Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lili turned the dog-eared book page once again. “Could I even… hmm…” Her hazel eyes scanned over the picture of the flower again. “They have a long enough stem but… Would they even jump out?” She shook her head and turned to other pages.

“Cala lilies wouldn’t be good, Gardenias are a bit to plain–” Her head whipped to another voice. “No. I meant plain for my project. Plus, none of you guys want to be ripped out of the ground, do you? … That’s what I thought.” Lili kept turning to the different pages, un-dogearing the flowers she was starting to whittle down. “Do you think it would be weird to use Lilies in this?” She glanced at the words they represented again. “Nevermind, the only ones that are close to what I would choose have something else tied to them.” She groaned.

“How’s the effort?” Truman asked as he floated up. 

“No good. I’ve only got two flowers right now, and that’s not nearly enough!”

“Hmm. Are you sure?”

“Have you taken a look at Raz lately, dad? He needs way more than just two types of flowers for a flower crown!”

“You’re not really looking for ones that usually make up flower crowns.”

“The language is what’s more important.”

“Oh, is it now?”

“Mhmm! Uncle Bob’s been teaching me how to make the plants move in ways I want without hurting them, so I’m gonna try to grow Raz an actual flower crown that won’t hurt the plants!”

“That will take a lot of effort, Princess.”

Lili rolled her eyes. “That’s why I’m getting started now , dad.” She turned the page. “Do you think Pink Carnations would be good?”

“Well, are they what you want to say to him?”

“Of course! I’d never forget the person who saved our lives!”

Truman once again glanced at the flowers Lili was choosing. “I think you may want to take a look at some more structurally sound flowers–”

“ Dad– ”

“And their meanings. It may help you when the time comes to grow and will offer you that extra stability. I’m sure that you would prefer to grow a flower crown work putting on his head, and not worth burning.”

“Dad…” Lili sighed. “Thanks dad. Sorry for nearly snapping.”

“It’s alright. I know this means a lot to you.”

“Could you… maybe get me a list of some of those flowers?”

“Of course. I think you’ll like to learn about spray roses.” Truman smiled.

Lili’s eyes widened and she nodded, already interested.

Lili’s left hand pressed against her temple as her right fingers twitched over the growing sprigs. The circular garden and the way that it was supposed to go was already starting to take effect. 

Lili finally gave herself a bit of a rest and stopped putting pressure on her left temple, giving out a little hum. “Soon you’ll all be big and strong, just like him.” She heard the murmurs of young plants and let one of her fingers prod open a bit of a leaf. “I really do like him, yeah.”

“Lili?” Bob called. “Truman says it’s dinner time.”

“Coming, Uncle Bob!”

“Uncle Helmut, too!” Helmut added.

Lili did her best to keep the goofy smile off of her face.

Lili’s fingernails were filled with dirt as she carefully removed the flowers from their shared, circular pot. “Don’t worry, it’s finally time.” 

She kept her mind open as she gently held the flowers, and finally heard the water splashing. He was doing so well with his new training! 

“Hey, Lili! You wanted to see me?”

Lili looked back and smiled. She turned, keeping the flower crown out of his sighed. “Yeah, c’mere.”

Raz approached semi-cautiously, blinking. “Is there something you need me to do?” Ah, so that was why. He was ready for another mission.

“I need you to kneel on the ground.”

Raz raised an eyebrow, but settled into a kneeling position. He looked back up with his forest green eyes, blinking in the sunlight the Zanotto garden often got.

“I wanted to thank you for doing all… well a lot for me.” Lili admitted. “Raz, in the time I’ve known you, you’ve saved my life and my father’s so…” Lili looked back as fought to squint. “Look down for this part.”

Raz did so, looking to the ways the leaves left flecks of yellow-green to dark green from the sunlight.

“I want to thank you,” Lili brought the flower crown out in front of her, “by crowning you,” she placed the flower crown on his head, even though he was still wearing his helmet, “my knight.”

Raz blinked, then looked up.

“You can get up now.”

“Oh.” Raz muttered as he got up. “Sorry I can’t really…” Raz pressed a finger to one of the Bluebell flowers that rested on his forehead, “feel or hear it…”

Lili looked back to him and giggled. “It’s fine.” I mainly got it for you to tell you how I felt about you. I know the words I want to say but… it’s hard to get the courage to say them out loud. These flowers were picked to say those things, my brave knight in shining armor–

Lili saw Raz begin to blush more and more as his gloved hands reached for the flower crown again. Almost like he was– “Raz!!”

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to! I-I thought you were still talking but–”

Lili groaned and sat down on the ground as Raz took the flower crown off. 

“Sorry–”

“Don’t be. It’s just your powers, I understand.”

Raz looked back to the flowercrown, then sat next to Lili. “So these mean the words you want to say?”

“Yeah.” Lili answered.

Raz turned to her. “Can you tell me?”

Lili blushed. “It’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid. You put a lot of hardwork and effort into this! I love it!”

“You don’t even know what it means…”

“Then tell me.”

Lili gave in and looked at those puppy dog eyes one final time before beginning to point out the different flowers. “This one’s bluebell. It was one of the first I picked. They mean friendship.”

“Friendship?”

Lili huffed. “I’m not breaking up with you, if that’s what you’re thinking. You’re my boyfriend and my best friend. They also mean kindness, and support.

“Freesias also mean friendship, but also trust.

“Pink Carnations mean… uh…”

“What? Did you forget?”

“No! They mean never forget! I won't forget that!” Lili then realized what she said and looked away.

“Never forget? You mean it?”

“Duh. You saved me, the world, and my father! Technically a few times!”

“Oh, Lilipad…”

Lili blushed at her nickname. “There’s also Obedient plants, but they’re also called ‘False Dragonheads.’ They’re like snapdragons you can’t make snap.”

“And what do they mean?”

“The obvious.”

Raz gave a blank stare. 

“Bravery.” Lili finally answered.

“Oh… and what about these flowers?”

“Wax flowers mean everlasting riches and uh… love that… overcomes all odds.” Lili told him, finally feeling light and free.

Raz blushed hard, and his gloved finger caressed the small rose again. “These are wax flowers?”

“No, they’re spray roses. But they mean the same thing as regular roses. They’re just structurally sound for flower crowns.”

Raz smiled down at the flower crown, then got back into a kneeling position. “Lili Zanotto, with the best of my ability, I’ll be the best knight I can. I’ll protect you and the world with my psychic powers.”

Lili held back a snort laugh. He was still so excited about being a psychic. A Psychonaut. It was adorable.

Raz got an idea. “Oh, since I’m your knight… could I see your hand?”

Lili handed it to him, still covered in the soil from where she had been taking out the flowers, and Raz placed a gentle kiss on the back of it.

Chapter Text

Lili felt great in her dress that she chose. Her leggings, boots and jacket complimented it well as she walked down to the little “courtyard” in front of the Intern Dorms. Well, she guessed they were “Junior Agent Dorms” now. Well, Raz was happy with the name, so she silently agreed not to tease him. Speaking of… she was wondering when he was supposed to come out. It really seemed that being late was in his nature at this point. Late to camp, late to the Intern program, late to classes and meetings (according to Hollis). Why would their first date be any different?

Just as she was thinking that, the door opened and Raz was running out. He was wearing typical things for his fashion, with a green turtle neck and neutral toned pants. But as Lili looked up to her boyfriends face her large eyes already were widening. His hair was more vibrant and not slicked down. Instead his head was topped with ginger, feathery curls that she had never seen before. He was panting, out of breath as he rushed out to see her. He fought himself from doubling over as he slowed down to approach her. “Lili,” he took in two breaths, “you look,” and then gulped, “good.”

“Thanks, but… do you need–”

Raz waved his hand, “no no. I’m fine. I’ll catch my breath.” He looked back to her and blinked. “A-actually, you look gorgeous. Stunning. ” He added.

“You look stunning too!” Lili blurted. She started to blush, realizing what she had just said.

Raz blushed. “Oh, r-really?” His hand reached to his hair. “C-cause I really tried combing through after my shower but these curls–”

“Your curls look good.” She insisted.

“Oh you… think so?”

“Yeah.” She nodded and grabbed his hand. Still wearing his gloves, but Lili was wearing her fingerless ones, too. Plus they wouldn’t have to deal with sweat. “Now c’mon!”

“We’ve got time, Lili.”

“Yeah, but I want to stay away from prying minds. ”

“Aw, not everyone can get into your mind.”

“Oh shush.” Lili’s words were harsh, but she was smiling.

Chapter Text

Raz’s mouth was slightly agape as he breathed. Of all the things he hated in the world, getting sick was up there. Against him, Lili pressed her forehead to his temple as her fever seemed to only get worse. “You’re really hot…” Raz managed.

“Thanks.” Lili mumbled.

“No it’s…It’s getting too warm…” Raz kicked the blanket off, only for Lili to grab it back up to hold herself into it.

“Heat helps kill the germs,” she told him, still against him with closed eyes.

Raz sighed, sweating and then growing to smile a bit.

“Better?”

“Mhmm.” He breathed through his teeth as he moved his head so the sides of their foreheads were touching. “I love you.”

“You’re gonna make me heat up more, Aquato.”

“Well, heat helps kill the germs.”

“I was the one who told you that!” she reached an arm out and her hand gripped the bridge of his nose playfully.

“That’s not gonna help me breathe better.” Raz pointed out.

“It’s not supposed to.” Lili retorted.

Raz let out a bit of a sigh and opened his eyes again. The two of them had gotten sick with apparently the same bug, so they had very similar symptoms. Fever, shivers, sweating, and of course, tiredness. And it seemed that Lili was starting to get hit with that again. All bundled up and closed eyes without her signature makeup.

Raz pressed a kiss to her scalp, and her arms opened up from the blankets. Raz scooted closer and she wrapped around him with a happy little hum. His arms embraced hers as well, giving her a squeeze before he tried to sit up with her. Lili let out a noise of protest. “I need some water, Lili.”

