Chapter 10: Their kiss

Finally! Something's gonna happen with the two of them!

P.S. My friend who's reading this story thinks that our raccoon pair's relationship is a bit rushed. My friend is right. I totally agree. I rushed it a bit by accident, but because I'm me, I'm gonna give you a few reason (A.K.A excuses) as to why their relationship might seem a bit rushed, but in reality isn't.

Izzy's been in love with Sly for eight years and (think I said this before) now that she has finally decided to act on her feelings, things are changing quickly. Izzy refuses to wait any longer. We also have to remember that the story begins from the point where Sly too starts to realize his feeling for Izzy, but before that there's been eight years of unrequited feelings. That's part of the reason the flashbacks are included in every chapter. So, in a way this story lacks the parts where the two destined lovers start to realize their feelings and skips to the part where one of the lovers has figured out his/her feelings and is trying to express them to the other. This is, of course, just one scenario and there a lot of different kinds of love stories with their own plots and twists and drama.

So, this is my reason *cough* [excuse] *cough* why their relationship might appear rushed, but really isn't.

P.S. I got a review from Guest and I just wanted to thank him/her for taking the time to read my humble story. Also as an answer to the request posed in your review: Don't worry, there'll be a lemon in this story and once they really get together, there'll be cuddling too.

Flashback, Jean Bison's logging camp, Canada

Time: After the job Bearcave Bugging

Izzy's POV

It was a cold, beautiful, cold, snowy and did I mention, COLD day in Canada. Sly and I had just finished our job that included stealing radiotransmitters from mouths of wild, dangerous, bloodthristy bears! We'd actually managed to pull it off and after we'd gotten out of the damned cave, Bentley had us build a grid of the transmitters around Jean Bison's house. During this, I'd noticed the wind picking up and snow starting to fall more rapidly, clouding our vision from little to nothing.

"There's a blizzard coming" I said, remembering that Bentley had mentioned it earlier as he shooed us out.

"So, Bentley told us" Sly said, "We should go back to the safe house"

I just hoped that we'd make it to the safe house before the blizzard began in earnest.

...

Ten minutes later it became very clear that we wouldn't make it to the safe house in time.

"Sly!" I yelled over the tumultuous wind.

He turned his head a little, signaling that he was listening.

"We can't stay here! We need a shelter!"

It was seriously getting cold out there. We didn't wear thick coats or warm gloves because they slowed us down. Also, when you run from place to place, you tend to stay warm, but this was different. The temperature was dropping significantly and I was really freezing.

"There's a cave!" I heard Sly shout.

(A/N it has to be a cave of course. A cabin would be inconvenient for my plan for this flashback)

I looked up and saw that there was indeed an opening in the ice wall. I didn't really fancy the thought of us in a cave because we would most likely get snowed in, but another cold blast of the northern wind and I was already running for the entrance. Sly followed close behind me, probably freezing as well.

The entrance to the cave was narrow and we had to crouch down a bit to fit through. I couldn't make out much in the dim light coming from outside as I looked around in the cave. It didn't look big, though and the back wall was barely visible. We were able to stand straight, but if I extended my hand, it would come in contact with bitingly cold ice ceiling.

"I can't get hold of Bentley" Sly announced, "Must be this cave and the storm"

I heard him sit down as far away from the entrance as he could. I followed his example and sat next to the raccoon, knees pulled to my chest and arms wrapped around them. I tried my best to get warm, but despite the shelter, it was still freezing. Sly too made an effort to get a bit of warmth returned to his body.

My teeth were chattering and I was shivering slightly.

"S-Sly" I stuttered, feeling his gaze settle on me, "We won't make it like this"

He looked at me helplessly, not knowing what to do. The wind had gotten worse and the center of the blizzard must've been right above the logging camp. We were trapped in there without anything to warm ourselves with.

"Here" Sly said suddenly.

I snapped out of my somber thoughts of not surviving to see Sly spreading his arms. The slight embarrassment didn't go unnoticed by me when I posed a question: "Y-Y-You... you want to c-cuddle?"

I was honestly surprised as I hadn't thought about that myself, but of course I liked the idea. The embarrassment on his face became more visible in the form of a blush.

