadn't prepared for. He'd been so sure...

"I...I don't know..." he admitted.

"You'll figure something out. I know it." He wish he had her confidence. "How many teams are enrolled in the festival?" she asked.

"A hundred," was his simple response, though he wondered where she was going with this.

"A hundred. So if this one didn't pan out, you have ninety-nine other options, right?" He tried to argue, to say this festival was really exclusive, that most sponsors probably already had drivers. "Well, you can't give up before you even try, Wolf," she scolded him. "I'll see what I can find on my end, alright? But you have to ask around, too. If getting into this festival means so much to you, you'll find a way to get in it. Right?"

He smiled at her optimism. "Right. Thanks, Diane."

She chuckled, glad to hear he was feeling better. "No problem, babe. Love you."

"Love you, too. Bye." With that, he hung up the phone and sighed, new determination filling him. If that one option didn't pan out, all he had to do was figure out another path to take. A quick glance at his watch had him grimacing. He still needed to get to work, but he also needed to pick up some t-shirts at a store. He had no idea where to find one, though. One thing he did know, however: Viktor was going tear him a new one for being so late.

AN: Whatever shall Wolf do now that his sponsorship deal hasn't worked out? Stick around to find out.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22