Lili let out a bit of a snotty breath as Raz carefully managed to use telekinesis to put his water bottle back into his hand. His head throbbed a bit and Lili hit the back of his shoulder. “You’re not gonna recover when you use your powers.” She chastised. For emphasis one of her hands touched the back of his head nails grazing the skin where his hair grew.

“But I don’t want to let go of you.” He whined. Then, to be a hypocrite, he let his hand grab out the cup to drink it. He once again used telekinesis to place it back onto the table.

“Raz…” Lili warned.

He once again grabbed her close and hummed happily. “I love you.”

“Stop trying to distract me.”

“I’m not! I really do love you~” he teased. And he got perfect heat from Lili warming his blanket-less body up.

Chapter Text

“You’re a stalker.” Lizzie said as her sister got up with her binoculars and placed them into her bag.

“I am not!” Norma cried. “I am merely keeping a watch over the Grand Head’s daughter.”

“Did he ask you to do that?” Adam asked.

“No, probably because Razputin also has him under his control.”

“ There it is.” Sam sighed.

“Oh, how else could he possibly keep Dogen from blowing up his brain when he hangs out with him so much?”

Sam thought for a few moments, then gasped.

“Sam, you can’t believe her–” Morris groaned.

“No, I just remembered that I need to ask my mom for her recipe on pancakes. I’ve only made my prison recipe for Raz.”

Norma blinked then rolled her eyes. “Regardless, I still can’t believe that he is dating Lili Zanotto of all people. For one, they’re way too young and for two, the way she acts around him is very different from all the other times I’ve had to deal with her.”

“Have you ever thought that it’s maybe because of your personality?” Gisu raised an eyebrow.

“Impossible.”

Norma had been tracking the two through the bus they had got onto. They sat at the back, so of course, she had to sit near the front so she could look through the bus driver’s mirror. It looked as though Raz had brought his own wallet. Which was strange because despite the paychecks he was getting from the Motherlobe, Norma was pretty sure that Lili still got more money from her father than Raz got paid.

The bus stopped again, and Lili and Raz stood up and began to move off the bus as well as some others. Norma glanced out of the far window, seeing the mall that they were heading into.

Kind of odd… was Razputin going to be trying to buy things for Lili? What if he had also used his power to convince Lesser Head Forsythe and Grand Head Zanotto to give him more money!? Was he making more money than the other Junior Agents? Oh, if the others found out, they’d be so mad. And realize that Razputin really was using his hypnotic powers for evil.

Just before others were going to get onto the bus, Norma jumped out to start tailing the two pre-teens.

The entrance they chose opened up to the food court, which was pretty empty. The two had chosen a time where the mall was still open, sure, but also it was pretty dead with people going home to enjoy their new purchases and make dinners. No crowds for them to get lost in. A perfect time for Norma to tail them.

Lili’s hand was tightly gripping Raz’s, which was odd because the young Miss Zanotto had seemed to abhor the idea of PDA. Raz turned his head, eyes seemingly caught by the plentiful kiosks around the mall. Norma stood at one of them and kept the kids in her peripheral vision, trying to make sure that Raz didn’t spot her as he and Lili walked along. That sneaky little spy…

Norma looked beyond the kiosk to a store that was filled to the brim with different phone cases and phone charms. Not another kiosk, a literal store.

Norma sighed and then looked back to Raz and Lili, who were now further away but they were not out of sight. But they were about to be soon as they moved to turn a corner. 

Norma began to follow at a quicker pace, eyes staring forward with smoldering determination. She turned the corner just as Raz went into a sterile looking store, Lili following behind with a blank stare. “What kind of mind trickery are you using on her, Aquato?” Norma asked under her breath.

The store they entered was an expensive one. Brookstone. Known for drones that even the Zanottos would sweat at losing money to buy, and Norma could see Raz’s face light up at all the different expensive toys. But as he looked around the store, the look started to drop. Raz’s eyebrows furrowed as he opened up his wallet again.

“Hey, it’s fine.” Norma could hear Lili say as Norma walked around the store. Lili rubbed Raz’s shoulder. “This place is all glitz and no substance anyways. C’mon!” She grabbed Raz’s wrist and tugged.

“Well, what about those things?” Raz nodded over to some big fancy chairs, and then shivered. “Nevermind, those cuffs look unpleasant.”

“They’re massage chairs,” Lili explained.

“Wait, really?” Raz’s eyes lit up again. “A…are we allowed to use them?”

“You can just use the one at my house when you come to visit.”

“You mean your house on the east coast, right?”

“Of course!”

Oh, that Razputin… using his mind games to make sure he could be at one of the places that the Zanottos are most vulnerable!

The two left and as soon as they left the window view, Norma began to walk out of the store.

It didn’t take long to see them again.

Raz was already pulling Lili into the next store, dragging her along. Norma walked to the opposite side of the long walkway and realized that the store was… a greeting card store. Raz was looking like he was more in a candy shop than that, excitedly taking off cards from their places on the shelves, laughing, then showing them off to Lili.

Lili, when Raz wasn’t looking at her, appeared bored. So perhaps Raz’s power was only with eye contact? Norma mentally made the note of needing to borrow Sasha’s brain tumbler after this to compile all her memories and notes together.

They were in the store for about 15 minutes, with Razputin purchasing a card that made him giggle even before he opened it up. The cashier had tried to give them a bag, but Lili had made a handwave and Raz had to carry his card the rest of the way.

Norma kept her eye on them, shifting around the mall herself and glancing in stores while keeping them in her sights until the two stopped again.

Raz shifted his weight from foot to foot in front of the Abercrombie & Fitch as he seemed to be mulling over whether or not to go inside. Lili seemed to break through his control, and tugged on his arm, shaking her head while saying something. Raz seemed to huff in anger and toss a glare to the store before huffing and walking away. He was clearly upset with what Lili told him.

“Young Zanotto… don’t get yourself hurt by him…” Norma winced. She knew Raz’s powers were strong, coming from Maligula’s bloodline herself . With water pipes all throughout the mall. And he did have hydrokinesis. Any slip up could cause catastrophic damage before Norma went back to report it.

Raz kept looking for different stores and leaned his entire body to pull Lili’s attention to one store. Lili shrugged her shoulders and seemed to be telling him something. Raz squeezed her hand tight and walked inside, dragging Lili behind him. Norma searched the windows for the name of the store, seeing “GODIVA.” As in the super expensive fancy chocolate store.

Norma stepped into a store across from it, “window shopping” as she kept an eye on them. Raz was once again digging into his wallet as Lili was looking at the chocolates with a glazed look in her eyes. She pointed to something that the worker picked up, and Raz tilted his head upwards to look at the worker.

The worker then grabbed something else and Raz passed money to the worker. The two took their little treats with no bag and no added box, and as they stepped out of the store, Raz was giving Lili a look with his eyes squinting. Well, no they weren’t squinting, they were more half-lidded. So he was… glaring at her? Unhappy with her choice of her treat she was going to enjoy? Manipulating her?

Raz said something and Lili shrugged. He grabbed the treat from her and Norma was half ready to call the report then and there. Only to see Raz’s hand press against Lili’s mouth and him to get that lovestruck weird half lidded glare again.

The two began to walk near the store that Norma was in and she kept her mind on lockdown. If she was about to be found out, she’d rather keep it so a flare didn’t go off and give her location before the found out. Lili stopped and Raz raised an eyebrow.

Lili whispered something near Raz that Norma could barely make out. The word “adult” was clear enough as Raz turned redder and redder as his girlfriend explained.

Probably because he’s– The thought was cut off as Raz and Lili practically ran away from the store.

Norma tensed up quickly and went to the doorway of the store, seeing the two quickly stop running, but still in a shifty and tense walk.

“What are you up to, Aquato?” Norma asked as she began to stalk after the two again.

Lili suddenly perked up and nodded to a store. She started to drag Razputin towards it, him following after her with a potent aura of giddiness. Raz stopped Lili suddenly in front of the store, and popped the circular treat he bought for himself into his mouth. The two didn’t wait for him to be done chewing and walked inside the Claire’s.

Norma kept walking towards the store and stepped in, seeing Raz and Lili fully distracted at one of the little areas. There were bunches of earrings in sets of three and Norma circled around so there was another big display between them.

Razputin held up one of the sets of the small earrings. “Do you… think I might look good with earrings?” To show off to Lili, he held the set up to his earmuffs of his helmet.

Lili grabbed another set off of the rack, with Norma being able to see it contained crescent moons with the dark side a part of it, as well as some darker gray clouds and even something resembling bats. Lili held the set up to Raz’s cheek and hummed. “The bats don’t fit you, but the moons and clouds would look good.”

“You really think so?” Raz’s voice squeaked.

“Definitely,” Lili nodded and glanced around a bit. She caught eyes with Norma who quickly ducked. “C’mon, let’s buy one set for each of us and then get out.”

“Oh, only one–”

“And quick.”

Raz seemed to pick up on Lili’s prickliness and then must’ve done something with his powers, because she was silent as Raz looked to the rest of the rack for a bit of time. He then grabbed a set Norma couldn’t see, and although Lili’s eyes squinted with a frown on her face, she let him pick it as she held onto the set she had first picked out of bright pink, black, and purple, but Norma couldn’t make out the shapes as Lili’s fingers covered the set in an iron grip.

The two bought the earrings, and the two pocketed them while Raz held onto his card. Lili began to get him quickly out of the store.

Norma lurked after them, seeing the duo make their way back the way they came and head outside made her surprised, and she stayed just in sight of the bus stop so she would know when the bus would get there. As well as the fact the kids were now speaking pretty loudly, so she could hear them.

“It’s nice to get away from a lot of the people at the Motherlobe, right?”

“Emphasis on only a lot .”

“What do you mean only?”

“I’m thinking that we’ve been tracked.”

“Oh… right. I was hoping to just ignore it.”

“ Ignore it !?”