"Well, we need to stay warm. The blizzard can go on for a while and we just might get through it if we... cuddle a bit for warmth" Sly let out his explanation.

I just stared at him, completely thunderstruck. I seriously hadn't seen this one coming. As I sat there, still staring at him and clearly making him feel awkward, a warm feeling was spreading inside me rapidly. The freezing cold of the blizzard was all but forgotten as I smiled at his blushing face and moved closer to him, allowing him to pull me to sit on his lap. I pressed myself as close to him as I possibly could. Partly for the warmth and partly because... well, you know. I rubbed my hands together, trying to make the numbness caused by the cold to go away. I only had thin woolen gloves to shield my fingers against the wintry weather.

"Here, let me" Sly said suddenly.

Before I could even try to understand what he said, my hands were covered by Sly's larger ones. He brought them close to his muzzle and blew a warm breath of air on them. He did it a couple of times, after which I could again feel the tips of my fingers. He continued to rub our hands together to create friction. I regarded him through all this, thinking about how amazing he really was.

A breeze of cold air blew in from the cave's open entrance, returning me to earth and remembering that I was still freezing my tail off. I was still shivering, but the chattering of my teeth had subsided and I was feeling a bit warmer than before. We huddled closer to each other, I pressed my hands against Sly's chest and at the same time, he wrapped his arms around me. My head was resting in the crook of his neck and his cheek was pressed on my temple.

I could feel Sly's warm breath tickling my ear and I knew I should've paid more attention to the fact that we might freeze to death here, rather than focusing on thinking how lovely it was to be here on his lap, wrapped in an embrace. I drew warmth from these thoughts as tried to snuggle deeper into Sly.


A while later...

Sly and I were shivering in sync. The stormy wind was still roaring in the distance and just as I had predicted, we had gotten snowed in. The cave's entrance was now fortified with a thick layer of snow and I prayed that we would be able to break it from here. With the entrance covered in snow, darkness had fallen in the cave. Fortunately, Sly produced a small torch that gave us enough light to see.

We were still huddled together, not wanting to part before the blizzard had completely passed. That would mean losing whatever little warmth we still had left in our bodies.

"Don't fall asleep" Sly commanded.

"Sorry" I replied, actually feeling slightly sleepy, "You're comfy"

I blurted that out by accident, not at all meaning to say it out loud. It must be the sleepiness. I must not have been thinking clearly. A blush was making it's way to my cheeks and I prayed that Sly wouldn't notice.

Fortunately, he just chuckled before answering: "Why, thank you, Isabelle. I'm glad that you're finding me comfy" he joked, "Do let me know in the future if you need to cuddle. I'll make time for you" he said with more serious tone.

My half-closed eyes snapped wide open. My head rose from its place and I focused my gaze on Sly's eyes. Had he just seriously suggested that?

Of course, I should've taken note of the mischievousness hidden under the pretended seriousness...

"Don't look so serious, Izzy" he chided, "I was just joking"

It took me a moment to register what he just said and when it finally sank in, I did my best to mask my disappointment in annoyance. I quickly hid my face in his neck again.

"Idiot" I huffed.

I had really believed that he'd suggested it, but I guess it was just another cruel joke by Universe, Fate, God or whatever was doing this to me. Why did it have to be so hard? That was something I've thought about a million times before, but never come up with an actual answer. I wouldn't even know what to say. I couldn't just go and be like, "Hey, Sly, we've been friends for years, but actually I love you, hehe". Oh, no! That would be so awkward! No, expressing it through words wouldn't work. I'd crumble beneath those brown eyes before first words even left my mouth. Maybe I should just do something, like... kiss him. That would probably send a clear enough message. I wouldn't need to look at his eyes and it all would be said in one, simple act.

"Yeah, that's what I should do!"

I startled myself with this kind of sudden decision.

"Did I really decide that I'm going to kiss Sly?" I asked in my mind, "Just like that?"

Sly lowered his head to rest on mine again, but this time, instead of his cheek on my temple, I could feel his forehead on mine. His face was now so close to mine as were those lips of his. To say I was surprised would be a major understatement. I was astonished when his face came so near so suddenly. My heart was beating too loud and I feared he might hear it. A sudden feeling was urging me to seize the opportunity and show him my feeling.

