~My 40th story (: Thanks to all my readers!~
I picked up the Sly Cooper games again :D
So this is in fact a sequel to 'What a Train Wreck!'. Although it can be read alone easily, I highly recommend you read the first story before this one. This is more of a companion piece, but you'll understand the small references better if you read 'What a Train Wreck!' first.
This story takes place during Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves, World #7: Menace in the North, eh?
UPDATE: I now have a twitter account! The link can be found in my profile page. Follow me for updates on stories, information on new stories, and maybe even some special sneak peeks of future chapters or stories!
Sly Cooper © Sucker Punch/Sanzaru Games/Sony
Sly's P.O.V.
I wrapped a scarf around my neck tighter and fought back another shiver. The tourists didn't lie; northern Canada was cold. Not to mention I still hadn't recovered from the cold I'd indirectly received from being hit by a train no more than two weeks ago.
So now Bentley wanted me to remove tracking devices from bears. Sounds pleasant. Then I thought about where the devices were: the bears' mouths. Another shiver ran down my spine, this one not entirely from the cold. I leapt off of the pole I was perched on and headed toward the bear cave. But, maybe I could make a short stop on the way…
Carmelita's P.O.V.
I yawned and rolled over in my bed. 10 am?! I had overslept! I jumped out of bed and ran past a mirror, my first mistake today. Backing up, I looked in the mirror. My blue hair was a mess, my makeup was smeared everywhere, I had slept in my now wrinkled work clothes, and my eyes were ever so slightly pink. I had been, to my distaste, crying last night all thanks to a stupid nightmare. Working late made me even more tired, hence the reason I fell asleep like I did.
And here comes mistake number two…
"Good morning, gorgeous."
…leaving the window open. I wiped as much makeup off as I could with my glove before turning to the charming voice.
"Cooper," I said calmly. We'd agreed to go our separate ways after the events of the train wreck, seeing that it would be best for our professions for the moment, even if we were in love. He strolled over slowly and leaned his cane against the wall behind me. Mistake number three: trapping myself between Cooper and a wall.
"You have an adorable bedhead. Does anyone ever tell you that?" Sly asked smoothly. I stood my ground.
"No need to be the sweet-talker, Cooper. I'm a mess and I know it," I replied flatly. He frowned in return and traced my jawbone with his fingers.
"Tsk tsk, Carmelita." He turned me around and placed his arms around my waist. We both gazed into the mirror now. "What do you see here?"
"A raccoon and a mess," I replied, refusing to voice my full opinion on Sly. He chuckled lowly, his breath tickling my ear.
"I think you mean a beautiful fox and a devilishly charming raccoon, my vixen," Sly answered and squeezed my rib cage tighter. I placed a gloved paw over his paws. I turned in his arms and leaned on his chest.
"I don't wanna look in the mirror anymore Sly," I replied quietly, gripping the collar of his shirt. He nibbled lightly and playfully on my ear.
"Is something wrong?" Sly asked calmly. I sighed.
"Why do you have to be a thief?" I felt him tense.
"Carm, you know we've talked about this…"
"I know, I know. I just…miss you a bit I guess," I managed to say. He pulled me back to look into his comforting brown eyes.
"I miss you tons, Carm." Sly pecked my forehead. When I pulled him down and slightly whimpered for a kiss he refused to give, I felt the disappointment bubbling in me. "I've still got a cold, Miss Fox. I don't want to give you one," he replied with a light chuckle.
"Sly, I could care less about your cold," I said as I pulled him down to me. The kiss instantly warmed my bones from the cold Canadian air that crept in from the open window. There was no denying that I loved Sly's kisses. They were warm and soft, but they hit the spot perfectly every time. I played with the small amount of fur on his neck. He moaned in content. I smirked against his lips. I ran my thumb across his cheekbone as he allowed me to breath for a minute.
"Promise I'll come see you next chance I get. I can't have Bentley catching on," Sly whispered with a wink. I smiled in understanding, knowing our relationship was better a secret than an announcement. He kissed me one more time before letting go of my waist. He walked toward the window with his cane and a smile. "I love you," he said before dashing out the window. I smiled in return.
"I love you too, Ringtail."