“Well–”

“Raz, I thought you’d think about the last time we were chased by someone who was with the Motherlobe.”

“Hey, they weren’t chasing us, they were prowling after us.”

“More like stalking .”

Raz chuckled. “Okay, stalking may be more accurate?”

“ May ?”

“June.” Raz replied with a smirk.

Lili playfully shoved him back towards the armrest. “Shut up.”

Raz laughed. “Make me.”

“So obviously he’s been manipulating our hierarchy by social climbing using the Grand Head’s daughter–”

Adam shook his head. “Can we back up to the fact you stalked a pair of ten-year-olds all day?”

Chapter Text

From what Raz had been able to recall about his own mind and willing to tell her, Lili was relieved at finding the caravan Raz talked about. And prancing around was the Memory Vault that Raz recalled. Lili ran after it and punched it a few times to get it to open up. 

It was “Razputin’s Getaway.” Lili looked through it, seeing Raz get the pamphlet after a show, his father ripping it up, and Raz sneaking away on that World’s Smallest Pony. It was an itty bitty thing in Raz’s memory, but Lili couldn’t wrap her head around how a creature could be that tiny and not be a baby.

There wasn’t much more to do than to finally enter the caravan. The door closed behind her, and it lurched. The caravan began to move around and Lili readjusted her footing to make sure she was steady. The different items inside of the caravan made clattering noises as they were jostled around. There wasn’t really much to do in the mind, which Lili thought odd.

But then again, in most minds nothing was as it seemed.

Lili marched over to a window, seeing that the caravan was now in some place that she couldn’t quite make out. The lights were coming from the floor and there was a pungent odor of salt that caused her eyes to water. She staggered over to the door, pushing it open and being sent flying out, landing in the scorpion position. She groaned with pain and spat out some sawdust that made her mouth dry. 

“Lili!” Someone called. Hands wrapped around her left elbow to help her up. “You okay?”

Lili nodded and looked to her helper with a smile. “Thanks Raz.” She was a bit startled by his appearance.

His helmet was gone, showing off his slicked down hair with his side bangs. His shirt was a short sleeved blue with a bright star. His wrists had seafoam green armbands. His shorts were black, with long socks that were similar to the outfit Lili had recalled seeing from her peripheral. She was… talking to Milla and… Raz had ended up outside? “Are you okay?” He repeated.

“O-oh yeah! Yeah I’m fine. Mouth’s a bit dry but I’ll be fine.”

“Mouth’s dry?” Raz snapped his fingers. “I can get you something to fix it!”

“Raz, I just said I’ll be fine–”

“Uh-uh, Lili.” Raz smiled lovingly at her. “You’re in my mind, I’m gonna help you through.”

“Kay, so you’re gonna be like my guide?”

Raz shrugged. “I guess you could put it that way.”

“Well then. Tell me: what exactly is this place? Why does it smell like salt and–” Raz suddenly pulled Lili closer to him and a caravan roared past. It barrelled through right where she was once standing.

“First, let me get you something to drink. And get you away from some pretty bad drivers. Then I’ll answer as many of your questions as I can.” Raz wrapped his arm around Lili’s shoulders, staring at her with complete ardor. He guided her over to a little vendor. A generic construct with barely any discernible features. Raz dug into his pocket and offered some actual money, placing a bill and some coins on the counter. “A…” Raz glanced at Lili. “What kind of soda do you drink?”

Lili shrugged. She’d normally get cold juice or hot cocoas with her dad when they went out. Or she’d settle for water from the tap at home.

“Oh-ho! So a new experience!” Raz’s grin seemed to grow wider. “If you have it, can you get a cola for us?” The construct gave them a cup that reminded Lili of fast food and Raz tilted it towards her so the straw was near her mouth. “C’mon. It’ll be easier to talk when your mouth isn’t dry.”

Lili grabbed the cup from her boyfriend and took in a mouthful of the stuff. It was sickly sweet, yet thin. Fizzy too. The fizz was the biggest thing Lili could feel in her mouth. She stuck her tongue out a bit, trying to get used to the drink.

“Do you not like it?” Raz asked.

“It’s weird .” Lili told him. “But it’s… not bad.” She looked back to him and tilted the drink as an offering.

Raz put his lips around the tip of the straw and with puckered lips, took a drink. “So, why haven’t you had soda before?”

Lili shrugged. “Never really went out of my way to get it.”

Raz nodded, accepting the answer. “How’s your mouth feeling?”

“Hm? Oh. I guess I'm better now. Not so dry.”

Raz smiled with the answer, leading Lili to some empty plastic chairs. 

Lili finally began again with her questions. “Okay, so I know I’m in your mind, but where exactly is this in your mind?”

Raz looked to the center of the place and opened his arms wide. “Welcome to the upside down tent that is : The Circus Island.”

Lili held back a snort as she smiled. “So getting back at that water phobia, huh?”

Raz shook his head. “ Curse ,” he pressed his pointer finger against the tip of Lili’s tiny nose.

“Fine. Getting back at that curse ?”

Raz smiled but didn’t answer. 

Lili blinked and leaned forwards. “Raz?”

Raz stood up. “Sorry, you probably want to see the rest of my mind, right?”

Lili nodded excitedly and Raz took her hand. Lili closed her eyes to try to focus, but Raz was already tearing off while gripping her hand tightly, causing Lili to open her eyes again and tighten her hand around Raz’s as the two ran and weaved around caravans into the middle ring of the tent. 

Raz laughed and looked at Lili, who looked simultaneously winded and also terrified. “You good?”

Lili nodded. “‘M good.”

“Great, because now , here comes the main fun of my mind.”

Lili wasn’t sure how much she trusted Raz saying that, especially when he jerked his head towards a ladder. “Uh, why should I go up first?” She narrowed her eyes. 

“Well, you could freeze up and I would be still climbing. I tend to just keep climbing and climbing until I’m at the top.”

Lili searched his eyes for anything akin to lying, but found nothing. Even still… she was a bit nervous going up first.

“I promise, I’ll be right behind you and I won’t let you fall.”

Lili bit her lip, then nodded. “I trust you, Raz.” She gripped the side of the ladder hard, and then breathed out a calming breath. She had done Coach Oleander’s Basic Braining courses every single year. She could handle a ladder. Just one foot, then up again, arms helping to keep her steady as she kept getting up. It really wasn’t that bad. The deep purple of the sky above was already showing bigger and bigger from the skylight of the tent and all she had to do was keep climbing.

She got up to the top platform and Raz arrived soon after. “You climb like a pyrokinetic cougar, you know that right?”

Lili rolled her eyes with a smile. “Are you only saying that because those were the only animals you saw use pyrokinesis?”

“No!” Raz defended. “I just… you… you climb really well and I just… well I…”

Lili smiled as he stammered and dug himself into a deeper hole. “I don’t mind it.”

“Y-you seemed like you did so…” Raz rolled his feet and pouted a bit. “A-anyways. This may be a bit harder for you to navigate.”

“What, so you didn’t take me here to see an incredible view of an ocean?”

Raz gulped. “If you want an even better view, there’s the Big Top, but we gotta get through a lot of acrobatics stuff to do it.”

Lili chuckled. “Acrobatics. Raz, I bet I could beat your acrobatics with my levitation–”

“No!” Raz held Lili’s hands looking at her almost pleadingly. “S-sorry it’s just… I want to show you my mind in the way I navigate it, you know?”

Lili frowned. “You already have a unique way of getting around other people’s minds–”

“I know! I want to… show off to you.” He gulped.

Lili chuckled and smiled sweetly at him. “Alright, but how are you gonna get a beginner past the tightropes up so high?”

Raz looked up to the tightropes, then back to Lili with a sly smile. “Oh trust me, you won’t need to worry about anything, Lili.”

“What are–” Raz stopped Lili from talking by kneeling down and putting his right hand to the small of her back and left hand against her knees. He was quickly already coming back up, Lili being carried by him. 

“ This is what I’m talking about.” Raz smiled.

Lili turned away, already feeling like she was burning up.

“Don’t worry. I’ve done this plenty of times.” Raz began to walk along the tightropes, actually balancing pretty well as he looked down a bit more than what Lili was comfortable with.

But… he was the acrobat. She didn’t know how to get past these without levitation! And he was wanting to show off to her… that made her feel all warm and gooey inside. Lili settled back into Raz’s arms and the two shook for a few seconds that made Lili freeze. Raz then continued on until she could hear the caravans getting closer and closer. 

“We’re uh… in a new part of my mind.” Raz introduced. 

The structure reminded Lili of highways with cars and winding bridges that made things confusing. “Jeez louise. How do you even–”

Raz gave her a knowing smirk and leapt down onto a caravan. The thing shook and swayed and Raz threw his and Lili’s weight to counterbalance.

Lili was keeping down from panting like a wild animal as the two landed. “Are you nuts!?” Lili shouted.

“Maybe. We do sell peanuts at the circus!”

Before Lili could get out a retort, Raz sprung up and missed a jump, landing on one of the long safety slides and jostling Lili out of his arms in the process.

Raz gulped and looked to Lili, who seemed okay. She hadn’t been stepped on by him, nor had his full body landed on her by accident. “Sorry. Normally, I can make that jump.”

“I must have thrown you off.” Lili claimed as she stood up. “Come on, I think I can get us out of here and back to that jump.”

“…y-you’re not going to try to use your powers, are you?”

“Well, duh! It’ll be easy! I may not be as good as Milla with levitation, but I’m no slacker with it!”

“Lili! No! Please! I… I still want to show off.”

“Raz, don’t get a big head.” Lili rapped her knuckles on his forehead twice. “It’s fine! You showed off enough already with the tightropes.”

“B-but there’s still so much I want to show you…”

“And you can show me. But it’s better if we get out quicker, yeah? So we can see things sooner?”

“I know that sounds better, but–”

“Raz, if this is about showing off for me, you don’t need to. ”

“I–”

“You’ve saved the world from both Oleander and faced down Maligula. You saved me and my father. You’ve already shown off to me so many times.” She cupped his cheeks and pressed their foreheads together.