But I still hesitated. Every possible "what if" was running through my mind. All of them ending terribly in heartbreak. I tried to push them away, to lock them in some dark confine of my head and throw away the proverbial key. My teeth bit down on my lip to prevent me from satiating the growing desire to kiss. However, my arms involuntarily came around Sly's neck. He didn't question it, but he likely thought that I was just adjusting myself. I angled my head a bit, so that all it would take for our lips to touch was for either of us to lean in a little. His warm breath tickled my nose and his eyes were watching me. Just watching. He wasn't anyhow noticing my inner struggle. I leant a millimetre closer without Sly noticing. My confidence was building by the second. I felt that could do it! I would do it!

"I will do it!"

"No, you won't Izzy"

Those were undoubtedly the thoughts of whatever being denying me of my fulfillment, because at that exact moment I was about to make the few simple inches between our lips disappear, Sly chose to speak:

"The storm's over"

"Huh?"

It felt like waking up from a dream, an amazing, lovely, wonderful dream and realizing that you're forced to return to the harsh and in this case, freezing reality. That was what I felt like. I let my arms slide away from around Sly's neck and wordlessly got up with him. I hated myself for hesitating. Only a second, one more miserable second and I would've done it.

But today clearly is not my day.

Sly grabbed the little torch from the ground and moved to the entrance to poke the wall of snow with his cane. It didn't appear that solid, but obviously there was a fair amount of snow separating us from the outside world. At least air flowed through somehow...

"I guess we need to dig"

"Damn, it's cold" I shivered, realizing the fact that we were still freezing here for the first time in a while.

I knelt beside Sly and help him to clear away the snow. It wasn't as easy as I'd thought. The snow had hardened under the pressure of its own weight and had immediately started to freeze in place. Luckily, Sly had his cane. It made it easier for us to break the still solidifying wall of snow.

When we had finally dug ourselves through to the surface, my hands were half-numb and had I dared to remove my gloves, I'm sure my finger would've been turning blue under their coat of fur. It was dark and the only light came from Sly's torch and the huge full moon on the sky.

"Beautiful night" Sly said from behind me.

"Yeah" I muttered, "Let's go"

I didn't hear Sly respond so I assumed he agreed with me. We started our trek to the safe house through the new layer of snow. It didn't make it any easier for us that it reached all the way to the waist. We were practically wading through the snow.

On the way, Bentley contacted us.

"Sly! Izzy! What happened?! Where have you been!?" half shouted the frantic voice of our turtle friend.

I might've chuckled if the situation hadn't been what it was.

"We'll explain when we get there. Do us a favour and make sure there's a nice, warm fire in the fireplace and some lukewarm water for our frostbites" Sly calmly instructed him.

"A-And some hot chocolate wouldn't hurt e-either" I added quickly, having begun shivering violently again.

"And some hot chocolate for everyone" Sly repeated, smiling.

"Alright, but you better have a very good explanation for this" Bentley reprimanded us, assuming his normal scolding tone.

We managed to chuckle at him.

...

The safe house was within our sights. Welcoming light and warmth virtually radiated through the walls of the building. I picked up my pace, wanting to get inside as quickly as possible. Sly had noted a moment ago that my lips were turning blue and that wasn't a good sign.

Running up the icy ramp, leading to the front door, I threw it open and darted to sit as near of the fire as possible without feeling my fingers burn.

"Izzy!" shouted two surprised voices, soon followed by equally surprised: "Sly"

I didn't pay any attention to them as Sly explained what had happened. And being too busy stretching my hands towards the fire, I didn't hear Sly coming to me. He offered a steaming cup of cocoa and sat next to me. In his hands there was a blancet which he wrapped around us. I was again pressed to his side with his arms holding me there.

It was already feeling so nice that I could get used to it, but of course it was clear that Sly was just trying to get us both warm. I sighed at the thought and he caught onto that.

"What is it?"

"We made it" I replied after a moment of silence.

"Yeah"

After gulping down the cocoa and burning my throat, I dared myself and rested my head on Sly's shoulder.

"Can I fall asleep now?" I asked jokingly, but also feeling exhausted.

"Wouldn't you prefer your bed?" he inquired, the smirk evident in his voice.

I shook my head against his shoulder.

"It's such a long way from the fire..." I mumbled.

