Water Under the Bridge
#3 of Sly Cooper
After a long week of work, Inspector Carmelita Fox is ready to finally go home and get some rest, but coming across Interpol's most wanted criminal, Sly Cooper, will completely change her plans for the night.
After an awfully busy workday, Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox was finally able to go home. When she left the station, the fox looked up to the dark night sky and felt a sudden cool breeze that made her zip up her jacket and put her hands in its pockets. As it was already very late, most shops and cafes had already closed. Like the few people who were still on the street, the vixen just wanted to get home. Unfortunately, as she was walking over a bridge on top of the Seine river, Carmelita felt a sharp pain in her right leg. It looked like chasing criminals all week had taken its toll on her. The inspector groaned and put one hand on the bridge railing while she felt her leg with the other one. The fox tried to keep walking, but the pain kept growing, so she decided to rest under a nearby streetlight.
Due to the cold, Carmelita could see her own breath as she exhaled. A few minutes went by, and the vixen began to feel some relief.
"Need some help there, Inspector?" A familiar voice made her turn around. There he was, Sly Cooper, the thief she had been after for years, standing on the other side of the bridge railing with that smug and charming smile of his.
Since dealing with the raccoon was the last thing the fox wanted to do that night, she just put on an unimpressed face and tried to walk away. Carmelita wasn't able to take more than three steps before she stopped again and clenched her teeth due to the pain. "What wrong?" asked Sly as he walked up to her.
"Look, Ringtail..." She turned to him. "...I don't know what you plan on stealing tonight, but if you could just leave it for tomorrow... I'd appreciate it." said the vixen with a tired smile.
"Oh, Carmelita. Why would I want to waste my night in a museum when I have the world's most beautiful work of art right before my eyes?"
Although flattered, the fox rolled her eyes at the raccoon's flirting attempts. "Cooper, I've had a rough day and-"
"Then let me take you somewhere nice...." He leaned towards her. "...I know a great restaurant a couple of blocks from here."
The vixen crossed her arms and let out a frustrated sigh. Sly simply replied with a nervous smile. Then, Carmelita used the handrail to try to walk.
"What about a movie?... a drink?... We could go for a dance." The raccoon didn't give up and followed the fox as she walked over the bridge. At some point, their hands touched. The temperamental vixen's reaction was to quickly pull her hand away. But that made her lose her balance and fall down.
"Are you okay?" asked the raccoon.
Carmelita was far from okay. Her fatigue, added to her leg pain and a headache named Sly had ended the fox's patience. "No, Sly, I am not okay!..." She got up as fast as she could. "...I've been working all week, barely getting any sleep, and now that I can finally go home, my leg hurts, and a walking fleabag is flirting with me."
"So, no dancing?" Sly's intention was to lighten the mood, but Carmelita, furious at his incapacity of taking anything seriously, slapped him across the face. Unluckily, she made him lose his balance and fall backward into the river.
At that moment, Carmelita had no idea that Sly didn't know how to swim, so she just looked down at the water and waited for him to come out. Except he didn't. As the seconds went by, the inspector began to worry more and more. Not being entirely sure that this was some kind of joke, the vixen hesitated to jump and repeatedly yelled the thief's name, just to be answered by the silence of the night. After a minute or so, the fox couldn't take it anymore and jumped into the river.
As soon as she hit the water, everything became dark and silent. She started to blindly search for the raccoon. But there was no luck. The vixen felt how, between the anguish of not finding the raccoon and the lack of air, a lump formed in her throat. Shortly after, she went up to the surface, praying that Sly was waiting for her safe and sound with his stupid smile. As she took a breath, the fox looked around for him. Nothing. Desperate, she went back into the river and managed to find him at the bottom of the river. The vixen gathered all of her strength and got him out of the water.
When she thought the nightmare was over, Carmelita realized that the thief was unconscious.
"Sly... Sly!" The inspector tried to wake him up by slapping him, but it was useless.
Then, she laid him on his back, put her hands together on his chest, and started pressing. Tears, which hid in her already wet fur, began to roll down her face.
"Sly, por favor... no me hagas esto..." she begged him to stay with her in Spanish.