Raz’s eyebrows creased, and Lili moved her hands up his face and rubbed his temples. He slowly relaxed, and Lili leaned back with a reassuring smile. Raz tried to follow, leaning in a bit slower. He was in such a daze that he didn’t stop Lili from now summoning her Levitation ball at first. “N-no Lili–”

“Raz. Please. Just listen to me.”

Raz shut his mouth and frowned worriedly. 

“We’re going to get out and you’re gonna be able to show me the rest of your mind. But it seems that… you’re not trusting me. I need you to do that.”

“I trust you!” Raz immediately jumped in.

“Do you?”

“I…” Raz trailed off and looked away. “Lili, it’s just.”

“Why can’t you trust me?” 

Raz breathed deeply, then hugged Lili tight. “‘M sorry Lilipad… I trust you with all my heart.”

“Really?”

“Truely, deeply.” Raz assured. He craned his head upwards a bit, looking into her eyes.

“Alright, hang on.” Lili told him.

Raz did so, holding onto her hips as tight as he could without hurting her. Lili readjusted herself on the Lev-ball and made it squish down. Charging, charging… She flung the two of them up and landed them on the side of the road.

“O-okay you can stop with the Lev-ball now…” Raz whimpered, seeing another caravan come up. “S-sooner rather than later!”

Lili seemed to catch on, and the thought bubble burst underneath her. 

Raz panted a bit as the caravan drove past. “Now I think I know how Ford felt.”

Lili raised an eyebrow in confusion and Raz took Lili’s hand, the two beginning to walk along the side of the road. “When I was in my Nona’s brain, after dealing with the flea circus, Nona led me to another part of her mind. It was beautifully quilted, with different memories and different… well I wouldn’t say environments, but landscapes? And Nona was jumping around with Ford to the different memory parts. He was…” Raz giggled a bit. “He was actually pretty terrified! And now I guess I can see why. Suddenly going up like that… my stomach was flipping about the same amount as I could do.”

Lili giggled at the thought of both Cruller getting dragged around and Raz’s stomach doing a triple backflip that he was usually so proud about being able to do.

Raz kept his eyes on her, smiling as she did. He nodded upwards and stopped. “We’re gonna have to get up there now.” 

“We have to.”

Raz shrugged. “Well, this entire place is built off of my experiences. Listen, I’ll jump up there, and then you grab onto my ankles, maybe you can even climb up me?"

“What makes you think I can do that?”

“Lili, you climb trees like a pyrokinetic cougar.”

She blushed. “Again with that?”

“There are a ton at camp. When it’s night time.” He let out a little sigh of relief. “Fire is… it’s hard to concentrate enough to use your psychic abilities when something sets you on fire.”

Lili shrugged with a smirk. "Get on up there."

Raz jumped up, and Lili grabbed onto his ankles. "Want to climb up or-"

Lili shook her head. "Mm-mm."

Raz chuckled. "Alright, cling on." He got himself and Lili onto the platform. "You want to try it?"

She nodded. "Y-you go first."

He nodded back and took the first few steps.

Lili’s legs wobbled as she tried to take a step. Normally, this would be where she pulled out her Lev-ball, but Raz was very insistent on trying to use his circus techniques. It was a circus world, after all. Raz stopped as the rope shook, nearly losing his balance from Lili’s failure and she stepped back so she was not on the rope and messing him up.

He looked back at her with the kindest of eyes. “Would you be fine if I carried you again?” Raz asked.

Lili gulped, but nodded.

His grin was wide as he scooped his sweetheart back into his arms. And that love may have caused him to do something completely out of his mind (well, they were in his mind but–). He started to walk onto the tightrope backwards.

Lili clung onto him tighter. “Are you crazy!?” She hissed.

“Crazy for you.” He told her as he continued.

Lili was constricting around him as tightly as she could. Even if they were in the mind, phantom pains were still PAINS.

They were finally back on a platform and Lili tried to control her breathing.

Raz pressed his lips to her neck as he felt her pulse. It was much quicker than usual, even if she was only an astral projection. “Do you need a moment?” He asked against her skin.

Damn him for being so sweet! “I’m fine.” Lili told him. “Can uh… you stop carrying me now?”

“Oh, uh… yeah. Of course.” Raz set her down and coughed into his fist. It sounded painful. “So you can’t use the tightropes–”

“I’ve still got levita–”

“So I’ve got another idea.”

“Is it a bad one?”

Raz glanced above his big head, and then shrugged. “Guess not!”

Lili relaxed. “Okay. What is it?”

He pointed down the caravans. “If we jump down, we can use the tops and the energy we created to use them to jump up much higher! Then we can get up there.” He pointed to the highest bridge, which had a cover over it. And from that cover, there was a pole with the tightrope. “That’s where the next tightrope is.”

“What’s with your mind and tightropes?” 

“It’s my act during the circus. Wh-when we’re not family trapezing. Or sometimes I’ll jump off of or on top of a tightrope to get caught by my family. It’s something I’ve had to do a lot.”

Lili let out a breath. “Alright, I’ll be ready to jump with you.” She grabbed his hand.

Raz’s eyes flicked to the touch in surprise and he blinked as he stared at it.

“Dude c’mon. The caravans.”

“O-oh! Right!” Raz remembered. “Shall we?” He asked, looking at her.

Lili squeezed his hand. “We shall.”

He bent his knees first and Lili got in position as well. The two sprung together, hitting the roof to the caravan that sent them up really high. To the point where Lili could see a string of Stray thoughts. She and Raz Landed on an upper bridge and Lili pointed upwards.

“Hm?” Raz looked to where she was pointing. “Oh yeah. Well, we’re in a mind. There’s bound to be some around.”

“Think you can show me that weird trick you do with stray thoughts!”

“I er… w-well I still want to use my circus abilities.”

“C’mon, didn’t you ask me to show you how others do it cause you do it like an acrobat?”

“W-well yeah but–”

“So you can show me how an acrobat does it! It’s still using your circus abilities!”

Raz gave a look like he’d just swallowed something salty. “Lili–”

“C’mon. You said you wanted to show off, and this would be perfect !”

Raz stomped. “Lili. No.”

Lili’s eyes widened and she blinked a bit.

“I just…” He bit his lip. “Sorry for snapping it’s just… I have boundaries.”

Lili nodded. “Sorry for the pressure.”

Raz extended his hand again. “Can we..?”

Lili grabbed it and interlaced their fingers together. She pressed her lips to the back of his hand and he smiled softer.

“It’s okay, I forgive you.” He whispered and pressed his temple to hers.

“I do to…” She mumbled.

Raz looked as another Caravan drove past. “Ready for the next one?”

Lili nodded and looked up. “Are we gonna need–”

“No powers.”

Lili felt a gnawing sensation in the pit of her belly. “Raz…” She bit her lip.

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and brought her own hand to his lips. “I’m not mad, I promise.” He looked back to her, still smiling. “Now, are you ready?”

She nodded, and Raz quickly sprung up with little warning. He was keeping a tight grip on Lili as the two made it onto the caravan roof and then to the final bridge that was covered. Raz grabbed onto the steel supports and began to climb it like a monkey. As Lili followed, she noticed the steel supports had gouges in the shapes of eyes… “Oh, Raz…”

“Yeah?”

“Just… following you.”

“Admiring me?”

“Don’t be weird!” She hissed as the two got to the top.

Raz let out one of his adorable hyena giggles and Lili struggled to stay mad at him.

It wasn’t fair.

The two got up the pole and Raz looked on. “You want to go?” He offered.

Lili paused, mulling over the ideas in her mind. She was unable to say words about it. Once she had decided, she grabbed onto his left shoulder with her right hand and lifted a leg up.

Raz scooped her up and began to walk over the tightropes again.

Lili was starting to get used to it, though this allowed her to begin to synthesize everything that had gone on in his mind. He was… pushing things down. Lili pressed her hand to his sternum and let it rest there, letting his voice as he rambled about some Tent city below them make her more introspective. How much of this was him just… hiding? Was this even how his brain was supposed to look? Where was his love of the Psychonauts? Where was his love of the powers and TPT?

She knew there could be constructs of people he knew so… where were those? Why were these all just caravans that didn’t care about him?

Below, the multi-colored tents flew by as Raz continued his infodumping. This was… nice. She remembered doing something similar on the funicular with him. Her head resting on his shoulder as he kept going on and on. She could even remember the little tidbit about the song “Funicula, Funicular” and how it was written for some volcano…

“Can you even fall asleep in someone’s mind?” Raz asked her.

“Hmm? No, not really.” Lili answered.

“Oh, so you’re not falling asleep in my arms?” He grumbled.

“Don’t be a jerk.” Lili told him.

Raz smiled down at her. “We’re at the end. Look.”

Lili did so, seeing a HUGE tent in front of them. Even bigger than the circus island.

He let out a shaky breath. “They’re all going to one place.”

Lili watched as they all went down to a side road to enter the HUGE circus tent in front of them.

“The Big Top.” Raz informed her, though it was a whisper. So maybe he wasn’t trying to tell her…

“You… okay?”

“Hm? Yeah! I’m fine!” Raz’s grin was straining again. “This is my mind! All me! No meat in sight!”

“Meat?” Lili questioned.

“C’mon. I wanted to show off to you, and this is just the place to do it!”

Lili faked a smile as Raz got to the ground and still carried her. He kept her hands on her as he made it to the entrance. “Well, Ms. Zanotto, this is where we part ways.”

“What?”

“Well, the VIP of the audience has a special seat to see the show.”

Lili frowned and Raz looked concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“All of this.”

“Wh-what?” 

“Just… Raz you’ve been acting weird.”

“Lili, we’re in my brain–”

“But where’s your other interests? Where’s your psychic abilities?”

“Lili–”

“Where’s your love of the Psychonauts?”