"Do you need a pillow at least?"

"This'll do" I said, nestling my head further into his shoulder. I'd take his shoulder over a pillow any day.

He chuckled and remained quiet, allowing the crackle of fire and sound of his breathing lull me to sleep...

Flashback ends here. Just saying so that you don't get confused as the actual chapter begins with a dream.


Izzy's POV

I was having a dream or rather, a nightmare. I was back in the old mansion, chained to the stone pillar. He was there, knife in his hand and the stench of alcohol coming from him. The bear was there as well, currently dragging Sly away from me and shackling him to the other pillar, too far away from me.

But unlike every other time, my father didn't come to me with the knife.

Instead, I watched in horror as he sauntered over to Sly.

"Does he make you feel better, Izzy?" he mocked.

I could only stare with dread paralyzing my very soul. Sly's eyes were hard as he glared at him. My father was smiling, a cruel, twisted smile that only a complete madman could ever achieve. He raised the knife high, making sure I saw it before...

A howl of pain from Sly felt almost as bad the knife must've felt buried in his shoulder.

"Sly!" I cried out.

My father struck again, this time in his stomach. I tore at the chains, trying in vain to free myself. The next hit pierced Sly's other shoulder. Tears spilled from my eyes as the final strike penetrated his chest, sinking the knife too close to his heart.

"NO!" I screamed as blood gushed from his wounds.

No one tried to silence me as I continued to scream for Sly. He had fallen down and was clutching his stomach and chest. I watched helplessly as the red liquid flowed out of the wounds, blotting his blue shirt. Through it all, only one sound made its way to my brain. The cold, sadistic, mad laugh of the raccoon who called himself my father.

He began retreating from Sly's sagged form and I pulled once more against my chains, desperately attempting to get loose.

"Release her, Dorian" my father said, walking away from the room.

The bear did as was told and unlocked my chains. I ran to Sly, ignoring everything else, and gently grabbed his limp from and cradled it in my arms.

"Sly!" I shouted, "Sly, don't die!" I whimpered, "Please, don't die"

"I'm... sorry, Izzy" he wheezed.

"No, Sly! You can't die! I can't live without you!" I shouted, tears flowing down my cheeks.

I hung my head and sniffed.

"I love you, Sly" I whispered, "You can't leave me, not now... please"

His face didn't show anything, no surprise, no disgust, nothing. Had the situation been different, I would've probably been confused and afraid. He didn't say anything when suddenly, he broke into a smile. It was such a soft smile that it made me cry even more. His hand rose to lightly caress my cheek as he spoke.

"Aww, Izzy..." his voice was barely a whisper anymore, "I... l-l-l... lov-"

But I didn't hear Sly finish it. His hand dropped and his eyes closed and I painfully listened as Sly Cooper breathed out his final breath.

"He's gone! Gone! Dead and gone!"

"No, Sly" I whimpered weakly.

Dead and gone...


I shot up on the bed. I was sweaty, teary-eyed and panting heavily. My head snapped to look to my side where Sly was still sleeping. He was alive! But I needed proof and just seeing his chest rise and fall wasn't enough. I couldn't help myself as I wrapped my arms around him tightly and squeezed hard. I heard his heartbeat and felt the warmth of his body against mine.

"He's alive. He's not dead. It was just a dream"

"Oof" was Sly's response to my crushing embrace.

He opened his eyes and lifted his head to see me gripping tightly around the stomach. My head was resting on his chest and I was still slightly sobbing and shaking.

"Izzy" Sly asked, alarmed, "What...?"

"Just a bad dream" I said quietly, convincing myself more than Sly "Nothing more"

He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me a little higher so that my head was leveled with his shoulder. I didn't let go of him and neither did he of me. I was enclosed in a comforting embrace.

"What happened?" Sly asked gently.

I shook my head.

"I don't want to talk about it"

"Are you sure?"

A nod from me and Sly dropped the subject.

"Then we won't talk about it" he assured, rubbing my back soothingly.

We lay there for quite a while. I tried to think about nice things to chase away the remnants of the nightmare still haunting me. My thoughts were dominated by Sly of course and how much I loved him. I often wondered what he thought about this sudden development in our relationship. Did he find it odd or had he finally started to fall for me like Penelope had claimed?

