The Good Life

AN: Not much to say about the chapter itself up here, but I do have some news to share:

I am now on Fiverr! If anyone's interested in commissioning me for an original story, check me out there. My username is the same on Fiverr as on here (admiralcole22).

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

Chapter Four:

Well, he was right about Viktor giving him what for. He ended up giving Wolf a choice of staying late to catch up on the needed work or skip his breaks. Wolf chose to work through his breaks, though he did take about ten minutes to eat a few snack cakes and down an entire bottle of water for lunch.

As a result, he was quite hungry when he got back to the apartment. The long day, lack of food, and dismal disappointment from this morning had put him in a rather testy mood, to say the least. So when he returned home to find that Snake hadn't so much as taken something out for him to eat, his mood only worsened. It didn't help that Snake just had to make a comment about how he smelled again.

It was just a harmless bit of teasing, Wolf knew, but he wasn't exactly in the best mindset to deal with that right now. Without a word, he went into his room to grab some clean pajamas and then into the bathroom to get a shower. Once cleaned up, he came out to the living room to see Snake still watching tv. He quietly scoffed at the lazy reptile before moving to the kitchen in hopes of finding something to eat that wasn't just cereal or a sandwich.

And then Snake had the audacity to ask, "What's for dinner?"

Wolf's hand froze as he reached for a packet of ramen noodles, and he actually had to take a second to calm down and remind himself that Snake hadn't really done anything wrong. He was just upset because of everything that happened throughout the day. "Find something," was what he eventually responded with, tossing the noodle packet onto the counter.

As he was pulling both a pot and pan out from one of the lower cabinets, the reptile's reply came. "So you're cooking for yourself but not for me?"

"Ramen isn't exactly prime cuisine," Wolf snapped back, putting some water in the pot and setting it to boil before dumping a good serving of frozen stir-fry vegetables into the frying pan and setting that dial to four.

Several beats of silence passed before, "You mad at me for somethin'?" Apparently, Snake had caught on that Wolf wasn't in the best of moods. And while the reptile's usual response to someone being angry at him was to get angry right back, it seemed Snake was actively trying to keep a somewhat level head. "'Cuz I'm pretty sure I didn't do nothin'."

"Exactly!" Wolf all but yelled back. Snake flinched, taken by surprise at the sudden increase in volume, though his expression quickly became neutral as Wolf began a small rant. "I've been out working my tail off all day, had to skip lunch, and I come back to find you haven't even taken anything out of the freezer to thaw out!"

"So why be mad at me, huh!? You should have taken something out before you left this morning!" It seemed Snake was back to his old strategy now. His voice was starting to raise, too.

"I had other things on my mind! I forgot!" Honestly, Wolf didn't even know why he was so mad over something so small. Actually, that wasn't true. He was mad at a lot of things, and they were all reaching critical mass by this point, and he was taking it out on Snake, who didn't deserve it. Despite knowing all this in the back of his mind, he still couldn't stop himself. "Is it too much to ask that you stop staring at the tv for two seconds, get off your lazy tail, and check!?"

Snake's gaze gradually changed as the two stared each other down. Rather than anger, the reptile was studying his friend with a critical gaze. He was beginning to understand there was more to this. Wolf turned away to dump the noodles into the now-boiling water...and so he wouldn't have to meet Snake's gaze. "This ain't about not taking out food, is it?" Wolf's ears went flat, causing Snake to snort in mild amusement. Wolf's ears always gave his mood away. "I'll take that as a 'no'. What happened?" And there it was, the question he'd been dreading. Though, it isn't like he was trying to hide the fact he was upset about something. He only had himself to blame for cluing Snake into figuring out something was wrong. "New job not as fun as ya thought?"

Wolf's anger started to fade only to be replaced by a crushing sense of disappointment and anxiety. He absently stirred the vegetables for a few moments before mumbling, "I didn't get the sponsor..."

"What?" Snake asked after a moment. If his tone was any indication, he hadn't actually heard what Wolf said.

Wolf just sighed. The fact he had to go through this conversation again after having it with Diane sucked, but it was necessary. Snake deserved to know, seeing as how Wolf pretty much dragged him all the way across the country with him. So, as he turned off the noodles and dumped in the chicken flavoring, stirring it a few times, he turned around to face Snake, averting his gaze after a few seconds. "I didn't get the sponsor."

Snake wore the same dumbfounded and disbelief he had right before their big fight in the S.U.C.M. prison. "What!? But I thought—"

"Yeah, that was Diane's reaction, too," Wolf cut him off, draining the broth from the noodles and dumping them into the frying pan. After that, he added some teriyaki marinade and a few drops of siracha chili sauce, then stirred it all up. A few seconds later, he dumped the whole thing onto a plate and grabbed a fork before settling down at the bar, eating his cheap stir-fry imitation.

"I-I'm sorry to hear that, buddy." Snake slithered over and coiled up on the stool next to him. "So...we headin' home, then?"