“I still love the Psychonauts–”

“I haven’t seen one thing that reminds me of anything related to it apart from the eye gouges in that one steel thing holding up that covered bridge!”

“I… I didn’t realize those were there–”

“Raz, please. Stop hiding from me.”

“I’m not hiding. I’ll be right there in the spotlight.” Raz promised. “Just… please enjoy the show.” He walked in, a red carpet opening up the way to it.

“All this time he’s been so clingy to me, and now he’s just trying to leave?” Lili clenched her eyes shut, then ran after Raz.

“AND HERE HE IS!” A barker below some floating platform announced. “THE MIDDLE CHILD OF THE AQUATO FAMILY, RAZPUTIN! IN HIS DARING ACT OF BALANCE!”

Lili felt fire in her leg muscles as she charged after him. “Raz!”

Raz’s eyes were large… and frightened as he saw her. “Lili. Lili I told you, you’re supposed to be a part of the audience.”

“Raz, you’re worrying me.”

“Worrying you? You… you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“This isn’t you! You… you love seeing and talking about psychology and psychic powers and… and funiculars! And you’re hiding that!” She panted. “Why?”

Doubts began to emerge on the platform. 

“Razputin, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from those psychics…” The barker reminded darkly, “you know what they did.”

“I–I’m just trying to stay in my comfort–”

“THIS ISN’T YOUR COMFORT ZONE! YOU’RE PUTTING ON A PERFORMANCE! YOU’VE BEEN DOING THAT THIS WHOLE TIME!” 

Great… now her eyes felt hot and tears were falling.

“Lili–”

“Why aren’t you… comfortable with me are… Are you afraid of me?”

Raz’s eyes widened and the doubts stopped coming closer. “No. No. Lili never. I could never be afraid of you.”

“Then why do you act afraid?”

“Lili I just… it’s… it’s–” His body shook and Lili hugged him tightly. Her body felt warm and comforting as Raz stopped being so rigid and melted into her.

The doubts were now close enough that Lili could get all of them in one fireball. She focused on the heat between her and Raz, creating it almost as if to protect them instead of attack the beasts, and let it flare up around them.

The carnival barker began again: “MENTALIST! FORTUNE TELLER! SHE’LL BRING US TO RUIN!”

Raz was already tearing up again, looking ashamed and sorry, but unable to say anything. 

“Follow my lead this time, okay?” Lili asked.

Raz nodded, and she helped him stand up.

Lili got onto her Lev-ball, showing a deep purple of a morning glory.

Raz’s eyebrows knitted together, but he got onto his own, showing the bright orange that contrasted against his blue leaning uniform.

The lev-balls, which were already touching, combined together, first from their bottoms, forming a heart shape. It almost caught Lili so off guard that she popped her thought bubble, but it soon combined into a Lev-ball almost double the size of their usual ones.

The barker’s voice was now becoming incoherent, as Lili and Raz held each other’s hands and almost tried to pull apart their thought bubbles. The colors were starting to swirl together.

Lili and Raz’s feet stayed close together on the combined Lev-ball as they both let their bodies hang, only being held on by each other’s hand. Their bodies were facing the audience, but they only looked into each other’s eyes. Raz started to smile, genuinely. The barker’s voice got quieter as the two tugged each other back towards themselves. Lili’s free hand naturally went to Raz’s shoulder as his hand went to her waist. His smile seemed to grow bigger.

Raz gently guided Lili as he took to the tippy top of the ball. Not that it was much change, but Lili could now feel how Raz’s fingers pressed as she bent, trying to make sure she was secure but not gripped.

Lili’s eyelids may have fluttered a bit as the two moved the ball together. Off of the platform and onto one of the trapezes. The swing motion was almost hypnotic as the two shifted the ball’s weight, spinning in place as they gained momentum.

There was another leap of faith, but Lili had full faith in him. The levball made it onto a grindrail, orbiting around another trapeze. Raz moved his hand again, nearly making Lili feel like she was going to fall off the edge, only for him to tug her back in and secure his hand on her waist again. His thumb could be felt on her tummy as they once again leapt off onto another platform.

He dipped her deeper and… oh it wasn’t fair. She was completely and utterly in his hands as he gave her such a sweet smile. Lili saw Raz’s eyes search hers before they closed and he led her back up towards him to touch their foreheads together. “Thank you.” He whispered, breathing on her lips.

The two woke up in the physical world, still cuddling together in their room. The Psi-portal fell off of Raz’s forehead onto the ground. “Thanks Lili.” He was almost dismissive as he tried to reach for her portal that fell.

“You don’t just get to have your inner demons cleared up just like that.” Lili told him with hands on her hips

“I don’t?” He gave her the biggest doe-eyed look she’d ever seen.

Lili smiled. “Not without this.” She kissed his forehead, making him blush more. “I know you’ve got a lot of hurt tucked up in that brain of yours” Her thumb followed the line of his eyebrow. “But I’m going to be with you as you heal. No matter what.”

Chapter Text

To say Lili’s mind was not what Raz thought it would be like was an understatement. He expected something with plants, definitely, but to open up in a place that reminded him so much of the Motherlobe shouldn’t have surprised him as much as it did. And there were many constructs that looked similar to different agents that were a part of the Psychonauts.

It almost made him feel like it was real. Er, physical he should say. Mental worlds were weird like that. Not that Razputin minded, in fact, the mental worlds were fun to move and exist in when they weren’t trying to kill him. And this mind certainly wasn’t trying to kill him… yet. He just needed to make sure he didn’t trigger anything that would mark him as an unwanted entity in Lili’s mind.

Exploring the atrium area was simple, most of them recognizing him and either greeting him as “Razputin” or “Agent Aquato” (he still felt giddy every time he heard that). There were still the same areas that produced psitanium, but as Raz approached the plants he swore he could hear echoes of things they’ve said to Lili. Maybe. It was hard to understand them.

Raz let out a puff of air and bounded over to an Otto B.O.N. He was wondering where Lili was, wondering why she hadn’t shown up yet in her mindscape. As he opened up the Otto B.O.N. it didn’t have the tunnel system, instead opening up to what looked to be the sky. Looking down into it made him dizzy, but he jumped in and came up on the Jet landing pad.

The jet was there, but it looked a lot plainer than in real life. It was missing all its little details. He approached it cautiously and a giant purple TK hand formed as he grew closer. He balked as it moved towards him. He gulped and the TK hand tapped him gently on his head almost as if unsure on how to handle him. “Calm down Raz. You’re in Lili’s mind. This… has to be a manifestation of… something like… her TK powers?”

The hand grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and placed him into the cockpit of the jet. “Thanks, I–” Raz’s eyes widened as he saw the rest of the jet. “Woah.”

It was like a never ending hallway with doors on both sides of the wall. He gulped. This must have had a lot of Lili’s memories. He’d better be careful. In fact, he felt it would be better to be picky with the doors he chose to go into. They were mostly marked with symbols, which didn’t help, but hopefully, some would be obvious enough.

Of course, the abstractness of the mind should not surprise him as much as it did. Lili was secretive and where there were secrets, there had to be plenty of hiding places and little codes for herself to know alone. And if she was anywhere, this would probably be the best place to start looking. Raz looked between doors and different symbols, trying to figure out which one to start with. Raz held up one finger and when he found one that caught his attention put his finger below it.

This one looked like two connected houses, one with an “S” on it, and the other with an “M.” He didn’t know what it meant, but if it was important enough for Lili to remember, with enough details like the connected hall having bits taken out to represent windows, it could be best to check first. 

She may even be there, in a house. Maybe one is her house and the other is a vacation home? And the two letters could represent what city they belong to.

As Raz opened the door, the entrance reminded him of Milla. With the warm colors and saturation. The carpet of the living room he could see to his right had a carpet that reminded him of the light up flowers in Milla’s mind in front of the TV. There was no couch, but there were plenty of large, soft cushions like the ones in her office, though not as springy. Raz would probably sink into them. And in a mindscape, he wasn’t sure how deep that was. None of them appeared to have any dents where they would have any person sitting in them, so Raz left them alone. No use in trying to find and help Lili if he got stuck.

Still, there were some figments of Milla and of what he assumed to be a younger Lili, judging by the hair length shown in her pig-tails.

He continued through the home, with it having many details thrown in. So clearly, this was a place Lili went to often. Oh right, why didn’t he just call? “Lili?” Raz cupped his hands around his mouth. The name barely seemed to echo around the house, and he had to go to multiple hallways to call for her. “Lili!” He called as he went up the stairs. As he got up to the landing, he saw there was a hallway that was suspended in the air, leading to a very plain home.

Raz walked through the hallway with a raised eyebrow, looking out the windows to see if there was any sign of Lili outside. Even an aspect or construct. But it looked to be just figments out there. As he was distracted, something hard ran into his leg. Raz looked down to see a Memory vault scampering about. It ran back towards the other home and Raz ran after it, almost like playing a game of tag. The memory vault cheerfully wove its way through the plain corridors until Raz finally snatched the thing in his arms. He ran his fingers along its belly, and it coughed open the Viewfinder.

The Memory Vault was titled “Stay in Control”

The first slide showed a young Lili following… someone.

Next slide. There was something set down in front of her from Sasha, Raz now realized.

Third slide. Lili’s pyrokinesis seemed to come naturally to her, setting the whole thing on fire.

Fourth showed that it really couldn’t stop though as suddenly Lili had a worried expression on her face.

Fifth slide had Sasha putting out the fire.

Then he was seemingly scolding Lili while handing her a candle. It reminded Raz of when Sasha gave him smelling salts.

The final slide showed Lili sitting on the kitchen ground and setting a candle’s wick on fire as Sasha waited by a pot of something that was boiling on the stove.

Raz blinked a few times. He would have never guessed that Lili would have struggled with a power that he associated with her so much. It was her secondary specialty! Right next to herbophony which was her family’s specialty. Where was she?

