Hey everyone,
At the start of this chapter, another day has passed as had wanted to bring some attention to characters other than either Sly or Carmelita, but when I tried this, did I actually write myself into a block – with only one sentence. Therefore, I decided to change plans and to bring up something that came up a few times before now.
Okay, enjoy,

Venquine1990

Sly's POV

The time after the fashion show had been amazing, but I really should have known better than to go and stand with Carmelita at my balcony as we watched the lights of the Eifel Tower get lit. And this fact I get proven the hard way as even the thicker sweater that I wore last night has not saved me from my flue getting even worse.
This I notice instantly upon waking as my whole body is just racking with shakes and trembles and the first thing I do upon waking is cough like crazy, my throat feeling like the rough side of a sponge, yet while I am lying under the thickest blanket Murray took out of my closet after our return, does my body still shake as if on the poles.
Wrapping my arms around myself do I silently wish and beg for Carmelita not to see me like this, yet it seems as if today all gods of fate are planning to do the opposite of what I want as I hear her voice gasping in shock before I hear her rushing over, her hand softly touching my blanket from atop of the blanket as she asks:

"Sly, what happened? Is it your flu?" And while hating how I am worrying her when I should be stronger than this, do I still nod, coughing again and turning away as I don't want her to catch these rotten germs, yet the fox turns me on my back and then lifts my head up, helping me drink from the glass of water on my nightstand.
The water running down my throat feels like the nectar of the gods, yet at the same time am I also glad that I set the water there last night as I don't want to know how my body would have reacted had the water still been as frozen cold as it was when I set it there and after taking a few more gulps, does she help me lie back down.
She then starts to softly run her hand through the fur atop of my head and while trying to get as much of my strength together, which feels as if it took the highroad while I was asleep last night, do I rasp as I mutter: "You really shouldn't be here right now. A lovely fox like you doesn't deserve to get sick by a dumbass like me."

"Dumbass, what are you talking about, Sly?" Carmelita asks shocked and while trying to fight the soreness of my throat, do I say: "I shouldn't have gone out last night. I knew it'd be chilly and that I was still healing. I shouldn't have been so irresponsible." Yet the fox next to me shakes her head with a loving smile and says:
"Sly, you've been through hell and back and we were just having fun. Don't worry about it. Just rest, get better and let me take care of the rest, okay?" To this I really want to nod as the idea of Carmelita taking care of me and the team sounds like a dream come true, yet the gentleman in me rears up instead and I ask:
"What about breakfast? That's my job and – and it's Wednesday, which is when I make my scrambled egg and waffle mix." Yet the fox shakes her head this and turns around, making me worried that I hurt or offended her, before she asks: "How about scrambled eggs and waffles for the team and some good warm soup for our sick leader, huh?"

And while she smiles at me from the doorway, her eyes proving she is more than capable, do I respond the only way I know how; I lie back down on the bed, push my head deep into my pillow and groan in relief as even my sick body can't stop me from smiling the largest grin that has grown on my face in the longest time as I think:
"Great Cooper Ancestors, what on this big blue earth did I ever do to deserve a fox as amazing as her?" And while the gentleman in me is still screaming for me to just get up and do my job, does the smile I saw on Carmelita's face, filled with loving determination, make me just stay down, feeling like a happy sack of loving goo.

Bentley's POV

The first thing that I see after coming downstairs for breakfast instantly has me worried as instead of Sly do I see Carmelita standing behind the stove, the fox actually wearing Sly's favorite cook's apron as she seems to work on Sly's usual Wednesday meal, yet the small pot of soup that she is also looking over says it all.
"Sly's flue caught up with him?" I ask as I roll my wheelchair over, yet while the fox's tail tenses in shock as I had been behind her when asking, does she just calmly continue working, proving me that she has the same loving affinity for cooking as Sly and while this makes me all the happier for their new relationship, does the fox nod.
"Silly little Ringtail even went so far as to blame himself and say he has a job in making breakfast. He looked worse than a sandpit after an autumn's rainstorm and he still tried getting up. He could barely even speak when I came in to check on him." To this I shake my head as I know exactly why Sly would behave like that and say:

"That might sound silly to you, Carmelita, but I know Sly and I know why he would be so determined about that." The fox looks at me and I sigh as I say: "I know it's been several years since it happened, but you have to understand that Sly still lives with the regret and pain of losing his parents all those years ago every day."
The fox looks at me shocked and I continue while she focuses back on the scrambled eggs and waffles and I say: "Since then has Sly wanted to live up to his father's legacy with such a passion, when we became a team he instantly took leader role. Only, as the years progressed, we became more than a team, we became Sly's new family."
To this the fox nods and then she asks: "So why is he so adamant to do such a simple thing as making breakfast?" And while part of me feels as if I am betraying my best friend by spilling this secret, do I say: "Because even when we did become a family – Sly still took the role of the leading father on him – and we never argued that."

At this the fox sighs, her hands stilling in their work as she does and she says: "So that's why." I nod and say: "And as much as it pains me, does this also make Sly feel double responsible for what happened, even when all of that wasn't his fault in the first place. So doing chores like making breakfast and all that –."
And Carmelita makes my heart soar with pride for how understanding she is as she softly says: "Is just one of the ways he uses to get rid of the needless guilt that he feels. And now that he's this sick, he feels that he won't be able to make up for what was never his fault. That Ringtail really is one hell of an enigma, isn't he Bentley?"
I nod at the fox and she sighs before she calmly continues her work as she says: "I'll bring him his soup. Can you watch over the rest of this and put it on the table?" And while I smile at her, do I activate all the arms on my wheelchair, Carmelita yelping, but then giggling as she pours a bowl of soup before leaving.