Carmelita didn't even think of giving up, but all of her soreness, which disappeared during an adrenaline rush, came back as she tried to keep the thief alive. After what felt like an eternity, Sly finally coughed out the water he had swallowed. The raccoon slowly sat up while the fox collapsed to the ground. They stayed like that and caught their breath until the vixen broke the silence.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!..." She also sat up. "...You don't know how to swim?! How the fuck do you not know how to swim?! I thought-" Sly interrupted her with a hug. "I'm sorry..." he said with a weak voice. Carmelita calmed down and returned the hug. As her heart rate went back to normal, she suddenly became aware of the consequences of jumping into the river in the middle of a winter night.
"Joder..." she cursed, complaining about how cold it was. Then, the vixen broke the hug and quickly got up. "Where are you going?" asked the thief.
"Home, where do you think I'm going?" she crossed her arms and began to walk away. In any other situation, Carmelita would immediately try and arrest Sly, but that night she just wanted to go home and forget what had just happened. "W-wait! Let me go with you." He also got up and followed her. "Cooper, don't you think you've done more than enough tonight?" But the raccoon, tireless, was determined to return the favor. "Please, just let me walk you home. It's the least I can do for the fox that just saved my life." he said as he held her hands.
The fox, upon seeing regret on his face and a spark of honesty in his eyes, decided to give in.
And so, they began to walk to Carmelita's apartment. Less than two minutes later, the vixen had to stop because of her leg pain. Sly offered her a piggyback ride, but she declined. Instead, the inspector put her arms around the thief's shoulders and let him wrap his arm around her body to help her walk.
"Better?" he asked to make sure she was okay.
"Yeah..." she replied.
They kept on walking, but, this time, the fox didn't take long to break the slightly awkward silence between them. "I can't believe you don't know how to swim." she smiled and shook her head.
"What can I say? I never took lessons at the orphanage." He shrugged.
"You're telling me that you've never been to the beach?" she asked while raising one of her eyebrows.
"Of course that I've been to the beach... I have just never been in the water."
Carmelita chuckled and looked at him. Even if the vixen wasn't willing to admit it, she was glad and relieved he was okay. A few minutes later, they arrived at the fox's apartment building. There were some stairs at the main entrance. Carmelita could've probably managed them on her own, but the thief was polite enough to pick her up and carry her bridal style. She didn't complain.
"End of the line, Ms. Fox." He gently put her down, and she felt her leg. It didn't hurt so much anymore. "Thanks for the help, Ringtail." The vixen's use of the nickname he loved to be called, together with a glimpse of her genuine smile, made Sly's heart skip a beat.
"Hey, I wanted to apologize for what happened before on the bridge and thank you for, you know, saving my life... again." said the raccoon.
"You're more than welcome, Cooper."
There was a slightly awkward pause.
"Well, I think I should go... Goodnight, Carmelita." he said with a soft and tender voice.
"Goodnight, Sly." replied the fox before he turned around and started to walk away.
After seeing the soaked raccoon walk down the stairs, the vixen decided that she couldn't let him walk back to whatever place he and his gang lived like that.
"Cooper, wait!" Her voice made him turn around immediately. "Do you wanna come upstairs?"
"What?" The thief blinked repeatedly in disbelief.
"I'll get you a towel and some dry clothes. You're soaking wet and I wouldn't want you catching a cold." Her voice got lower as she finished the sentence but the thief, who was soon back up the stairs, heard everything. "Worried I might get sick and we won't see each other for a while?" He brought back his teasing attitude, together with his smug smile, which she didn't entirely dislike.
The fox remained serious. "Is that a no?"
"Oh, of course not. I'd be a fool to turn down such a generous offer." The raccoon walked past the vixen and opened the building door. "After you."
Carmelita let out a small smile and they both walked into the elevator. The fox pushed the button and rested her back against the wall. Sly stood opposite of her. The ride was short, but the raccoon had enough time to realize that the inspector cared for him as much as he cared for her, which caused a warm feeling to overflow his heart.
Their relationship was very complicated to describe. They clearly liked each other. But the fact that one was a cop and the other was a thief didn't make things easy for them. Even though most of their encounters involved some kind of flirting, mainly on Sly's part, none of them had the guts to open up and be honest about their feelings.
*ding*
The elevator doors opened, and they walked out. Carmelita took out her keys and opened her apartment door before turning on the lights.
