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How long had it been since he made his way back to the Motherlobe? It seemed like forever, lately it's been mission after mission with no break from his duties as a Psychonaut. Exhaling, the burgundy haired boy closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair to relax as their jet soared through the sky on a path for the Motherlobe.
"Tired, Razputin?" A deep voice questioned before an exhale followed, Raz assumed it to be none other than Sasha taking a drag from his cigarette. "Don't fall asleep quite yet, we've just about arrived at the Motherlobe."
"Yeah, if you end up falling asleep on the jet, don't be surprised if you wake up in antarctica! Bwahaha!" Oleander cackled, teasing the preteen who merely rolled his eyes and grumbled in response while rubbing his temples. He did NOT need to be hearing Oleander's obnoxious voice at the moment.
"Oleander! He's only 14, let the growing boy rest. We've been doing missions nonstop." Milla scolded, giving Raz a warm smile as she glanced past her chair to see the boy continuing to relax in his seat. "But Sasha's right. Don't get too comfy, the Motherlobe is right ahead of us, you'll be able to rest soon."
"Good, I can't wait to take it easy after saving the world again…" Raz mumbled in response, sitting up as the Motherlobe finally came into view. The massive structure hadn't changed a bit since they had last departed; the only addition would be the actual pathways to the other facilities present in the land.
The group of Psychonauts landed onto the helipad steadily and soon were ready to depart the vehicle in order to head home for what they assumed to be a good while.
"Phew… Grab your things, another unit will be using the jet according to Truman Zanotto. Wouldn't want to accidentally leave anything.'' Sasha instructed, putting out his cigarette as he stood up from his seat and stretched his body.
Raz nodded in understanding and headed over to the small locker with his name scribbled on it with red sharpie, opening it swiftly and pulling out his goggles, bag, and signature headwear. 'Finally… Home safe and sound. I wonder how Lili's doing…'
Ah, yes, Lili Zanotto. Daughter of Truman Zanotto, and the girlfriend of Razputin Aquato. Raz had a bit of trouble when it came to defining his relationship with her sometimes, and frankly he had no idea how they were still together after 4 years of them maturing and growing as individuals, but here they were.
She was a nice girl, very bashful and aggressive, but beautiful and strong. He couldn't lie and say that personality was what he'd expect of his first girlfriend, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Their childish romance that seemed to only stem from their own curiosity, and had started as a result of Lili being boy crazy at her age. It was… Nice. Especially when he looks back on it now.
Raz smiled as he and the rest of the team exited the jet, though as the three of them headed off to walk and talk, Raz had a different destination in mind. He wanted to simply check in on Lili and maybe set up a date together since they had the time, and then hit the hay.
Entering the reception area, Raz greeted the front desk lady with a small wave before he levitated up through the elevator after a quick thinkerprint scan. Having full access to the facility had it's perks; he got through the facility rather quickly.
Making his way up to the main floor, Raz was suddenly greeted by the face of Hollis Forsythe, lesser head of the psychonauts. "Ah, Razputin, just who I needed to speak with! Truman wishes to speak with you about your mission report."
"Really? Can't it wait until tomorrow? I'm kind of beat…" Raz urged, looking to the side as he silently wished that he had the ability to turn invisible. Well, perhaps he could figure out a way to make that possible, but as of right now he was stuck being tangible for others to see.
"Sorry, I'm not the one to talk to about it. I suggest just going to see what he needs, I'm sure it won't take long." She replied, shrugging as she gave the boy a soft smile and made her way along, presumably to her office. She could tell he was exhausted, but no longer being his designated instructor she had no say in the matter.
Raz frowned and sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose. Of course there was always work to be done. He was a psychonaut! He didn't have time to take it easy right now, there was a lot of work that came along with the title and he had to hold true to everyone's expectations! It was his duty!
He then took a deep breath and put a smile on his face as he headed for Truman's office. And who knows? Maybe he'd run into Lili on the way there, which would be a break of its own.
Making his way to the office, Raz was greeted with the lovely sight of the headmaster himself, Truman Zanotto in all his bearded glory. "Ah, Razputin! I'm glad you're here, there's a few matters to discuss."
"Wait, Raz is back? Raz, is that you!?" A sudden voice spoke up as the beautiful face of his girlfriend peeked around the corner to greet him. Her long red hair, and piercing hazel eyes. He almost forgot what it felt like to be in her presence again, so much so that a goofy smile found its way to his lips.
