Chapter Text
The Cooper Gang was at the scene when the worst happened.
Murray and Bentley were waiting for Sly in the van, parked a few blocks away. The earpiece communication suddenly cut off and Sly found himself alone with himself in the bank.
His mission was simple: he had to stalk a dangerous criminal in order to find his hiding place and report him to the police. The man was part of a violent organization that operated through the illegal sale of heavy weapons and powerful homemade bombs. They knew they couldn't afford to let this kind of person hang out in the streets of Paris. They had to stop him before he got the chance to kill someone.
The man entered a bank and Sly quietly followed him inside.
Sly was simply dressed in a black roll-neck sweater tucked in a pair of light blue jeans, all tightened with a brown belt. He absolutely did not want to catch anyone's attention.
Sly's target walked over to a counter and greeted the person on duty. The raccoon had the good idea of going to sit on a chair right next to the counter in question. It was the best way not to get spotted.
In order not to appear suspicious, Sly took his phone out of his pocket and quickly texted Bentley to explain the situation.
"We're going to have to buy some new communicators." The thief whispered slowly, while tapping on his phone keypad.
"Excuse me sir.."
Sly lifted his head quickly, his heart pounding. Did someone recognize him?
"Hope I'm not bothering you, I'm so sorry to have to ask you this but... Can you watch over my daughter for a few seconds? I have to go get something in my car and my daughter can't walk that far and I can't carry her."
The woman in question was a young mother who appeared to be a white cat, she had heavy files in her arms which she held against her chest. When the mother mentioned her child, Sly lowered his gaze and was met with a beautiful little girl who couldn't be older than 4. The child stood near his mother's left leg and gave the raccoon a pleasant smile. She seemed at ease with people.
Sly looked around quickly. His target still has not moved, and the thief has the feeling that he will be here for a while.
The woman said she was not going away for very long.
He could simply help this mom in need, he just had to look after a child for what, 10 seconds ? Easy.
"Of course I can do that for you ma'am, I'll stay by your daughter's side until you come back." Sly replied with a warm smile, he may be a criminal but he still loves helping people. And, he found the little girl very cute.
"Thank you for your kindness Sir!" The woman gestures for her daughter to sit on the free chair next to the tall raccoon.
"Eri doesn't speak much yet, but she loves to smile at people, I'll be right back!" As if on clue, Eri lifted her head at the raccoon and sent him the widest smile she can muster. Sly internally melted at the sight, what a bright child.
I am now stuck with a child. Sly thought about it for a second. Never thought I would have to watch someone's kid today.
...Let's try to make small talk with a 4 years old. He smiles at his seemingly stupid idea.
"Ya might wanna know my name, you can call me Sylvester! Your name is Eri right ?
As he guessed, Eri didn't respond but she did nod her head vigorously. She then proceeded to wave at him a few times.
Is this her way to say that she is happy to meet me? Maybe...
The thief gives her one of his best smiles, the one he knows would charm more than just a few people.
The girl's white tail twitches with happiness.
His phone suddenly lights up in his pocket, he knows it's a text from Bentley asking for his position. He will text him when he's done with looking after Eri.
"I'm glad to know that you're happy to be with me, your mom should be back any sec-"
A row of bullets pass through the open doors of the bank. The protective glass around the counters explode, pieces of glass falling on the people who are now crouching on the ground.
Sly and Eri were in the front line, unable to shield themselves from the shots.
The thief didn't have time to realize what was happening, the raccoon closed his eyes and hugged the girl in an instinctive surge of protection.
The two fall to the ground, as if their lives had just been taken away.
A second wave of gunfire echoed through the room, but Sly couldn't hear anything now. He hugged the girl until...
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Sirens are blaring, it's cold. It's the first thing Sly feels when he regains consciousness.
The second thing is the smell of blood.
Then came the pain. A terrible pain was running through his leg and he didn't understand what was going on until he opened his eyes.
His head is spinning, but he can make out the scene unfolding in front of him.
Dozens of people are on the ground, others are leaning against the walls for support. Paramedics are everywhere, They are evacuating the wounded... And the dead.
Sheets are laid out over the corpses, tears and howls of grief and pain are echoing.
A male buffalo is leaning over her girlfriend, a police officer is patting his back as a sign of comfort as her corpse is being draped over. The man is sobbing loudly, clinging to her corpse as the nurse tells him that her death was quick and painless. It is a lie.
"-Sir, you with me?"
He hadn't noticed the paramedic quickly approaching him and crouching in front of his head.
"We're gonna help you, can you tell me where it hurts?"
Sly didn't really know what to say. Is it his leg that hurts so much? Did a bullet-
The girl. The girl !
The raccoon began agitating frantically, turning his head in all directions to find Eri, she was no longer in his arms!