"Such a nice place you have here, Inspector." commented the thief, like he hadn't been there before without the fox knowing.
"Come on. You're gonna get it all wet." She grabbed him by the arm and took him to the bathroom. They stood with their backs to each other and started undressing.
"Don't even think about turning around, Ringtail." said the vixen.
"Come on, Carmelita. Who do you take me for?" He took off his shirt. "But just so you know... I don't mind you looking." The fox was glad that the thief couldn't see her flustered face.
Once they took off all of their clothes, each one grabbed a towel and started drying their fur. Even though they both trusted each other and knew neither of them would turn around, there was still some kind of tension in the air that made them feel a certain way. The vixen was the first one to use the fur dryer. After she was done, she left it next to the bathroom sink for Sly to use and wrapped herself in the towel.
"I'm gonna get you some clothes." Carmelita walked out of the bathroom, but not before glancing at Sly's back and tail without him noticing.
The fox put on some comfortable clothes. Then, she searched her closet for something for Sly. A few minutes later, she walked back to the bathroom and knocked on the door. The raccoon, whose fur was already dry, peeked through the door and thanked her for the clothes.
While Carmelita waited for the raccoon, she heard three consecutive sneezes. The vixen decided to ignore them, but then she heard another two, which made her start to worry.
"Are you okay?" she asked from the other side of the door.
"Y-yeah... Achoo."
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah..."
The vixen opened the door to find the thief, shirtless. "Ugh, put on the shirt." She looked away. "Don't tell me you have come down with a cold." After Sly was fully dressed, the fox checked the temperature on his forehead with the palm of her hand. "Is your throat sore?" she asked.
"A bit. But I thought that was normal after nearly drowning."
The raccoon's temperature was fine, but Carmelita had an idea. She held the thief's face with her hands and gently pressed her lips against his forehead. Sly's ears and tail tensed while her face got all flustered. He was speechless.
"You're burning up..." she said while looking into his eyes. Then, Carmelita took him by the arm and walked him to the living room. "Wait here." She laid him on the sofa and went into her room to get a blanket.
"Carmelita, I appreciate everything you've done for me tonight, but I think I can deal with a cold on my own."
"Well, I don't think that sleeping in a van is gonna do you any good."
"Hey, we don't always sleep in the van..." The thief acted offended, but then he realized what the vixen had just said. "Wait.... You want me to sleep here?"
"Do you prefer the van?"
The raccoon couldn't believe what was happening. That's why he accepted the blanket the fox offered him and decided to go with the flow. After bringing Sly a glass of water and some aspirin, Carmelita sat on the edge of the couch.
"How's your leg?" he asked.
"Better..." She smiled and felt her thigh. The pain was mostly gone. "...Hey, sorry about before. I shouldn't have yelled at you... or thrown you off a bridge."
"It's okay, Carmelita. You were tired and stressed. I promise you I'll never bother you after work again... only during."
They both chucked and smiled before falling silent once their eyes met again. It was then that the vixen realized she didn't want to fight her feelings anymore. She had spent the past few years pretending to be irritated or annoyed by the thief, hoping the flame in her heart would eventually go out. But it only grew greater.
"Ringtail..." The fox looked down and gently caressed the raccoon's arm, which made him slowly sit up. "...I know I've never told you, but you're very important to me..." She held his hand. "...And I still can't believe what happened today because I don't think I can picture a life without you..." The raccoon, who had an innocent and incredulous look on his face, was speechless. "...I mean, I know I chase after you almost every day, but I don't want to see you behind bars. I don't. I want you, Sly."
The thief's lips drew a joyful and surprised smile. Then, he held the vixen's face with both hands and delivered a passionate and overdue kiss that made them both close their eyes. Carmelita softly caressed the raccoon's arms while a warm and pleasing feeling filled her body. Once the kiss ended, they looked into each other's eyes while catching their breath. Their faces were all flustered, and the two were smiling while they wondered how they had waited so long to do that.
Sly ran his hand through her dark hair. "I'm all yours..." he whispered before kissing her again. His words and his lips sent a chill up Carmelita's spine. A few seconds into the kiss, she gently pushed the raccoon and made him fall back to the couch. Then, once the fox was on top of him, she wrapped her hands around his neck and began to slowly kiss it. The tickling sensation of the vixen's lips made him tremble and moan quietly.