"Hey, Izzy" Sly whispered.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think is happening to us?"

A chill ran up my spine as he said this. Didn't he like what was evolving between us? Was he even talking about that?

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning deeply.

"I mean all this that's been going on these past two months with us" he explained, "We didn't do something like this before"

I didn't want to comment to that as I feared that I would slip something by accident. Deciding to play dumb, I adjusted myself on him to look at his face.

"I'm still not sure what you mean" I said, cocking my head a little.

"How often did we do something like this?" he asked, gesturing to our current position and lack of clothes which I didn't seem to remember until now. I blushed just a little. Thankfully, my fur was enough to mask it.

"Not really that often" I agreed.

"Never actually" Sly corrected me, "This is something I used to with-"

He stopped speaking, but I caught on to what he was going to say and quickly decided to move on with the conversation.

"Does this bother you?" I tried to sound as innocent as possible, but deep down, I yearned to know what Sly's thoughts were about all this.

"Oddly enough, it doesn't" he said, almost making me sigh with relief, "It's nice, really"

I gave him a wide smile.

"I think so too"

Sly returned my smile and leaned back to his pillow. I did the same, except that my head was placed in the crook of his neck.

"But what exactly is this, Izzy?" he asked after a little while.

"I don't know, Sly, but I don't really care as long it doesn't end"

"It won't end" Sly replied with strange confidence in his voice, "I don't think it will"

I could've said that this was like being in love, but I didn't. There was still so much hesitation and unsurety on my part. But I also had a growing feeling of confidence. Something telling me that this was right. I just hoped that Sly would take it well when I told him...

"We should take a shower" he suddenly said.

"What?!" I looked at him questioningly, "We?" I repeated.

He blushed, brightly. Seeing that was strangely satisfactory. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he always had me blushing.

"T-That's not what I meant, Izzy!" he exclaimed indignantly with an adorable stutter.

"I know, but I couldn't resist" I gave him a smirk that matched his name and enjoyed it thoroughly when he slightly squirmed under me.

Maybe I was making him a bit too uncomfortable, but I didn't care at the moment. It was too much fun seeing him like this!

"I'll go first" he said, narrowing his eyes at me, "And you stay put"

I gave him another smirk. "No promises" it seemed to say. I rolled off of him, allowing him to get up and head for the shower. My eyes of course followed him as long he was in the room, mostly due the state of near complete clothlessness he was currently in. I had a feeling Sly could sense my scrutiny, but he didn't say anything about it. I was left in his room, on his bed and I thought that maybe I could wait there for Sly to come back. Taking a sniff at myself, my nose wrinkled at the stench of dirt and sweat and everything else. I really needed that shower. Sly should hurry up or I would indeed be joining him in there.

Lying there, I started thinking about our... rapidly advancing relationship. Was Sly really okay with this?

"Or am I moving too fast?" I questioned myself.

It had only been about two months since he came back. Is he ready to move on. True, he did say that he didn't want to cry over Carmelita anymore, but I couldn't blame him if he wasn't yet ready for another relationship.

"If anything would come of us..." I thought glumly.

I immediately dispelled that thought. There would be something! I would make something!

But those menacing thoughts always seemed to find a way to plague me.

"What if I break his heart?" I thought, "Or what if he breaks my heart...?"

"No, that won't happen!"

I was determined not to get my heart broken or break Sly's heart in the process. We would be happy together, that was the one thing I was certain.


After a long, refreshing shower, I was feeling much better. It was nice to scrub away all the dirt and put on a fresh outfit for a change. The others were sitting in the living room when I came out of my bedroom. They having fun as usual. I joined them, sitting next to Sly, naturally. The conversation we had was casual and no one brought up the whole kidnapping thing, but I knew we would have to talk about it later.

During all this, I noticed Bentley continuously eyeing us or rather actually, Sly.

"Bentley?" I asked, "What is it?"

"Where's your cane, Sly?" Bentley asked, looking around as if the cane would be lying somewhere.

I glanced at Sly's right hand, where the thieving tool normally was situated in his grip. It hadn't dawned on me back at the mansion that he didn't have his cane.