The two of them had definitely changed over the years. For one, they both got significantly taller, and they had nothing but puberty to thank for that. Raz was now at a comfortable 5'6, and his features had sharpened. He no longer looked like a complete egghead. He was a charming teen, and he was damned proud of it!
But Lili on the other hand… Raz could never keep up with her. She looked gorgeous. No longer were her childish ponytails and short stature. She finally let her hair loose, and along with Raz had grown quite a bit, now standing at 5'2 with a gorgeous body. If it wasn't for his obsession with all things nerdy he'd probably have noticed her changes by now. He was at that age after all, but alas he was more concerned with saving the world.
"H-Hey, Lili. I'm back." He spoke awkwardly, waving to her with his goofy smile as he walked over to her father and shook his hand. "Give me just a second uh…" He stated as he turned his attention back to Truman. "What did you need, sir? Not to be rude, but I'd really like to rest soon…"
"Well, I'm sure you would, but unfortunately something has come up and seeing as you're one of our best agents I want you on the job. You're to head out with the other team tomorrow." Truman instructed, causing the boy to clench his fists in frustration.
"But, sir-"
"I'm sorry, but they need you, Raz." Truman interrupted, placing an apologetic hand to the boy's shoulder. Raz sighed and nodded in understanding, there was no way to fight this. It was his duty. This is what he wanted, this is what he dreamed of. It was just the price he had to pay.
"Yes, sir. I'll… I-I'll make sure I'm ready by dawn tomorrow." He replied, feigning excitement with a sad look as he stared down at the floor in annoyance. All he wanted was to relax, but it was just as Truman said… He was one of their best agents.
"What!? You can't just agree to that Raz!" Lili chimed in, scowling at both Raz and her father as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand. "He's tired, dad! He's been out for five whole days, send one of the other agents, he needs to rest!"
"I'm sorry honey, but he's the most qualified. He's one of our greatest-"
"I don't care about your 'greatest minds' mumbo jumbo! I'm not going to let you work my boyfriend to the bone! He's staying here for at least a few days, and that's final!" Lili shouted, dragging Raz along angrily. Raz could only give an apologetic expression to Truman as he was dragged along by the man's daughter.
Being essentially dragged through the halls of the motherlobe, Raz was trying to keep up with her angry pace, but was more concerned over how angry she was. "L-Lili, I get that you're upset, but if you could just stop for a second we can talk and try to calm you do- Mmph!"
Raz was quickly silenced by Lili swiveling on her heel and crashing her lips against his right in front of many of the other agents who were working or chatting idly. Some cooed, and others showed faces of annoyance at the teens open display of affection.
The kiss wasn't anything more than lip to lip contact, but just how quick she was to crash her lips onto his, surprised Raz to his very core. Sure he's seen her mad countless times before, but this seemed more like frustration than anything else.
'I know I promised I wouldn't do this anymore, but…' He thought as he activated his psychic powers and peered into the shallowest layer of her thoughts.
'Get out of my head, Raz. I'll talk in a second.' She scolded, frowning as she opened her eyes in their kiss and slowly pulled away to find that her boyfriend was giving her a look of concern. "Raz…"
"I'm sorry, I'm just worried about you. Why did you flip out on your dad like that? It was just one more mission, I'd be back before the end of the day." Raz spoke, finally intertwining his fingers with hers as the couple seemed to fall into their own little world.
"I know, I know, it's just… Ugh! You were already gone for five days, I-I just… I wanted to spend time with you. I was planning to spend time with you and my dad just tried to ruin it. I couldn't let that happen, I missed you, Raz…" The girl admitted, sighing as her shoulders slumped along with it. Raz finally began to understand.
Just as he had missed her, she had missed him. It had been quite a few days with them apart and she wasn't permitted to go on the mission with them. With him. She was alone and bored just like she had been when they first met. It was that camp all over again.
Without him, without the excitement and thrill of trying to save the world she had come to realize that it all came from Raz. She couldn't stand being away from him because he was the excitement in her life. The excitement she so desperately desired.
But as time went on she realized it was more than that, sure she figured it out during the earlier 4 years of their relationship, but it was only now that she really began to suffer from it. She loved to be with him, to crack jokes with him and poke fun at one another. She loved to cause mayhem around the Motherlobe together. She loved to do even the simplest things with him like sit and talk, and… Maybe she even loved him. Not that she would admit it, of course. She wanted him to say it first.