Clearly not here as Raz only found a single bedroom and several different general rooms in Sasha’s home, and some more “relaxing” rooms or a personal gym in Milla’s home. Odd that there was only one bedroom though. Maybe Milla got enough rest with her meditation…

He headed back out to the jet, trying to find another door to go through. 

This was a familiar sight. The set of GPCs were unmistakable. He was back at Camp Whispering Rock. Though, not by the entrance. Perhaps this was more where Lili liked to hang out? The kids were terrified of Sasha’s lab, and he recalled seeing Lili here with some tall white flowers. And hearing…

A shiver danced up Raz’s spine as he didn’t remember his own confusion about the incident, instead feeling giddy about how much Lili, his girlfriend– his girlfriend! – loved him. And he loved her too. It felt nice to think about. Which only reinforced his thoughts to go find her.

There wasn’t much to go off of with his own experience of Camp Whispering Rock, but Milla had been generous with her helping him set up a Campster profile for next year. Which may have also had the previous years still recorded in a space that Gisu helped him find. He wanted to learn more about the other campers and… boy howdy did he. Like how Lili had a special little flower field that glowed at night.

Through the deeper part of the woods that Ranger Cruller wouldn’t let him through.

But Ranger Cruller wasn’t here right now.

Raz went through, hearing familiar cries of Pyrokinetic cougars and Telekinetic bears as their figments popped up.

As he kept pushing through, he saw the area start to turn dark, with moon and starlight peeking through the leaves as they shook. Tired, chitter time!, a lot less light, who’s this boy?

Echoes of plants that Lili had probably heard as she walked through the forest at night. The plants may have also protected her from the animals, if the night was this detailed.

He made a step into some soft dirt, showing off some tracks made by shoes. So, he was on the right path. He looked ahead, seeing lights of blue and purple shining. He ran on his Lev-ball to see all the hullabaloo.

It opened to a field of flowers that were mostly blue, and had hints of purple. Raz looked up and saw the moon shining down as the flowers reached towards it. Looking back around, he noticed a figment of one of the campers from Camp Whispering Rock.

She brought another boy? I like this one better! Oh he makes my knees weak…

“I didn’t think flowers had knees.” Raz remarked to himself as he approached the figment.

Raz tapped the figment of Quentin, and felt a spike of jealousy. Lili showed the other boy this… and not him? Granted, they met near the end of camp but… did she love him more?

Almost as if hearing these woes, the plants began to speak out.

Other boy gone, I like this one more!, He’s gentle with us., He loves our girl!, He’s caring, He’s funny, Razputin! Raz, Raz, Raz! Raz-berry!

Raz felt butterflies in his stomach. This… was how Lili felt about him? He giggled with joy and soon heard a little bit of a *clank* like the sound of a Memory Vault prancing.

Sure enough, there one was, jumping around the flower fields. Raz ran on his Lev-ball to close the gap and not crush any flowers, and he scooped it up.

Raz’s fingers danced along the sides of the Memory Vault. “C’mon, cough it up!” He encouraged it. The Memory Vault still didn’t let it out, so Raz picked it up and let his gloved fingers scratch right where its chin would be– It spat out the viewfinder, right into his hand.

“Now what were you trying to hide?”

The Reel was called “Everyone Calls Him Raz”

Raz immediately took the thing off of his eyes, setting the Memory Vault down and sitting next to it. He gulped, and brought it back to his eyes.

The first slide was him at Camp Whispering Rock, on the stage. And in the foreground was Lili, whose… her knees were weak at the sight of him. His heart pounded as he went to the next slide.

He saw her looking back from her cabin as he talked with Dogen.

The next slide showed him in front of her, right over the meaty plant from Coach Oleander’s mind.

The next slide showed her trying to tip toe away from him… that was right after he read her mind… right after she asked… his lips had a slight tingling sensation that he quelled with his fingers.

The next slide showed her… trying to give him the friendship bracelet as he told her of their shared nightmare. Oh. He was glad he had forgotten to ask her about it. It was… a little thing he kept on his bag now. She hadn’t brought it up.

The next slide… was of Lili getting kidnapped by Linda, but Raz now looked like… when he used Clairvoyance on her before rebraining Sasha and Milla, complete with cape and sword and rose as he tried to save her.

The next slide showed him breaking her out of her restraints, with Sasha and Milla there too…

The final slide was… them on the beach of the asylum… Their first kiss… With the giant explosion, too… Not their best time to kiss but in their defense, they didn’t realize that the building was coming down as their lips touched.

Raz let out a sigh as he laid back and let the Memory Vault take its reel back. He patted it on its “forehead” and sat back up again. No sign of her here, either… 

He headed back through the door that led back to the never ending jet hallway, looking for any others that stood out.

Raz opened the door with the marking of a sideways diamond which had equal sides. Inside, the doorway had water that strangely didn’t spill out. The Hand of Galochio started to reach out to Raz, palm open. Raz fought to control his breathing and gently met the palm of the hand. The water, interrupted from its stable form, began to spray on him.

Raz spluttered and groaned from the salt and now drenched clothes. He focused his pyrokinesis to heat his clothes up just enough so the water turned to steam. He looked back at the hand of Galochio, still poking out at him. “I need to get a better hold of this power…” He shook his head to refocus. “You’re here to help Lili. You can practice with Nona later.” He began to close the door, which the Hand grabbed and closed it the rest of the way.

Now for a new door… Where was his sweetheart?

Opening one up randomly, Raz heard car horns and the noise of crowds that were in motion. He peeked his head out, seeing a city and its street with many cars and people walking and driving along it. He stepped forwards, wondering if he should get into the crowd, before thinking better of it and looking above. 

If he could get enough height… 

Raz got onto his orange lev-ball, squatting down and the ball becoming scrunched as well. His crunched up psychic energy reached a fever pitch, and Raz jumped up, grabbing onto the bottom of a fire escape. He swung his body a bit until he had his ankles touching the railing of the escape to use as an anchoring point to get his body up onto the metal structure. He climbed up the stairs until he was on the roof of different buildings and he got onto his Lev-ball again.

With a breath to prepare himself, Raz began to run and jump over the rooftops, trying to see any sign of her. A rooftop garden, a roof that showed a night sky filled with fireworks, a little pet play area, maybe even a little hidden alcove with a picnic blanket and food and… Oh she promised that this would be a nice time in her mind and he really wanted his sweetheart.

Below, he heard a song start to come into hearing range, and Raz looked down, seeing figments floating out of what looked to be a concert hall. Raz hopped down from the roof and pushed his way through the crowd to get in.

The concert hall was pretty easy to navigate, but had a MASSIVE stage and audience. “How am I gonna find her in this crowd?” Raz asked himself.

“Find who?” A voice with a southern accent asked him.

Raz turned, seeing Ford looking a few years younger and in quite the professional attire. He gulped and took a step back from Ford. 

“Well, out with it. You trying to find someone who saved you a seat?”

“A seat for what?”

“Why, Helmut Fullbear’s full Psychoddesy! He’s been itching to play it as soon as everyone’s seated! We have a full crowd still buying tickets!”

“Oh!” That was sweet of Lili. Giving Raz a treat that they both could enjoy, but he could be enraptured by. “Is Lili here?”

“Lili? Oh no. She’s not here.” Ford pointed back to the exit. “Go back to the jet, there should be a door that has… hmm I don’t quite remember what it had on it. Some sort of glass house? Or it could have been a heart. Ah, it’s just a few more doors down. You’ll know it when you see it!”

Raz nodded eagerly. “Thanks Ford!” He told the construct as he ran off. He was going to find her. She was going to give him a surprise!

Pushing through the construct crowd, Raz made his way back through to the apartment building he’d come out of, and entered the endless hall of the jet again.

He went to each door, trying to find the symbol that Ford had described and… wait. That wasn’t quite right…

It sure looked like a glass building like a greenhouse, but it had more details in it that Raz strained his eyes to try to make out. Even standing on his lev-ball, it was hard to see the details. But the inside of the building was brown and gray instead of a lush green and other colors for flowers that might bloom. He pushed open the door and finally saw the issue. Here were all the mental enemies. 

Doubts sprouted up and lumbered away from him, but Regrets buzzed and floated towards him, hefting their huge weights. Raz ripped the weights out of the enemy’s hands and threw it back almost immediately. He smiled to himself. The Regrets were getting way easier to deal with! Maybe soon he’d just be able to get his TK hand ready to throw them back up from wherever they were falling from…

The Doubts still paid him no mind, seemingly all going towards one source. Letting them lead him, Raz crept behind them.

It was a grueling and silent time of tension, but he soon got his answers.

“Why can’t you just go away !” He heard his girlfriend shout. 

Lili threw a Gavel into a Judge, and another seemed to finally get its own back. “You don’t deserve him!” It shouted.

“It’s not a matter of de ser ving!” Her voice cracked. 

How long had she been fighting? How long was it going to last? …How long had she been worried about him?

Lili grabbed its gavel with her purple TK hand and threw it into the more injured Judge before setting the area around her ablaze. “JUST GET OUT!” She demanded. “I DON’T WANT YOU HERE!”

Even if not aimed at him, Raz winced as the heat and words stung. “Lili! I’m here!” He called.

Lili turned, almost a worried look in her eyes. “Wh… Wait now?”

Raz laughed, mostly with relief. “Yes, now.” He ran to be closer to her and grasped her hand. “Lili what… what’s going on?”

“I… thought I’d have enough time to get rid of them before you found me.” Lili explained as another Doubt came up.

Raz wrapped his arms around her without thinking, and he felt Lili’s skin burn with a blush. 

“Raz?”

“You know I love you, right?”

A few more Doubts formed, only to suddenly burst into flames. Her arms reached back to behind her, holding him. She nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

Raz smiled. “Good.” He planted a chaste kiss on her neck.

Lili giggled and looked back at him.

“What? Your Memory Vaults have that as a weak spot, too.”

“Oh, don’t be a jerk!”

Raz giggled his little hyena laugh. “So trying to find you and seeing if the Memory vaults can help out is being a jerk?”