To keep the charade of our 'frenemy' relationship up, I loaded up my gun and laced up my boots in preparation for chasing down my raccoon. I would more than likely focus more on Jean Bison's goons than Cooper himself, but I couldn't let my affections show. I needed to keep the cop exterior intact.
I stepped out into the cold Canadian air and shivered. How could that raccoon not wear a jacket out here? It was freezing! I pulled the knit cap down farther and turned on the light on my pistol. I pointed it out in front of me and began my walk.
Not before long, I bumped into one of Bison's goons. I gave chase immediately, and it seemed to be that the goon was in no mood for a fight. He took off running toward a large opening, much to my surprise. I ran across the wooden bridge in pursuit, firing my pistol as I pleased. I was so caught up in the moment that I mistakenly forgot to watch where I was walking.
It all happened so fast. I came around a corner, just barely exiting the clearly, and heard a loud metal clang. Within a few seconds, an extremely sharp pain shot through my right leg and I collapsed with a cry. I looked down and felt tremendously dizzy. My vision instantly became fuzzy and I looked down to see the source of my pain. I had run myself right into a bear trap.
Another cry of pain came from my mouth. I was trying exceptionally hard to conceal my pain, but it was no use here. I reached down to try and pry the trap open, but, as much as it shamed me to admit, I'd never used a bear trap before. I didn't exactly know how they worked.
A sudden growl alerted me to the new companion I'd just gained. I looked behind me to see a large grizzly bear coming right for me. Could this day get any worse? I immediately searched my person for a radio, but realized I'd foolishly left it in my cabin. My pistol now sat a few feet away, as I'd dropped it when I came crashing down. My brown eyes widened as the bear came closer. I started to scoot myself toward my pistol, but that only made things hurt worse. I bit down on my lip hard to suppress my screams of pain. As I licked my lips, the taste of blood was fresh upon them.
The bear stalked closer to me as I tried to scoot back. Calling for help would only encourage an attack from the bear, and my vision was getting fuzzier as it was. I could see the pool of red forming around the bear trap, which only made my stomach queasy. My breathing picked up as I feared the worst.
Coming from nowhere, there was suddenly something between the bear and I. No, wait, there was someone between the bear and I, fighting it back with a grunt. I opened my eyes wide enough to see Sly before my eyes. He had his cane in the bear's open mouth, trying to push it back with all his strength. I felt completely useless in the situation. He snuck a glance back at me. Even as he fought a bear, there was still a twinkle of charm in his eyes.
The bear pushed on as Sly tried to shove it back, but even he couldn't stop the bear. The bear swung at Sly, leaving gash marks along his stomach. Cooper took the opportunity and hit the bear with that cane of his, stunning the bear slightly. He wasted no time in turning to me, throwing me into his arms, and carrying me off and away from the bear. He gave my pistol a good kick to put it ahead of us. Sly leaned me down ever so slightly as he ran toward the pistol and I already knew what he was doing. I reached down and snatched it up as we- well, Sly- ran from the bear. He hopped down onto a lower ledge with ease and pressed his back against the snowy wall of the higher cliff. Looking up in terror, we waited for the bear to pass then sighed in relief. He slowly sank to the ground with me on his lap. His eyes darted to me, then back to the bear trap.
"Oh God, Carm. How are you feeling? Are you dizzy? Awake?" I nodded slowly as I began to get drowsy from the blood loss. I felt his warm, gloved paw on my cheek. "Stay with me Carm, okay? You have to stay awake. I'm gonna pry the trap off of you, okay? Carm, say something!" I heard the panicked raccoon say. I nodded again through half-lidded eyes.
"I hear you, Sly. Go ahead…" I said in a sleepy voice. I was shifted slightly and I suddenly felt a sting on my leg. I winced as I heard a quiet apology. It felt as if a hundred pounds had just been taken off of my right leg and I sighed in both pain and relief.
Sly folded me back into my arms. He pressed my head against his chest and realized how warm he was compared to me. He picked me up cautiously.
"You're gonna be okay, Carm…" I heard as I nodded slowly. Suddenly, we were off to somewhere new. I could barely make out a snow covered building as I slipped into sleep…
Sly's P.O.V.
I shoved open the door to the Safe House and ran immediately to Bentley.
"Bentley! A little help?!"