"I missed you too, Pyromaniac…" Raz teased, smiling as he got a small chuckle out of her. "You could have just called me, y'know?"
"I didn't want to come off as clingy…" She mumbled, averting the boy's gaze as he rolled his eyes and smiled. "Anyways, can I stay with you tonight? After my outburst I don't think I'd wanna stay at the Zanotto Manor…"
Raz blushed, "You sure? I-I dunno if -"
"Don't care. Just take the hint and let me stay over! You have your own space now, don't'cha!?'' She exclaimed, punching Raz in the arm quickly before locking arms with him with a smile. "Lead the way."
Nodding, Raz and Lili made their way to the Junior Psychonaut Dormitory. The psychonauts had many amenities, and that included housing for those that needed it. Raz was one of the lucky few that got to live on site, though that was mainly due to the fact his family was moving around quite a bit.
As soon as the door to his room was closed behind them, Raz removed his headpiece and goggles and let out a sigh of relief while running a hand through his hair. Home sweet home.
His room wasn't very large, but it was big enough to store his massive collection of comic books, and psychology books he picked up on the many travels with his family. He was given a lot of amenities that he honestly had no idea what to do with, like a TV, and a radio for music. He just kinda had it there for aesthetic purposes, but the most important thing in his room had to be the many plants that Lili had gifted to him so that they could talk to one another long distance. (He also had one of them stored in his bag, but he really only used it when their phone conversations ended abruptly when one of their phones died on a mission).
"Boy am I glad to be back. I forgot how nice it was to be in a room of my own." Raz mumbled, going to remove his coat but was stopped by Lily's gloved hand. "Hm? Something wrong, Lili?"
"No, I just thought I'd help you out. You did say you were tired after all, and I wouldn't be a good girlfriend if I didn't come and save your butt in your time of need." The girl joked, smiling softly as she removed the boy's coat herself and hung it on the coatrack conveniently placed beside his door.
"Everyone needs saving sometimes I guess…" Raz mumbled, chuckling as he turned back around to face her. "Thank you, Lilipad. You have no idea how thankful I am for you getting me some time off."
"You can thank me by shutting up and kissing me." Lili replied, smirking as she grabbed onto the collar of Raz's turtleneck and pulled him in for another kiss, yet this time he was more than happy to reciprocate it and wrapped his arms around her waist in a gentle embrace. (Lili even kicked a leg up, how nice).
The kiss was longer lived than before, yet remained just as inexperienced and innocent as the first. But that was the way they liked it, that was how they wanted to do things and they were gonna enjoy it. It wasn't everyday they spent time together like this. Aside from when Lili tried to urge him to makeout with her, of course.
Pulling away from the kiss, Raz smiled with hazy eyes at his girlfriend. "Y'know, suddenly I'm not feeling as tired. Anything you want to do since you're staying over?"
"Yeah, but you need to shower first. You smell pretty bad, how long did you go without a proper shower?" She replied, teasingly plugging her nose as Raz went to smell himself, and sure enough he reeked of sweat. "That and I'm gonna need some clothes to sleep in. I'm not sleeping in one of my favorite dresses."
"Y'know, I never know why you choose those checkered dresses, but they suit you so well. Especially with that leather jacket of yours, y'know you're very pretty when you-" Raz started, pulling out a random t-shirt he had with the Psychonauts logo printed on it from his drawer before his mouth was covered by a vine from one of Lili's plants.
"Stop with the embarrassing compliments. Just give me the stupid clothes and go shower!" Lili urged, shoving Raz along after snatching the clothes from him, soon finding herself alone in his "private quarters". It had been some time since she was last here, but all the memorabilia of the years they've shared together remained the same.
The friendship bracelet they made together when they were 10 that he took everywhere was strapped to his bag. The first picture they ever took together, framed and mounted on his dresser. The first gift he had ever received from her for their first anniversary, a small figure of Sasha, stood proudly right by all of her plants. Ah how the years have passed… They were teenagers now, it seemed so odd to think about the passing of time.
But these years have been the best years of her life. The constant adventure, the loving romance, the reconnection with her father and all of the old Psychonauts founding members… And she had no one else to thank but Rasputin Aquato.
"Feeling nostalgic? You've been staring at that photo for a few minutes now." Raz spoke from behind the girl, causing her to jump in surprise and whip her head around to face her pajama clad boyfriend.