"No, not yet," was his quiet reply. It wasn't hopeless, he kept reminding himself. He'd suffered a setback, but that was no reason to give up entirely. There were other options to try...hopefully. "Diane and I are going to do a bit of research, try to find someone else willing to hire me on."

"Not much time left, though. Ya think you can find one?" It was a good question, one that Wolf didn't really know the answer to. He did know one thing, though...

"I want to try, at least," was his response, Snake nodding at his decision. "I've still got time, which means I still have a chance. That's all that matters to me." His usual determination was starting to shine through now that that heaviness was off his shoulders. He'd told Snake, and the reptile seemed willing to support his friend despite this setback.

"Alright, Wolf. I'll...keep up with local news, see if I can find anything of interest." Wolf grinned at his best pal appreciatively. The canine then held up a fist for Snake to head bump, which he did, and that was that.

Things fell into a bit of a routine after that. Wolf went to work every morning and came back every evening to start things over again the next day. During his breaks at work, Wolf was on his phone either researching potential sponsors or on the phone trying to at least score an interview. He and Diane would spend around thirty minutes on the phone with each other every night, both to keep in touch personally and brief the other on what avenues they took each day.

It took nearly two weeks for the previous sponsor to ask for an in-person interview after the application was submitted, so they both knew it would take time to find and secure another. And they were both equally aware that time was against them.

Snake, likewise, kept his promise of helping their research. He also started making an effort to help around the apartment, doing little things like making sure there was stuff out for dinner, ordering groceries online to be delivered, making sure the apartment was relatively clean. Snake still tended to stay in during the weeks, but he and Wolf would go sightseeing on the weekends when Wolf didn't have to work.

Speaking of which, things finally started to settle down at the garage after that first week. Now that they were mostly caught up, the hours returned to a normal eight to five schedule. Viktor did all the bodywork himself, when needed, and had Wolf work exclusively on the mechanical jobs. Especially so when said job involved classic American cars, of which there were quite a few of. As it turned out, Viktor knew more about European and Asian cars, which made sense seeing as how he was originally from Russia and only moved to Zootopia a few years ago. He'd tried to learn but ended up hiring mechanics who specialized in American classics.

Like Wolf, for instance.

After most of the jobs were done, Viktor charged Wolf with finishing the rebuild of a 1975 Camaro Z/28's engine. It was a bit newer than his own car, but it was still a Camaro. Wolf was able to get the whole thing finished within a week.

For his part, Viktor was satisfied, even impressed, with Wolf's knowledge and efficiency. The bear even hinted that Wolf could stay and work in his shop for however long he wanted to. If he couldn't get into the festival, Wolf would have to take him up on that offer since he wouldn't have any other options. There was no honest work for him in LA. At least he had a job here, and...he'd stay in Zootopia permanently if he had to.

He...hadn't told Diane about that decision yet. He hadn't told anyone, actually, and he wasn't planning on it unless he absolutely had to. Leaving his friends would be the hardest thing he'd ever have to do, without a doubt, but he couldn't ask them to leave LA and abandon their own dreams just to come over here and be with him. But if the only way to support them was to stay, then so be it.

And that path was looking more and more possible as the days passed by. It was already the middle of April, and sixty-four of the one hundred total sponsors either already had a driver or outright denied him when he asked for the position. He was almost certain some of those denials were speciesist in nature, but he couldn't exactly do anything about it. Several others had also pointed out his criminal history.

He had gotten a single try-out, surprisingly. And while Wolf was a good driver, he'd honed his skills on the streets while running from the cops. Professional racing was a bit different than that. Out of the five drivers trying out for iCarrot Electronics, Wolf placed third in lap times. First place was awarded to a young cheetah who ended up being a whole second faster than the second place driver and an additional quarter-second faster than Wolf. She had gloated. A lot.

Not only did it remind him that he'd be up against some stiff competition if he did make it into the festival, the loss made him start doubting himself. What if didn't have what it took to win big? What if this whole coordinated effort was for nothing?

He didn't stop researching potential opportunities, but it opened his eyes to the possibility of needing to take a different course. Hence why he was considering Viktor's proposal to stay on as a more permanent employee.

It was on Wolf's third weekend in Zootopia—the one after his second week of work—when Viktor asked him to stop by and help him with something for a few hours. So, having put off his and Snake's plans to go check out the Rainforest District, Wolf drove down to Viktor's shop and parked in his normal space. All the while, Viktor was loading some tools into the metal toolbox on the back of an old wrecker, the kind with a tow hook rather than the newer flatbed trucks.

"Ah, good that you've arrived! You are just on time!" Well, at least he seemed to be in a good mood. And he was wearing old yet casual clothes, so whatever they were doing wasn't business-related.

Wolf, however, was eyeing the wrecker curiously. He'd seen it parked in the side lot since it was hard to miss, but he wasn't aware the bear actually used it. Viktor had never, to his knowledge, left to pick up a wrecked vehicle before. "What are we doing with this?"