Carmelita, satisfied by the thief's response to her kisses, ran her hands down his chest and slipped them under his shirt. "How about we take things to the bedroom..." she suggested.
"Okay..." he said under his breath.
The couple kissed one more time and got up without separating their lips. They slowly walked to Carmelita's bedroom while trying their best not to trip over furniture or their own legs. Once they were there, the fox blindly reached for the knob, and they both entered the room. After a few more steps, they both fell on top of the bed.
This time, Sly was the one on top, but the vixen managed to take his shirt off in a swift move. The fox admired the raccoon's complexion as she slowly ran her hand through the gray fur on his chest. "Mmm... My handsome thief." Her free hand traveled up to his shoulder, and her lips began a trail of kisses that covered all of Sly's neck before reaching the raccoon's snout.
The thief, who was captivated by the touch of Carmelita's hands, answered her lips with an intense kiss in which their tongues began to gain prominence. During the kiss, they felt how their tails began to intertwine with each other. After their lips parted, the vixen hugged him tight and played with his ears. Meanwhile, Sly placed his hand on her hips before smoothly putting them under her shirt. Knowing what Sly wanted to do, the fox laid back and let the thief take it off.
"Whoa..." the raccoon praised her body. He carefully surrounded her waist with his hands and kept contemplating the orange and cream parts of her fur. "...You're gorgeous."
Carmelita gasped as she felt the thief's breathing on her neck while his hands caressed her breasts. The fox's moans let Sly know that he was doing a good job, so he kept worshiping her body. The raccoon's hands and mouth induced a tingling sensation that started at the back of the vixen's neck and ran down her spine.
"God, you're beautiful..." said Sly before the fox pulled him closer and kissed him once again. The thief held her tight, and the vixen wrapped her legs around his body. In an attempt to regain the initiative, Carmelita rolled over herself, placing herself on top of the thief.
"Alright, Cooper, my turn." She playfully teased him.
The raccoon let Carmelita pin him down and enjoyed the touch of her hands all over his body. He loved her dominance. As the vixen applied some sweet kisses on the thief's face, one of her hands made its way down to his waist. She gently felt Sly's bulge over his pants. He was already hard.
"Ahhh..." The thief moaned to the feeling of the palm of Carmelita's hand rubbing her member.
"I think it's time you lose those pants, Ringtail..." she whispered before sitting up.
Sly had entirely surrendered himself to the vixen. He was lying on his back with his arms outstretched, and she was sitting between his legs. Carmelita toyed with the elastic waistband of his pants and enjoyed the anticipation of the moment as she watched the thief's chest go up and down with his agitated breath. Then, the vixen took off his pants and unveiled the raccoon's erection. The fox delicately grasped it by the base and bit her lower lip after she felt it throb.
"Look at you, you're practically begging for it..." said Carmelita after making eye contact with the raccoon, whose cheeks were burning. He didn't know how to explain it, but her dominant behavior turned him on. A lot.
The vixen lay down next to him and began to tenderly massage his shaft while kissing his neck.
"Huff... F-fuck... Huff..." he moaned.
"You like that, huh?" She teased him, and he loved it.
Carmelita began to switch up the pace of her strokes, edging the raccoon. After pushing Sly to his limit a couple of times, the fox stopped short and sat up again.
"Good boy..." she rubbed his chest before moving down to his waist.
The fox gently pulled his foreskin back to expose the head, which was already leaking with precum. She made eye contact before applying a sweet kiss and running her tongue all over it. Sly squirmed at the feeling of Carmelita's mouth working the most sensitive part of his girth. Little by little, the vixen began to go down the length of his shaft as she gently played with his balls. Then, the raccoon ran his fingers through her head and gently pushed her head down.
"Fuck... Carmelita..." he moaned. Once the vixen was able to take Sly's whole cock, she increased the pace of her lips and felt how his head hit against the back of her throat. "I'm close..." he said between groans. Since the vixen didn't stop and went back to caressing his head with her tongue, the raccoon could only hold on for a few seconds more. He let out a loud moan and thrust his hips as he reached climax. Carmelita felt his erection pulsating as he emptied himself inside her. After she ran out of breath, the vixen pulled away and kissed Sly's member, which twitched at the feeling of her lips.