“You teasing me is acting like a jerk.”

Raz gave her a squeeze. “Okay. No more teasing. Both of us.”

Lili nodded. “Fair is fair.”

Raz looked back to the garden, which still was dealing with Doubts burning and turning back into mental energy. “So… what did you want to share with me?”

“I wouldn’t be able to share this with you for a while, but I really wanted to show you a perfect spot for a date.” She almost yanked him as she led him inside of what looked to be a building that was not a greenhouse. 3D art pieces of bulbs and spiraling colored glass greeted them, and stayed consistent with always showing a new piece off until Lili took Raz into a place full of those pieces and different flowers.

Each of them seemed to not only be physically, but also psychically labeled. Milkweed, Phlox, Black-Eyed Susan, Heliotrope… Lili was staring at some tall blazing stars before taking Raz up a flight of stairs and sitting where they could overlook the place.

“Lili, what is all this?”

“This is a conservatory that my dad and mom used to go to. This is where they took me on some of my birthdays as a family tradition.”

Raz was flattered at those thoughts, but still didn’t understand what the place was.

“It’s a butterfly garden.” Lili told him. “We didn’t see any cause we rushed through, but they’ll be out again soon.” As she told him this, she scooched closer and leaned on him. “And if later, we want to move down, there’s a Koi pond with more glass art in them.”

Raz smiled softly and turned his head to press his lips to Lili’s head. “It’s incredible. You’re incredible.”

He could feel her heat up, and he wrapped his arm around her so she couldn’t scooch away from embarrassment.

Chapter Text

“What’s this about?” Raz asked in general, staring at the bulletin board. 

Gisu took a glance. “Oh yeah. The Charity Ball.”

“Well, I can see that, but why are we having one? Aren’t Charity Balls kind of… you know, full of villains trying to get something or someone?”

“That’s another dollar for the jar!” Morris declared.

“Wha- you can’t just!”

“Cough it up, Rusty.” Norma said, grabbing the jar from the classroom with her purple TK hand. 

It was labeled “Comic Book Believer.” A lot of the money was actually from Gisu, but the Interns always grabbed it out when they could. The other funds from the jar would instead fill up for a possible “educational field trip” to a mission site. Or a place a mission had gone on before.

Raz blew a raspberry as he grabbed out his wallet, throwing in some Psitanium from it.

The Junior Agents looked at one another, and Norma gladly stepped up. “The Mental Health Charity Ball is something that occurs every year for the Psychonauts. To help celebrate the work the Psychonauts do? Surely someone as big of a fan as you should know this?”

“Well, it’s not exactly published in the articles of the Psychonauts I read about.”

“You mean your comic books?” Morris asked.

“Hey, it’s a Graphic Nonfiction Periodical.” Raz corrected.

“Raz, it’s okay. Even I call them–” Gisu tried.

“Apepep! I will not tolerate TPT slander in my presence anymore!”

“At least for today.” Sam added.

“So… what exactly happens at the Charity Balls when they’re not in danger of being sabotaged?”

“Well, you could re-read your comic book–” Lizzie began, only to be cut off by Norma. Leave it to her sister to be more wanting to show someone up than let jokes fly or them to figure things out on their own.

“Since you need to know this: Simple things really. Dressing up in formal wear, a bit of dancing with whoever your +1 is, some formal eating, and eventually announcing the money for the charity work. Of course, there won’t just be Psychonauts there, but also–” Norma looked back to Raz who seemed to have stared off just past her right shoulder.

“ Razputin! ”

“Yes, I’m listening! The whole Psychonauts and not just Psychonauts being there. Like their plus ones…” Raz trailed off, looking down into space now, cheeks flushing.

Adam seemed to catch on quickly and knocked Raz out of his stupor by putting an arm around him, almost in a headlock but not as tight. “Who’s the lucky person you’re thinking of asking?”

Raz smiled a bit. “Well–”

“Ooo! Pooter has a crush!” Sam unexpectedly said. She almost never used his nickname– actually, Raz was positive this was the first time he heard her call him that.

“I do not! ” Raz protested. He and Lili had been dating for a solid 8 months, thank you very much. Crushes only lasted for six. He was in love , not crushing .

“You totally do have a crush.” Lizzie smirked.

“Aww, that’s adorable!” Gisu cooed.

“Oh just be quiet!” Raz protested, finally ducking away from Adam and pulling his goggles down a bit to help hide his face. He began to walk away, only to continue hearing the jeers of his peers.

“ Who is Raz with, sitting in a tree? ” He could hear Morris begin that silly little rhyme he always tormented his siblings with after their one-day dates. “ K-I-S-S-I-N-G! ”

“REAL MATURE!” Raz shouted back and hopped on his lev-ball.

“ First comes love, second comes marriage– ”

“He’s gone, Morris.” Gisu told him.

“Aw, didn’t even let me finish? Uncool.”

Lizzie turned towards Norma, who had a silent, knowing smirk on her face. “Okay. You know it.”

“Hmm?” Norma kept the smirk.

“Who is it?”

“Yeah, spill the beans, Norms!”

Norma chuckled. “Oh, Nobody… just the Grand Head’s Daughter .”

Sam nodded. “Oh okay–”

The entire group went silent and wide-eyed, sans Norma who took in their reactions with a satisfied smirk. 

Raz had been doing more complex yoga poses that Milla taught him as he tried to go over scenarios in his head. How would he ask her? It was four months until their one year anniversary, so should he take one of those ideas or would that be too romantic? Maybe get her a gift along with the question? Or would that be bribing?

He let his body fall flat onto his belly from the scorpion pose, letting out a sigh similar to an old dog. Gauging romance was hard. He rested his cheeks in the heel of his palms as he kicked his feet up into the air again.

“Hey baby brother!” He heard Frazie’s voice call.

Raz let out a huff and got up onto his hands, looking up to her as blood rushed. “What do you want?”

Frazie looked down to him, a slightly disappointed face. “The question is: what do you want?”

Raz ignored her turning the question on him. “That’s why I asked it, Frazie.”

“Look, I used my big sister psychic senses to figure out that you , mister, are having a bit of girl trouble?”

“It’s not girl trouble.” Raz insisted. “It’s just… writing trouble.”

“Hmm. But it’s something to deal with Lili, right?”

Raz brightened, skin turning a different hue. “M-maybe. Why?”

“Well, maybe I want to help!”

Raz raised an eyebrow, his eyes going down then up back to his sister’s face. “Again: why?”

Frazie plopped down near Raz. “Isn’t it enough that a big sister cares for her little brother?”

Raz gave her one final look. “Who do you want me to introduce you to?”

Frazie bit her lip. “Who’s the girl with the beanie and glass–”

“OH OF ALL THE PEOPLE–”

“What? I think she looks interesting!”

“Why.”

“Well, she approached Dad but then kind of just stopped talking to us all together. I want to know what her deal is!”

Raz paused, taking that information in. A grin began to grow on his face as he remembered Norma only hung around the family because she thought he was the mole, and how she used his dad to get closer to the family. Only to throw it all away. If Frazie learned about this… “Okay, fine, but only if you stick with me figuring out this stuff with Lili.”

“Deal.” Frazie nodded.

Had Raz known this would have become a full family affair, he would have just gone to Sasha and Milla instead. They at least helped raise Lili and had been undercover at charity balls before.

His mother, of course, was cooing all about the idea of him being “a young handsome man” and digging through some of Augustus’s old things. 

While Queepie wasn’t usually into the idea of romance, he and Mirtala would always get their little prods in. Perhaps the other Aquato siblings taught them too well in wielding the Cain Instinct.

Dona raised up another jacket to Raz, only to shake her head. “Hmm. Gussy do you think Razputin could fit into your best suit?”

Augustus looked over to his wife, already holding something else that Raz could possibly try on. “I think the closest to fitting that would be Dionysus.” Augustus smiled to his middlest. “But try this on, son.”

Raz grabbed the outfit and ran into the caravan to do so. Putting on the green pants, they were so long that his heels would cause the ankles to fray. The shirt had to be tucked in, and even then, looked semi-baggy. Raz put on the jacket, and the sleeves were also too big… honestly Sasha’s outfit may have fit him more… 

Raz readjusted the collar and looked in the mirror. He quite liked the look, even if he had to grow into it. If Nona could make a few adjustments on the clothes, it… may even be good enough to bring to the ball. 

He at the very least rolled up the sleeves and pant legs to make sure he looked more neat and tidy before stepping out. Raz stood up straight as his mother was the first to see him. “Oh, such a handsome young man!” Dona proclaimed. May need a bit of hemming, but it really brings out his hair and eyes.

Raz blushed, clenching his eyes a bit as he tried to mute other thoughts before he could hear them. Calm like a river… wash over him…

He exhaled and looked back to his mother. “Do you really think so?”

Frazie tapped her chin. “Ah, wait, I think we have something else.”

She cartwheeled over to some trunk and began to go through some of their clothes, putting some on her arms that she was taking out.

“What about these ?”

Raz blushed. He wasn’t even sure if he could fit into the set of a baby blue tux anymore. Bought for one wedding that was of another family that they knew, the Astubeliefts. The most Raz remembered from that was just talking to another kid who had been around his age… and also psychic. He didn’t like that kid.

“Go on then, Razputin!” Dona ordered him.

Raz took the baby blue tuxedo outfit and went back into the caravan to change.

He adjusted the collar and smiled. It still fits! He took a bit of Dion’s hair grease and reslicked his hair back to his preferred position. Now he was looking perfect. Well, perfect to him… there was still the family judgment. 

Raz stepped out, looking firstly at his mother. Of all the judgements, she was usually the harshest.

She had her hands in front of her mouth, eyes a bit watery. “What a handsome young man you are!” Donatella scooped Raz up into an almost bone crushing hug (thankfully, he was used to them).

“So… this would be–”

“It’s perfect!” Donatella insisted.