Viktor waved for him to hurry up, so Wolf ran around and jumped into the passenger seat. The leather was old, hard, and cracked in several spots, a sign of the truck's age and use. Viktor climbed into the passenger seat and cranked the truck, the engine turning over a few times before coming to life. After that, he shut the door and checked the mirrors and gauges. "In my years of being mechanic, I've learned that some days...they are slower than others. So what do I do if I have no work?" Wolf shrugged. "I find work!"

That...didn't really clear things up. Did he expect next week to be slow or something? And what did the tow truck have to do with anything? "So...what are we doing in this old thing?" Wolf asked as Viktor turned onto the road.

"Old it may be, but it still works!" he exclaimed with a chuckle. Then, in a quieter voice, he muttered, "And is cheaper than newfangled trucks with unreliable electronics." Wolf chuckled at that, the bear grinning at his employee. "As for what we are doing? You shall see soon enough."

Soon enough seemed to be a relative term here. It was nearly an hour later when they arrived at their destination, having gone all the way through Savannah Central, into Sahara Square, and north towards the outskirts of the Canyon Lands. And what a destination it was! "Holy moly!" Wolf got out of the truck and looked across the largest auto-salvage yard he had ever seen. "There's got to be ten thousand cars out there!"

Indeed, the junkyard seemed to stretch on for miles, cars, trucks, vans, and even tractors both new and old and in differing condition from all over the world were packed in neat rows for easy access, organized both by manufacturer and year. It was a car lover's paradise to be sure. "Closer ta twenty thousand by my last count."

Both Wolf and Viktor turned to the source of the Australian accent to spy a light brown dingo walking towards them. "Ahah! Dusty! Just the mammal I was hoping to see!" The two, clearly friends, shook hands before 'Dusty' turned to Wolf. Seeing that introductions were in order, Viktor spoke up, "This is Wolf, my new employee." Dusty snickered at his name but didn't comment.

"Been a while since ya've been back, Viktor. Was startin' ta think ya forgot about me." The bear laughed uproariously. "Anywho, what ya lookin' fer today?"

"A good question. Was thinking maybe my new employee would like to pick." Wolf stared at the bear in surprise while the dingo just chuckled. "What? You are good mechanic, and good work should be rewarded."

Wolf was about to nod and let that be that when Dusty smirked. "Don't let 'im fool ya, Wolf. I don't think he's ever let anyone else pick a car." Viktor just huffed, glaring at the dingo for revealing his secrets. The dingo's phone buzzed, and he looked at it briefly before putting it away. "I gotta get goin'. We're crushin' some cars in the northeast corner today, so stay away from that area. Other than that, ya can go wherever ya want. Call me when ya find somethin' ya like." With that, the dingo walked off around what was probably the office building. An old tractor drove by seconds later, the dingo waving to them as he passed.

"Alright, I get we're here to find an old car, but...why?" Wolf looked out over the massive junkyard again and wondered how he was supposed to pick one out of all of these. Already he could see a 1967 Mustang, and that was just in the first row!

"I'll explain as we walk. There is much ground to cover." Viktor grabbed a small toolbox from the wrecker and started walking into the yard. Wolf just kept gawking at all of the amazing cars they passed. Obviously, most of the cars were rather common or junk cars like a Ford Taurus or an AMC Gremlin. But there were definitely some gems within the rough. "That Camaro I had you working on last week was one I bought from here several months ago. I like to have a couple side projects for days when work is slow. I sell said projects for extra cash, but...that is not why we are here today."

Viktor stopped walking for a moment, placing his toolbox on the hood of a rather busted up Pontiac Trans Am. Then, he pulled out his wallet, grabbed a check, and handed it to Wolf, whose jaw dropped when he saw the number on it. "T-Twenty thousand!?" Luckily, there was no one around to hear his incredulous outburst.

"Is a lucrative business selling rare cars, no?" the bear chuckled. "Seeing as how you were only reason I was able to sell that Camaro, I decided to give you part of profits. That is yours to buy whatever car you want. Or save it if you want."

Wolf didn't know what else to say other than, "Thank you. That's...wow..."

"Truthfully...this is me bribing you to stay. I overheard one of your conversations. Your sponsor fell through, didn't it?" Wolf's smile slowly faded, and he nodded. "You are best mechanic I have ever had privilege of working with, and I want you to stay. You can even keep current pay rate."

"I've...actually thought about it," Wolf admitted. "I might...but I don't know yet."

The bear nodded. "Fair enough. Think it over, Wolf." He patted Wolf's shoulder a few times as a show of support. "Now, come! It's time to find a car for you!"

Wolf lingered a few steps behind, blinking away some moisture in his eyes. Two weeks of working for Viktor, and the bear was already doing so much for him. While he still wasn't sure if he was going to stay permanently, this gesture wouldn't be forgotten any time soon. It was just another reason why staying would be a good idea.

AN: I already have a car picked out. Let's see if anyone will be able to guess what make and model it is. Hint: it's Italian.

Again, I'm on Fiverr if you want to check out my gigs.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22