"Sly! Where have you-" His words stopped when he laid eyes on the unconscious fox in my arms. He was slightly speechless for a minute before ushering me down the hall. "Set her down somewhere, I'll grab my medical kit!" Bentley yelled as he ran down to the closet. I set her down on my bed carefully and took a step back to allow Bentley at her. "Good God, what happened to you two?" Bentley asked as he caught sight of my scratches.
"She stepped in a bear trap. Look, worry about her for now, pal. Deal with me later," I said, my eyes not leaving Carmelita's pale form. He turned to her as he dug out a needle and some rubbing alcohol.
"Guys, what's going- Whoa!" The pink hippo looked shocked at the events happening before him.
"Murray, go get some water," Bentley asked, trying to stay calm. He put pressure onto Carmelita's leg to stop the bleeding.
"Is she gonna be okay?" I asked hesitantly. Bentley's answer couldn't come quickly enough.
"She's lost some blood, and she's got a nasty wound, but she's extremely lucky. The trap's teeth didn't cut too far in, but that doesn't exactly save her from stitches. I think after a little while, she'll be fine." It was as if all the pain I had been feeling instantly vanished. Carmelita is going to be fine. She's going to make it.
Murray ran in with a bowl of water a minute later. I pulled up a chair and sat next to Carmelita's head as Bentley cleaned her wound. After sterilizing the needle, he got to work on Carmelita's wound. I laced my fingers with hers as Bentley stitched her up. I was twitchy and nervous; I just wanted to see her smile again. I wanted to know she was going to be okay.
As Bentley slowly finished off his work, he turned to me. He eyed the gashes on my stomach and I returned an unpleasant look.
"Worry about them later, pal."
"Sly, they need to be cleaned. You'll drag your germs all over this Safe House if you don't let me deal with that. Murray, could you please get more water?" Murray took the bowl and seemed to be grateful to leave the room and avoid the oncoming argument. "Come with me back into the planning room, where there's better light."
"I'm not leaving her side, Bentley," I said. Bentley looked at me with narrowed eyes.
"Sly, if I dare to say so, it seems as if you have a thing for her." For once, I didn't have a comeback. My mouth opened and closed without noise. Bentley smirked and motioned me to sit back down in my chair. "I hope you realize that by bringing her back here you've jeopardized the plan and safety of this Safe House," Bentley said boldly, but I could see the smirk behind his eyes. I pulled off my sweater and scarf so Bentley could get at the wounds.
"Yeah yeah, but where's all the fun without Inspector Fox?" I asked jokingly as I eyed her from across the room. Murray carried the water over to Bentley as I tossed my sweater and scarf on the edge of the bed and threw the covers over my vixen. I smiled and turned back to the chair on the other side of the room, which Bentley moved for lighting purposes. I plopped down on the wooden seat. I leaned my head back against the wall as he washed the small doses of blood off of my fur. I helped Bentley wind a bandage around my waist to cover up my new gashes.
"She can't stay here for long, Sly," Bentley said as he packed up his items. I nodded slowly.
"I know. I can't kick her out into the cold though. Not after what she did for me," I said, turning to face her and crossing my arms over my shirtless figure.
"Pardon?" Bentley asked. My ears perked up and eyes widened. I hadn't told the team where I was that night. They didn't know.
"She helped me out of a small issue a few weeks ago, it wasn't a huge deal," I said, trying to blow the situation off. But Bentley wouldn't drop it.
"That bruise on your arm… the hurt ankle… that smell of coal… oh my God, you got hit by a train," Bentley realized, suddenly taken aback. "And Carmelita rescued you… that's where you were that night!" I turned my head to face him, not denying his claims. "Oh, please don't tell me you were… in bed… with a cop…" Bentley said as his eyes drifted to Carmelita.
"Oh relax pal, she just kept me overnight because I couldn't get back to the Safe House in the cold. It was fine; she was just looking out for me. I have her back and she has ours, pal," I explained as Bentley scowled.
"Why didn't you tell us? And how did you even manage to get hit?" Murray asked curiously.
"Maybe because I took the hit for her," I said as I flattened my ears against my head.
"You jumped in front of a train… for her…" Bentley said, extremely confused. "And she tries to hunt you down… with a shock pistol."
"Look, it's complicated, okay?" I said.