The paramedic guy immediately noticed his agitation. He knows what the racoon is searching for, he tries to distract the wounded man the best he can.
"Calm down sir, tell me where it hurts-"
"The gi - .. girl, girl..." Sly can’t get any sentence out, he’s going into shock. He looked at him the best he could with a glassy gaze. He had to make sure she...
Behind the guy was a body stretched out, a tiny body sprawled out beside him to his right.
He immediately recognizes Eri's white tail.
Eri-!
A female nurse stood over Eri, a white sheet in her arms. She unfolds the sheet and lays it on the girl-
"No, no, no...!" The thief tries to scream, the paramedic moves a little closer in front of Sly to block his eyes from the appalling sight.
He wanted to run away.
He had to run away.
Oh God she is-
In my arms, she died in-!
"Everything will be fine, try not to look..."
...
His vision darkened so quickly that he didn't see the golden trauma blanket being put on him.
As he regained consciousness for the second time, he quickly became aware of his surroundings.
An ambulance, he is lying in an ambulance.
Fortunately, the doors are not closed yet. It seems like they haven’t departed, yet.
Sly lifted his head to look around, his head pounding. He could see a multitude of both police forces and paramedics running around, there were actually a lot of them…
A police officer rushed passed Sly’s eyes with something in their arms, or someone, he couldn't tell. His vision was a mess and the nausea he was experiencing wasn’t helping.
“I have to get away.” He suddenly came to the sudden realisation that he couldn't stay here, he had to save the girl-
Oh god, Eri.
Putting his hands behind his back, he feels his muscles curl as he pulls himself into a semi-sitting position. His face contorted in pain, the racoon had to clench his eyes shut, as if it could help keeping himself from screaming.
Something cold just hit his hand, it’s water.
He’s crying. He doesn’t know how his tears managed to get past his eyelids, all he knows is that there are now multiple tears falling from his cheeks. He can’t see anything past the water that is clouding his vision, he brings his right hand to his eyes as he starts to hiccup. He collapses back onto the stretcher as the strain he put on his left arm to keep himself upright made it fold on itself. He stifled the cry he felt going up his throat and sat back up again.
“I have to get away.”
No one is near him, the doctors are standing a little further away. They seem to be discussing which hospital to take the raccoon to.
Said raccoon wasted no time. He got up without looking where to put his feet and almost fell back onto the stretcher. Instead, he slid down to the floor with the help of his hands.
He tried again, only to find out that he couldn't feel his right leg. He reaches out to put his right left hand to his ankle, it’s numb. He feels numb.
There is only one option left : he has to crawl.
Sly looked before and without giving it much of a thought, grabbed onto the stilling bar to pull himself in a somewhat sitting position.
“The hardest part is over.” He thought to himself as he proceeds to ungracefully begin to ‘walk’ using the ambulance’s inner wall for support.
In a matter of seconds, he is out of the vehicule.
Like nothing ever happened.
Just after he crossed the street in which the ambulance was parked, he faintly heard someone yelling “where did he go?!”, but Sly wasn’t sure.
He doesn't even remember how he managed to cross the street, his head is feeling light and his body seems much heavier than he usually deals with.
Everything is blurry, he doesn’t know where he is going and where to go. On top of that, he is pretty sure the sun is drilling holes into his eyeballs. He knows deep down he has a concussion, but he didn't have time to think, he didn't know what to think.
His mind is everywhere and nowhere, he just can’t stop thinking about the girl and his leg-
He didn't dare look at the condition of his leg. He's so scared to see the first aid bandages and the blood, the blood-
The girl- Eri…
Oh God. She’s dead and I couldn’t do anything I killed her and where’s the mom is she dead too oh my god I killed the child I killed her-
"Beep, beep-"
He is holding his phone in his right hand, Bentley's contact number was dialed. Did he do that unconsciously ? He doesn't know anything at that point.
"Beep, bee-"
"SLY ?! SLY ?! Sly please respond ! Something happened and we can't approach the bank they are cops everywhere and you wouldn't answer your phone-"
"Help." Sly whispered, his voice broken and hoarse.
He can hear restless movements on the phone. In the distance he hears Bentley shouting around that Sly is alive and needs help. He probably mentioned that he is going to track down his phone to his last position, but the words aren’t making any sense.
"I'm hurt. Bentley, I'm hurt." Sly repeats weakly.
He no longer knows what he is doing.
He doesn't remember sliding against a random dumpster and putting his head on his left knee, his phone to his ear. He didn't even bother lifting his right leg into the same position, he can’t feel it anyway. He talks to Bentley and answers his questions, but he doesn't know what he's saying.
Everything is blurry.
He barely registers the wheels of a truck suddenly stopping and people running towards him. His phone fell to the ground. He's bleeding through his bandages.