"W-What? How did you-"
"Get dressed? I'm a Psychic, I can just make things levitate towards me, Lils." He teased, stepping beside her as he joined her in reminiscing about their first photo together. They had just gotten back from a mission, and Lili had gotten her hands on a camera. (There was more than one version of that photo). "It is… Nice to think about, though. I think that was when we really took the dive into the romantic portion of our relationship."
"Pfft, you wouldn't stop trying to find the time to ask me about what we were. I couldn't say no to that determined face, you wanted a clear answer, and I thought I was ready. Dad almost went ballistic though…" Lili recalled, smiling at the recounting of their shared memory. That day was so special to her, and also very eventful.
"You thought you were ready? Does… Does that mean you don't think you are anymore..?" Raz inquired bashfully, rubbing the nape of his neck as he glanced away from the photograph. Lili giggled at his anxious tone, even after everything they've been through he still can't help but get a little paranoid that all of what they had was simply infatuation. That once she found someone better that she'd leave him.
The only thing that Raz could never fathom was the fact that to Lili, there wasn't anyone more fit for her. She didn't want anyone else, and even though they may have started a little earlier than most she loved him. She couldn't even dream of being with someone else.
"I don't think we were when we first kissed, but I wouldn't change a thing. I really like being your girlfriend, Raz." She replied, blushing as she shot the boy a glance and leaned her head against his shoulder. She found it rather enjoyable that he was quite a bit taller than her now, she could do things like this and help feed his masculine ego. (Not that either of them cared all that much, but Raz always suffered with confidence issues).
There was a small pause as Raz blushed softly and leaned his head against hers. "Yeah… Lili, can I… I know this might sound weird, but can I tell you something? Something a bit serious and personal? It's been bugging me for awhile."
"Of course, Raz. You can tell me anything." She assured, her tone soft and quiet as she lifted her head to look him in the eyes, but he was already gazing upon her with his luminescent emerald eyes.
"I… I've been feeling weird lately. Like my chest has been tight, and my body has been reacting differently to my surroundings. Like, more than normal puberty standards go." He explains, looking down at his open palm before sighing and running a hand through his hair. "I don't know what it is, but the craziest thing is… It only happens when I think of you. Should I see Sasha to get myself evaluated?"
Lili felt her face flush and her heartbeat quicken. He had essentially just admitted to being in love with her and had no idea, how dense can a nerd be!? Despite her frustrations though, Lili was absolutely thrilled! She couldn't stop herself from smiling, but she needed to respond- But how do you even respond to that!?
"U-Um… Well, I guess the best way to answer that is no. Y-You don't need to go see Sasha, i-it's just…" She paused and took a deep breath to compose herself. She needed to remain calm for this. "Raz… Do you love me?"
"W-What!? I-I thought we agreed to wait to say that until w-we were ready? I-I mean, I'm not saying no, but I-I think that-"
"Raz. Answer the question." She interrupted, frowning as he attempted to dodge the question. The green eyed boy knew better than to try and deceive her, and he decided that he needed to just tell it like it is.
Taking her hands and intertwining them with his own he looked down at them and nodded, "I-I think I do… It's been driving me crazy lately trying to figure myself out, especially with how I've been gone for awhile, but… Yeah. I love you, Lili. I love what we have. I think it took me being apart from you to really understand it."
Lili couldn't contain herself anymore. She leapt into his arms and held him tight in an embrace she wished would last an eternity. Razputin was understandably confused by her reaction, but considering she was hugging him he was hoping that it was a good thing. "U-Uh, Lili..? I don't know what this means…"
"Don't make me say it out loud… I love you too, Raz." She replied, pulling away from the embrace with a red face and a shy smile. "Honestly, I've known for awhile how I felt about you, I just wanted you to say it first."
"What? Why?" He questioned, raising a brow inquisitively as Lili's blush deepened.
"Because! You're not supposed to subject a girl to that much embarrassment! Plus, I should be mad at you, you made me wait way too long!" She scolded playfully, smiling as Raz's expression shifted to one of pure confusion. "I've decided! To make it up to me you'll have to do as I say for the next 24 hours!"
"What!? But-"
"First command: Cuddles."
"...What?"
"You heard me. Get to it, Pootie."
Raz frowned at the use of his family's nickname and hoisted Lili in his arms with a vein sticking out on his forehead. "...Let's just get this over with."
Lili smiled proudly and kissed her boyfriend's cheek with a smile. "Love you, Raz."
"Yeah, yeah… I love you too."