Murray's POV

"Where are Sly and Carmelita, Bentley? Still enjoying being together?" I ask the turtle as he sets down the waffles I thought Sly would have made for us, but my buddy shakes his head and says: "Sly's flue got to him again. Carmelita's bringing him a bowl of soup as we speak. Oh, and she made breakfast as Sly was just too sick to."
This instantly worries us all and Penelope asks: "Is he okay?" But Bentley sighs and says: "In all honesty, even with his flue, do I worry more for him mentally than I do emotionally." And when Bentley gazes at me after saying this, do I understand instantly, nodding at the turtle to show him my silent understanding.

"Is that because Crackerbox nearly lost everything, bro? Surely you jest." Dimitri then says and while I keep in mind that the Iguana has, until a few days ago, only known Sly as his enemy, does Bentley shake his head and say: "It's not just because Sly almost lost everything, Dimitri. It's because Sly is both a leader – and a father."
The others look shocked and while I have no doubt that they are drawing the wrong conclusions, does Bentley then divulge them something I have no doubt they would have realized for themselves had we spend a bit more time together and while listening, do I really worry for my friend – even as the others grow to understand.

Carmelita's POV

"That poor Ringtail. That he instinctively puts that much responsibility on him. I can't believe I never noticed that about him. Man, I really let my job influence how I see people. Cooper's definitely got a criminal record, but his conscience and character are pure enough a saint from a church can take lessons from him."
And while I think this, do I move upstairs, making sure not to spill any bit of the warm mushroom soup that I made especially for my sick little raccoon, yet a little problem occurs the minute I walk into Sly's room. Walking in, I want to open my mouth and tell him breakfast is ready, yet it would have fallen on deaf ears.
His face to me, his eyes deeply closed and a bit of drool actually sipping past his slack lips, Sly Cooper is out for the count, sleeping like a bear in hibernation and completely obvious to everything around him, which makes me have to strongly crush down my inner cop instinct to take my chance and arrest the criminal.

"No, Sly is no criminal. He saved my life, my virginity and – he's the kind of guy my dad would want me to settle down with." And while this makes me turn a bit red as dad has been hinting at me to find the right guy for some time now, do I then get proven wrong about how deeply Sly is sleeping as his groggy voice asks me:
"Is that for me, gorgeous?" Making me smile at him, even if I can clearly hear how sick the raccoon really is through his groggy, suave-sounding voice – or at least a voice that tries and fails to sound suave due to how sick the person actually is and I walk over, setting the soup down before moving a chair over to Sly's bedside.
"Wait, what about you?" Sly instantly asks as he seems to struggle pushing himself upward and the sight of the ever agile and powerful raccoon being so weak that even his arms tremble just to lift him up in a seating position makes me almost tear up with care for him as I softly say: "Bentley's saving me a plate, don't worry.
Don't worry yourself." I then add with a bit more vigor as Sly wanted to open his mouth, yet Bentley's latest reveal is still fresh in my mind and the power of my voice makes a weak smile show on the tired and sick looking raccoon in front of me before I set down the portable tray with feet I had taken with me from the kitchen.

"This is Murray's." Sly says as I set the soup down and when he sees my intrigue, does he go on and say: "The big guy has a tendency to stay in bed for hours on end the first few days when we come back from a heist, so we bought this off of Thiefnet after our little trip to take down Muggshot back a few years ago.
And don't worry, not everything bought off of Thiefnet is also considered a stolen good." The raccoon tries to kid around, but his joke is ill-received as he instantly starts coughing after trying to laugh and after I helped him to some more water, do I shake my head at him, the Raccoon smiling with guilt as I sternly say:
"No more wisecracks until you stop sounding like a bear waking up from hibernating, understand?" The Ringtail nods and while he then resets his focus to the bowl of soup in front of him, can I not help the pain and worry that my heart feels over what Bentley told me and this makes my heart make a determined decision.

"Sly?" The Raccoon hums to show he's listening and I sigh as I say: "Bentley told me. He – he told me why you feel so determined to provide for us. Why you feel you need to take such strength behind your responsibilities." The spoon that the Ringtail had ladled with soup halts halfway up his face and Sly's fearful gaze meets mine.
Yet, because of my decision, do I just smile at him with love and adoration in my eyes and smile as I lie both my hands on the one not dangling in the air and with the same love and acceptance in my tone as in my eyes do I say: "You can be the father figure to them all you want, Sly Cooper – if you let me be the mother figure, okay?"
And while Sly's mouth remains open like it did when he stopped moving his spoon up, does his hand now slack in its grip, the spoon falling onto the tray and the soup splashing all over Sly's blanket, yet the Raccoon seems unaware of this as his eyes are wider than ever before while he keeps his shocked gaze locked with mine.

Okay, that's it!
HOLY CRAP! What a cliffie! Totally didn't plan on that, by the way. I just wanted Sly to feel his flue and for Carmelita to care for him, but then Bentley came into view and everything just riled down from there, creating the back story and the explanation behind Sly's feelings to his gang the way you see before you.
Now, next chapter will be Sly's POV, yet I want to warn you here and now – there will not be any smut next chapter! Sly will respond, but he will also keep his severe case of flue clear in mind and because of that will he not respond physically. So instead of that – expect a lot of caps lock letters come the start of next chapter.
Okay, see you,

Venquine1990