"You love her," Murray said with a smirk.
"I…"
"Face it Sly, we're your best friends, whether you like it or not," Bentley said, now smiling. "And though we may not always agree on your decisions, we'll always have your back. Just… please be careful, especially if you get involved with Inspector Fox. It could have drastic consequences, both for you and for her." I nodded, looking back over to her unconscious form.
"About that…"
"Wait, let me guess. You're her boyfriend, aren't you?" Bentley asked. "Anything else you've been keeping from us?"
"We're kinda on a trial run right now that started after the train accident. It's just been between the two of us, until now. We didn't want anyone to find out, and it's kind of complicating lifestyles. We're pretty much going back and forth between cops and robbers and girlfriend and boyfriend," I said with a sigh. Murray clapped a hand onto my shoulder.
"If she makes you happy Sly," he began, "then I'm happy for you, little buddy," Murray finished. Bentley nodded.
"Agreed. Just…"
"…be careful," I finished for him with a smirk. Murray and Bentley walked out after that, but I stopped Bentley in the doorway. "Thanks again, Wizard. I really appreciate you saving her, and me," I finished. He smiled.
"We're a family Sly. I'm pretty sure Inspector Fox is slowly becoming a piece of that family, whether we want that to occur or not." With that, Bentley walked out and I just the door to my room behind him. I plopped down on my bed next to Carmelita's head and ran a paw through her curls.
"C'mon Carm, wake up…"
Carmelita's P.O.V.
My head felt like it weighed a million pounds. I was tucked in warmly under a blanket in a rather comfy bed, and there was a dull ache in my leg. I was missing my boots, socks, jacket, and gloves. There were paws playing with my cobalt hair gently, and I rolled over slowly to meet warm, chocolate brown eyes and a glowing smirk.
"Hello sweetheart," a velvety voice came. I squinted at the raccoon.
"Hi," I replied dully. I yawned before I groaned in pain.
"How're you feeling?" I wanted to dismiss the question with questions of my own.
"Um, fine. Where am I and how did I get here?" I asked as I sat up slightly to look around.
"You're safe, and that's what matters," Cooper replied and brushed a thumb against my cheek. "I was so worried about you," he said quietly.
"I remember being chased by a bear, and the bear trap. What happened, Cooper?" I asked again, not liking being kept from details.
"I carried you here, and Bentley nursed you back to health before dealing with me," he said. It was then that I realized that I was lying in what appeared to be Cooper's bed with a rather shirtless Sly. My face reddened suddenly. I traced the bandages around him slowly.
"Are you okay?" I asked, letting the vulnerable side of me show. I trusted Sly.
"I'm more worried about you," Sly said as he ran a paw into the back of my blue hair. He drew me in for a kiss I didn't refuse. It was long and simple, but passionate all at once. I broke off suddenly.
"We're in your hideout," I said. "So your gang is here. What if they catch us-"
"Carm," he interrupted me, "they know."
"But, how? I thought we agreed to keep this quiet," I said in confusion. He traced my bottom lip with his thumb.
"I can't hide anything from them. They're not going to kick you out or anything. Bentley saved your life," Sly explained. I nodded slowly, not exactly sure how to repay my debt to them.
"Thank you." That would have to suffice for now. He smiled. "I don't really know what to say," I said with a small chuckle.
"Then don't say anything," Sly replied as he claimed my lips again. I melted against him as I pressed my bare paws against his bare chest. He placed a paw on my waist with a finger-light touch. I shivered slightly and smiled against his lips. "I love you Carmelita," he whispered against my lips.
"I love you too, Sly," I replied before diving in for another kiss. I shivered slightly after I broke off.
"Cold?" Sly asked. I snickered lightly.
"That's only have the reason for the chills, Cooper," I replied. He put a paw on my shoulder and guided me to lie down again.
"Rest, my inspector. You're going to need that for a full recovery," Sly explained as he let me cuddle up to him. I found his arms around my waist as I leaned on his chest. "Nothing like a little déjà vu," Sly whispered and kissed my head. I murmured in reply, deciding that more sleep sounded amazing.
That Cooper name is starting to grow on me…
If you don't understand the last line, read the early fic, 'What a Train Wreck!'. It will all make sense then :D
Did you like? Or not? Opinions please :)