"I..." Sly paused, obviously embarrassed that he'd left his father's cane behind, "I forgot it in the mansion"

Bentley frowned, not in disapproval, but in confusion. He usually wore that frown when something didn't add up and now that I think of it, Sly leaving his cane for any reason didn't exactly add up. How did he forget it?

"Penelope was supposed to retrieve it... there were probably too many officers to search for it?" Bentley summarized, casting Penelope an inquiring look.

"Yeah, I would've gone to get it otherwise" she confirmed.

"So, does this mean that the cane is still at the mansion?" I asked.

Bentley frowned again, in thought.

"It's a possibility" he said slowly, "But I'm afraid that there's also a chance that Carmelita took it. It wouldn't have gone unnoticed during the raid and it might've been taken as evidence or maybe even just as a token"

"That would be more probable" Penelope agreed.

I nodded and looked at Sly. He didn't look pleased by this new aspect. His eyes were on Bentley.

"Can you find out?" he asked, still looking at Bentley, but posing the question to both of them.

"Sure, it'll only take a moment" Bentley grinned as did Penelope.

The duo pulled out their laptops and typed away. We listened to the steady sound of the keys being hit as we waited for them to find out the fate of the Cooper cane. Truth to be told, I was more concerned with what happened to my father and his goons. I hope they all got shot in the raid!

"Bentley was right" Penelope said suddenly, "'During the Interpol raid to an abandoned mansion in the outskirts of Paris, the officers came across something peculiar: The infamous cane of Sly Cooper, said to be symbol of his clan. The instrument was taken as evidence by the officer leading the raid, Inspector Carmelita Fox...'"

Everyone looked at Sly, who sighed in frustration.

"Well, we need to get it back..." he said with a hint of dejection.

Apparently, he wasn't too keen on running into Carmelita again. I wasn't too keen on that either. She was no good for him.

"We'll make a plan, but it'll take awhile. This is Interpol HQ we're talking about after all" Bentley said.

"Take your time, Bentley. I trust we'll get my cane back" his voice wasn't demanding. He literally meant that he trusted the two geniuses to concoct a working plan.


An hour or so later, Bentley and Penelope went to plan out our break-in to the Interpol HQ. Murray went to do something with the van and Sly told me that he wanted to be alone for a bit. I was curious as to why, but I didn't question him at the moment. Also, I did have one thing I wanted to talk about with Penelope.

She had gone with Bentley to their laboratory. I couldn't wait so I just walked in with a knock on the door.

"Penelope? Do you got a sec?"

"Sure" she chirped cheerily and followed after me.

I lead her to my room where we could talk in private. Sitting down on my bed, she looked at me with a quirked brow.

"What is it, Izzy?"

I was quiet for a moment.

"Did the article you read say anything about the people who got arrested?" I slowly voiced my question.

"Um... I didn't get to that part, but I can check if you want"

When I nodded, she gave me a look.

"Why do you wanna know?"

I sighed heavily. She wouldn't stop pestering me until I provided her with a satisfying answer. Taking a deep breath, I started telling her everything that had happened in the mansion.

...

Penelope's reactions varied from shocked to terrified to mortified when I told her the about the whole ordeal.

"I'll check the article immediately" she said seriously, running back to the lab.

Only a few minutes later, she came back, still running. Her face looked paler, but that might've been just my imagination.

"Well?" I urged, dreading the answer.

"According to the article four arrests were made" Penelope announced, "A bear, otter, rat and frog" she listed, "But no raccoon"

"So, he's still... out there" I whispered.

"I'm sorry, Izzy" Penelope comforted me, "But don't be afraid, the hideout is safe and his goons will be jailed"

"Yes, yes" I said shakily, "You're right" I stood up abruptly, "I got to find Sly"

I walked out of my room with a brisk pace. I assumed Sly would be in his room, but when I got there, he was nowhere in sight. In addition to his room, Sly only went to one other place in the safe house if he wanted to be alone: The roof. Following this guess, I climbed out of the window and hoisted myself upwards. Standing on the ledge circling the house, I took a moment to find the best way to climb higher. The best way seemed to be the rainwater pipe that could easily be used to reach the roof. It took another moment to reach the pipe and ascend it.

"Fancy seeing you here" a familiar voice joked.

I looked up to see Sly there, smirking down at me. He was leaning on his knee and extending his hand for me to take.

