Woo, new chapter for Life's Not A Fairytale! I would really like to have this story done before the year is over, which is why I'm updating now. Born To Be Brave…I need to get off my lazy ass and finish that. Because the new Ratchet and Clank game is already out, and I've already beaten it. So here's the last for the Octavio part.
Chapter VII: Jealousy burns!
Your POV:
You feel awful about what you did. Really. You snuck out to see a cop-a mercenary cop, but still a cop. And a male cop. What would Sly say-or more importantly think-if he found out? You just hope that Raphael will keep a secret-Sly's already risked plenty to even get your into the gang in the first place. And he trusts you. Really trusts you. You don't think you'd be able to take it if you broke his heart or did anything to hurt him. Sly seems cocky and confident, but…he's actually pretty lonely. He misses his family, his parents.
The people who raised you may not have been your adoptive parents, but at least you had parents. You even had a sibling, and even now, you don't know how you feel or how you should feel about her…death.
There it is again.
That little pang of hurt in your heart.
Every time you think of Arianna, your heart lurches in your chest. Her death has been sitting there in the back of your mind, and every time that you're alone-all alone, as in, without Sly, Bentley, or Murray-she's all you can think about.
Which is why you try to not be alone.
Hm. Maybe she's thinking about you, like you're thinking about her. You feel like somebody's thinking about you somewhere. Or maybe that's Raphael. Ugh, he's such a dickhead. God, you're so mad at him! He's gonna turn into Carmelita, and then…well, you don't know what's gonna happen, but you know that things are gonna get really ugly, really fast. You just hope that everything's gonna be okay in the end.
…
Okay, so…Octavio's behind bars, or…at least he will be, you think to yourself as you see Carmelita sitting on top of him sipping coffee. A few feet away from her you see Raphael. You're standing up there on a roof with Sly, and Raphael is looking up at you. You're waiting for him to get Carmelita's attention, but he just glares at you. "What he's looking at?" Sly asks.
"He doesn't like you."
Sly chuckles. "No, really? Never would've guessed."
You give Raphael the "middle finger", and he gives a snarl-big enough to get the message across, but not too big where Carmelita would ask what was wrong. You and Sly take off, and head back towards the safehouse. You need to pack up, and then head out for your next mission. But for now, you just chill and relax.
You toss your quiver onto a shelf and the arrows spell out on the surface slightly. You place your bow nearby on the ground. "Your archery skills are getting better." Bentley says, typing away at his computer.
You smirk. "Damn right they are."
"So…what's the deal with you and that other guy?" Murray asks.
Oh yeah. Murray. He's back! The Murray is back! No more brainwashing, none of that crap! He's the violent, ill-tempered Murray again! The big guy (with an even bigger heart) was the first to really welcome you into the gang. Sly was…relatively easy to win over, and…while, you and Bentley certainly still don't see eye-to-eye…it's a lot easier than it used to be. And honestly? They're the best part of the job.
"Meh, don't worry about him. He's a dickhead." You smile, sitting down next to him to play some video games. Man, you missed Murray. Not as much as you missed Sly, but you really missed Murray too. He's like the little brother you always wanted-even though he's several times your size and…a different species. Bentley's like the smart older brother that you also wanted. Bentley's the sibling that can be an asshole about certain things, but he only does what he does because he cares and he means well.
Sly shrugs. "He was giving you the eye."
You grin. "Eye? What eye? As in a dirty look? Or the look guys give girls when they wanna do something dirty?"
"A little of both." There's something about that tone…the way he says it…oh, he's jealous! Sly Cooper! Jealous! Sly's cool and very attractive and you've never seen him jealous in your entire life! Oh wow! Then again, it's not like Sly's had a lot of competition for your affections. It's actually been the other way around. You usually have to beat the other girls off with a stick-one or twice, that's turned literal. Yes, whenever you go to a new place and Sly's in disguise for a job, girls definitely notice.
And it does not make you happy.
"Oh Sly, don't worry," You laugh. "He's a cop. And I always did prefer the bad boys." Sly gives a small smile and you hear Bentley shout,
"Get a room!"
…
You wake up the next morning (yeah, the whole "being awake during the day" thing has been pretty hard on your system), and since everyone else is still asleep, you decide to go ahead and make breakfast. Murray's favorite sunny-side up eggs, Bentley's little fish thingy he likes, and Sly's omelet. You just make a lot of bacon for yourself. You hear footsteps, and then you feel Sly's arms around your waist. "Hey honey," You can feel his smile against your neck. "Wow, you're cooking breakfast? You must be in a cheerful mood."
Truth is, you feel kind of guilty. And…maybe now's a good time to tell him what happened. While everyone else is sleeping. "Sly," You say seriously. "I need to tell you something."
He backs off and he stares at you, blinks twice, and then he gets that serious face he has-not a frown, but he looks a bit sterner now. "Okay. What's up?"
You sigh. "Sly, I'm really, really, really sorry, but I…I went to see Raphael the other night. When you guys were sleeping."
"…What?"
"Sly, it's not what you think."
"You snuck out to see another guy that you've known longer than you've known me. You try and tell me that it's not what I think."
He's right. But you still look him in the eye. His eyes, usually warm and bright and brown, he…he looks hurt. Betrayed. And definitely a bit angry. "I know you're mad. But Sly, I had to find out what he was doing here-and why he was a cop. He was my friend Sly. And I knew him for a really long time. What if it was Bentley?" His expressions soften a bit. "I promise, Raphael and I are enemies now. He tried to convince me to stop being a thief, and I…basically, I told him to piss off." Sly smirks, and you smile back. "And I promise, I'm never gonna do it again. And the only reason I went alone is so he couldn't get you guys in trouble."
Sly breathes. "Okay."
"You're not mad?"
"No. I still wish you hadn't done it because you could've gotten hurt, and you're making breakfast for the rest of the week, and…we do have to tell Bentley and Murray."
You sigh and nod. "Yeah. Bentley's not gonna take it too well."
"Take what too well?" You turn your head and mutter, "Shit." Because a certain turtle just wheeled himself into the kitchen.
…
"You what!?"
Yeah. You explained everything to him, and to Murray after he walked into the kitchen when he smelled food from his bedroom. And-just like you said-Bentley is not taking it well.
"Bentley-" You start.
"No-don't 'Bentley' me! You saw a cop! You could've gotten hurt! Or could've called for backup and followed you back to the safehouse! You could've gotten us all thrown back in prison!"
"Bentley." You snap. "Just listen to me. I've known Raphael for a long time, and I know he's not gonna do anything to hurt you guys. He's not even a real cop. He's gonna come after me. I never would've gone out if I had thought he'd do something like that."
Bentley is silent for a minute. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. I'm not here to get you guys thrown back in prison."
Bentley wheels himself out of the room after another minute of silence. You sigh. "He still doesn't trust me. All this, and he doesn't trust me."
"I'll go talk to him." Sly says, exiting the room.
"Cheer up Cerlie," Murray pats you on the back lightly. "He was really just worried about your safety, that's all. He probably just feels bad 'cause he didn't catch you. He trusts you, really, he does!"
You smile. "Thanks, Murray."
There you go! Another update! I'm on fire! This story…I hoped to have it finished before the new year. I hope to. I'll probably update a lot next week.
See you soon!
~Mimi