"Are you alright?" she asked in a more loving voice.
"Y-yeah..." replied the thief, who was still catching his breath. "...That was amazing."
"Well..." The fox went back up to his chest and hugged him. "...Now I'd like to see what you can do with that mouth of yours..." She stroked his chin.
Carmelita didn't know it at that moment, but the power dynamics had just switched.
The raccoon replied with a suggestive smile and a kiss. Then, he placed himself on top of the vixen and created a path of sweet kisses that went from her neck all the way down to her lower stomach, making a stop at her breasts. Carmelita's sweatpants had a knot, and, even if it wasn't necessary, Sly untied it as if it were the bow of a gift. He took them off slowly, really savoring the moment. Once they were off, he got a hold of her legs and began to kiss her thighs. After the kisses stopped, the raccoon enjoyed the fox's scent and began to tease her.
"Ahh... Sly..." She didn't hold back her moans after she felt the Ringtail's tongue licking her wetness, and she got louder as he increased the intensity. The feeling of his hands holding her legs tight as he devoured her sent a shiver through the fox's veins. After he began to fuck her with his tongue, the vixen wrapped her legs around his head, pushing him deeper inside her. At that moment, she didn't care about anything except his raccoon. His brown eyes, his ears, that smug smile of his, his ringtail, his gray fur, his perfect body, and, of course, his tongue. Carmelita moaned out his name several times and begged him not to stop. Sly kept savoring and pleasing her until she couldn't hold it anymore. The vixen felt how her muscles tensed as a breathtaking orgasm traveled through her body. Her moans were like music to Sly's ears, who was now gently kissing her sex.
"Sly..." she called him.
The thief climbed up her chest and held her. "You okay?"
"Sly, I want you... inside." breathed the vixen.
"What's the magic word, Inspector?" He teased her.
"Please..." She felt her skin burning up.
"That's more like it..." smiled the thief before caressing one of her breasts with one of his hands and stimulating her cunt with the other one. Carmelita was still slightly sensitive, so the room quickly filled with her moans when the raccoon began to finger her. Sly shut her up with a kiss and put his tongue back to work. The vixen experienced things she had never experienced before. Everything about Sly just made her melt into pleasure: his charming voice, his intoxicating scent, his skillful hands, his playful tongue...
After their lips parted and left a trail of saliva between them, Sly placed himself in front of the fox's hips and rested his hands on them. He pulled her towards him and rested his cock on her heat. The thief, wanting to tease the vixen a little and savor the moment at the same time, began to grind his member on her entrance. Carmelita called his name one more time, and he stopped the teasing. The raccoon made sure his hips were well placed and pushed inside her slowly. They both moaned as she adjusted to his size. Afraid to hurt her, Sly took it slowly and only went halfway in when he began to thrust his hips.
"F-fuck..." They both moaned.
The vixen wrapped her legs around him and slowly pushed him deeper inside her with each move. Once the raccoon managed to put it all in, Carmelita also began to move her hips. It took them a while to set a good pace, but it was worth it. Every push of Sly's length sent a shiver down the fox's spine. And the feeling of her walls around his girth made him melt with pleasure.
The vixen wrapped her hands around his neck, pulled him towards her, and kissed the raccoon as he kept pounding her.
"Carmelita... I'm gonna come..." said Sly, whose legs began to tremble. The fox just hugged him tight and took one last powerful thrust that made her arch her back before the raccoon filled her up. They both shared one last kiss before the thief pulled out and collapsed on top of her.
Their hearts were racing, and their knees felt weak. Suddenly, they dissolved into pleasure and felt a wave of satisfaction that relaxed their bodies. Sly held the vixen and rested his head under her chin.
"I love you..." he mumbled.
"I love you too..." she replied.
Everything they went through that day had left them too tired for a second round, so Sly and Carmelita peacefully went to sleep and spent the entire next day making love. Although in love, they were still a cop and a thief. They both knew that a relationship couldn't hold like that, so they decided to leave it all behind and begin a new life together. Sly retired, Carmelita left Interpol, and they moved to a small city next to the vixen's hometown in Spain. They bought a house, the Ringtail learned Spanish, and Bentley and Murray visited from time to time. The couple was able to be together without anyone or anything bothering them. Just like they've always wanted.
Fin