"I have something to tell you" I said gravely, grabbing his hand and letting him pull me up to the rooftop.

He immediately caught onto my serious tone.

"What's going on?"

"My father wasn't arrested" I told him, "He got away"

Sly's reaction was instant. He took my hands in his and we locked eyes.

"I'm not gonna let him hurt you again, Izzy" his voice was so assuring and confident that I didn't doubt for a second that he would do anything to keep me safe.

"I know, Sly, I know" I smiled at him.

"Do you wanna go for a walk?" he asked out of nowhere.

I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"A walk?"

"Yeah, a walk" Sly repeated, "We need to take your mind off of... that"

"Well, I guess we could..." I had no reason to deny it, plus, a walk with him would be nice.

The daylight was fading and the city lights replacing it. The Eiffel Tower would be lit soon as well. There was a slight chill in the air, but knowing Sly, this walk wouldn't be a slow walk in the park, so we wouldn't get cold.

...

We spent lots of fun time racing across the Parisian rooftops. The sound of our laughter filled the air there, away from the heavy night traffic of the city. It was like our own not-so-little place where everything was alright. A place where we could release the inner child that was still so strong in the both of us. We laughed, chased each other and finally sat down on a chimney to admire the nightly metropolis of Paris.

"It's so beautiful" I spoke.

Even after seeing the city a thousand times before, it never lost its appearance of grandeur.

"It is not the only thing" Sly added, grinning and giving me a sidelong glance.

I blushed just a bit and laughed a little at the comment. He was flirting again. Did he even realize that he was doing that? Or was it just so natural for him to do so?

"Is the infamous 'ladies' man' Sly Cooper flirting with me?" I asked teasingly.

"Maybe..." he answered vaguely.

I laughed again and leant against him. How come we hadn't fallen in love earlier? That was what I thought as we enjoyed the moment together and I was wishing it'd never end...

But alas, all good things must come to an end and eventually, Sly got up. I went to follow suit, but didn't get the chance as Sly's arms lifted me from the chimney. An arm under my knees and the other supporting my back. He had me in a nice bridal style hold.

"Hey!" I exclaimed before realizing that I'd much rather be here than walk.

"This is for teasing me" Sly smirked.

Well, he couldn't have minded it that much if this was my punishment for teasing him. Besides, he was the one flirting with me...

"Fine" I huffed in pretended annoyance as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

And so I allowed Sly to carry me along the rooftops. I reclined comfortably in his tireless arms, greatly enjoying this turn of events.

My mind began to wander. First to the past few weeks, then further and further, until it eventually settled to one specific day spent in a cave during a wintry storm. With the memory, came the thoughts and with the thoughts, one particular desire became reignited.

I thought back to the moment when I was about to kiss him for the first time. Back then I had been denied of it, but what about now...

I stole a glance at Sly's face, concentrating on his lips above all else. Nothing was stopping me from claiming them. Well, nothing except my hesitation that soared sky-high when the thoughts about kissing emerged in my mind. But I had hesitated before and where had it gotten me? Nowhere.

The safe house came into view. My hesitation was silenced and I was left with only the overwhelming desire. A craving in the need of quenching.

When Sly maneuvered us in from his room's window, I just couldn't resist it anymore. I wanted, no, needed to kiss him. The urge was bigger than ever. It drove me crazy. Everything was pushing me to do it. The way he was holding me. How I could feel his body against to mine. His hot breath tickling my face. Everything about him was pulling me in, tempting my body to act. My eyes wandered to his lips and, for the thousandth time, I wondered about how they would feel like, taste like.

I barely registered Sly's arms when they lowered me to the stand on the floor. I didn't remove my own arms, leaving them hanging around his neck. As I began to lean in, I saw his head turn towards me. He wore a confused expression, but didn't do anything to try detach my hands from around him or otherwise put any distance between us. I pushed myself firmly against him and felt how his whole body went rigid. He didn't move a muscle when I continued to near his lips.

There were only about an inch of empty space between our lips and I halted for a split second to think if this was that smart after all...

But considering our position, it was too late by now and I felt that if I didn't do it now, I never would.

"Do it!" my brains screamed.

And I did.

The last inch between us vanished and our lips met.

!Yay! Kiss! They've kissed! I'm so happy! Review and stuff...