Raz was lying on his stomach, propping his head up with his left hand and holding a pencil with his right. He stared at the blank page that was being propped up on a portable desk that he had gotten when he first came into the dorms.

Just tell her how you feel, son. His father’s voice repeated.

Raz began to do so. “Lili, you make me feel” his eyebrows creased as he was already hating himself for writing that kind of line. 

Just tell her how you feel.

“Lili, I feel like” he paused, thinking back to the times he’s been around his girlfriend. “warm when I’m around you,” he finished.

He looked back at the full sentence and scratched it out.

“Lili, I feel warm when I’m around you. A good kind of warm in the chest and belly” Raz huffed and crumpled up the paper, moving on to the next one.

“Lili, I feel like it would be nice for you to go to the Psychonauts Mental Health Gala with me as a date.” No, too demanding.

“Lili, would you like to go to the Psychonauts Mental Health Charity Ball with me as a date?” No, too generic.

“Lili, I would like to go to the Psychonauts Mental Health Charity Ball with you.” Is that demanding again? More like asking for her to do the work rather than me…

He once again crumpled up the paper and threw it away.

“Lili, I would be honored if you would let me take you to the Psychonauts Mental Health Charity Ball.” No, that one’s too much. “I would be honored” what was I thinking writing that!?

He once again crumpled up the paper and threw it away.

“Lili, when I’m around you I feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. Like butterflies from a tall height or weak knees from”

He once again crumpled up the paper and threw it away.

“Lili, I really like you and I really want to go to the dance with you.” 

He once again crumpled up the paper and threw it away.

“Lili” He scratched it out.

“I really like” He scratched it out.

“I just want to say” He scratched it out.

“Liil” He scratched it out.

“We should go together” He scratched it out

He once again crumpled the paper up and threw it away.

That… was his last paper…

He threw the portable desk off and flopped face first into his pillow he normally slept on, letting out a scream that was… hopefully muffled by the pillow itself, and the closed door.

5 minutes later, a knock came on his door.

Raz got up, finding his pillow stained a bit. He didn’t realize he’d started tearing up…

The knock sounded again. “Be right there.” Raz failed to keep the croak out of his voice.

“Little mate, you okay?” Adam’s voice asked.

“Uh… room’s a bit of a mess but I can get that cleaned up.”

There was a pause. “Mind if I come in?”

“I… no I don’t mind, Adam.”

He opened the door into the younger Junior Agent’s room, seeing the papers strewn about. Some of them were still wide open with the words written on them. “Oh, issue finding the right words?”

Raz blushed. “It’s just… there’s nothing that really feels like me.”

“What do you mean?” Adam asked, moving to sit on Raz’s bed. He patted the bed to invite Raz to join.

Raz moved over, slowly, sitting half a foot away from Adam. “It’s just… Every time I try to ask her out, it doesn’t feel like me . It more so feels like I’m… going with other people’s words?” He sighed heavily. “My dad told me to ‘tell her how I feel’ but…” He began to smile. “I–I can’t! She’s too good for these lousy words. The words feel like how someone else would talk about how someone in love is supposed to feel.”

“Well, I don’t know if this would help then… but my only piece of advice is to look at what others do for their dance dates.”

“You’re right, that doesn’t sound like it would help.”

“Well, it may give you some ideas on what not to say. The more you eliminate words, the more creative and ‘you’ you’d have to get.”

Raz lit up. “Adam, you’re a genius!”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

Raz and Adam were both looking at a computer in the Motherlobe when Frazie came in, suddenly grabbing Raz by the shoulders and yoinking him out. “How’s little Romeo doing?” She asked in a teasing voice. “Already asked out his Juliet?”

“Ugh! Frazie!” Raz protested, pushing her off. “Stop even comparing us to those two. Romeo and Juliet die and I don’t want to think about that even happening to her–”

“Aww, protective of your girlfriend! How cute!”

Raz’s blush was taking over his face and neck.

“He’s still trying to get an idea for it.” Adam admitted.

Raz shot Adam a look that made Adam suddenly regret getting the sister up to speed.

“What? Raz, I said I would help you with getting her.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t even need your help now. So, ha! Deal’s off!”

“Oh no. Then you can say ‘goodbye’ to that baby blue tux I found.”

“Mom and dad would kill you if you got rid of that!”

“Maybe, but I know they’d love it if it miraculously shrunk to fit Queepie.”

Raz glared at his sister. “Dang it, woman! Why do you have to be all up in Norma’s business!?”

“I just want to know a little more about the girl who hung around dad. Is that so bad?”

“Once you know her, you’ll regret it!”

“I guess I’ll find out the hard way then, huh Raspy?” Frazie proclaimed as she sat down where Raz once was. 

“Hey, I was sitting there, you know!”

“I know.” Frazie smirked. “Now, you’re gonna let me help you and the deal is still on, get it?”

Raz sighed. “Fine.”

“I said, ‘get it?’”

“Got it…” Raz groaned.

“Good!”

Frazie looked to Adam. “Okay bud, what did people do for your prom thing?

“Well, we never had proms, but we had discos .” Adam corrected. “But even still, there were people who would come up with grand gestures.” Adam typed it in, and began to show off something that made Raz light up.

“I wouldn’t call putting some crummy pun on a poster a ‘grand gesture.’” Frazie told him. “I mean, ‘This is hard to espresso but I’ll take a shot . HOCO?’ What even is HOCO?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s what people call HomeComings.”

Raz’s eyes glimmered. “So what you’re saying is it should be a poster with a giant pun on it?”

“That’s typically like prom-posals, are.” Adam nodded. “Yeah.”

“Oh God…” Frazie groaned.

“No, I’ve got something perfect in mind .” Raz smiled wide.

As Raz settled into his and Lili’s shared room for the night, he quintuple checked his trash can was empty of all failed love confessions. He heard the bathroom door open. Lili had already changed into her pajamas, and looked especially sleepy.

“Hey, Lili, before you go to bed tonight do you want to… meet up?” Raz asked, bringing out the Psi-door.

Lili seemed to brighten up and almost tackled him like a lioness catching prey. “I can’t wait!”

Raz smiled, putting the door on his forehead. “Neither can I.”

Lili was met in the void not by a caravan, but with Raz there. Instead of his normal outfit, it resembled more of something a lion tamer or ring master might wear, as well. “This is a nice surprise.” Lili told him.

“Oh, it gets better.” Raz promised. He held her hands and closed his eyes, letting something suddenly unfold over him. 

Lili looked up, trying to see what it was.

In big, pink letters the poster read “Would you MIND if I asked you to dance?”

Raz smirked, opening one eye.

“You’re a dork !” Lili claimed.

“But wait, I have more.”

“Oh my God.” Lili fought and failed to keep the smile off of her lips.

Water sprung up from a lake that resembled the one in the quarry. “WATER you waiting for? Please be my date!”

“ Raz. ”

Another was of a set of cut outs of flowers Raz drew. Red roses, Lady’s mantle, lilacs, spelling out: “FLOWER ‘bout it, Lili? Will you dance with me?”

Her hands covered her mouth to hide her smile, eyes scrunching up.

She had to look again as she felt pyrokinesis flare up, seeing Raz moving around her, the words “You set a FIRE on my feet that just keeps me dancing.” burned into a poster.

“You’re such a dork! ” She insisted.

“Would a dork bring you into his mind to show off all the ideas he had to try to impress you?”

“This is the dorkiest thing I have ever been a part of.”

“You still haven’t answered~”

“Yes! I’ll be your date!”

Raz opened his eyes wide in surprise. “I-I was referring to the dork thing bu–” Raz was suddenly grabbed by Lili who pressed him to her lips. His eyes fluttered shut as he basked in her love that she poured into him. It was hot, sweet tea that he had an endless cup for until it was torn away from him.

Lili smirked at his face, completely blissed out. “You’re my dork.”

Chapter Text

The creature that had been reported sounded like a typical UPE. Aquatic in nature, thought to have been a serpent. Agent L. Zanotto had been assigned the case along with Agent D. Boole and Agent F. Aquato.

It would have been one of the stranger combinations, had the readings not have been so similar.

Grand Head Nein trusted these three to fulfill these duties together. And hopefully the brainwave signature that Agent L. Zanotto’s eyes were stuck on were true. A folder held the reported creature’s brainwaves, and an old scan of an agent that they had lost track of on a mission. If everything was true…

She handed the folder back to Agent F. Aquato, and leaned back. Lili was the leader of this mission, but truth be told, she wasn’t sure what she would do if it wasn’t him. She felt a prod to her mind, asking to come in.

Lili made eye contact with Dogen, and let him in. Well, any plans?

Lili clenched her jaw, blinking a few times to keep from glaring at her childhood friend. We need to assess the situation first, Dogen. Until then we can–

Only hope for more information from the current scouts?

Bingo.

A pause in the conversation. You’re fidgeting, Lili.

Lili’s jaw clenched as she twisted the frayed bracelet again. 

Are you really waiting for a plan?

Truth be told, Lili had several plans that she’d worked out with her two partners, but there were also plans on her own. They were circumstantial plans, all depending on whether the creature was him. And that he was in a place where plants were. Hitting him with a door. Trying to undo damage. Finding something, anything , that linked them together. Her Razputin– Their Razputin.

They all had ties to him. She was selfish for wanting to heal him all herself. Hold him as they fought until she placed the door on his head. Fight anything that dare get in her way of saving her Raz. Running and grabbing and gripping onto the beast until he finally saw her . Holding him close and pressing her lips to his muzzle or snout or whatever he had. She wanted him back.

As the jet landed, Lili was the first to get off, followed by Frazie and then Dogen.

“Agent L. Zanotto.” One saluted.

“At ease, Agent Sanet.” She told xem. At the agent’s ease, she waited until Frazie and Dogen caught up, but not long enough for them to begin. “Any updates that are currently not in this file?” She asked, handing the file to xem.

Agent Sanet looked through the pages, xer eyes darting between the information haphazardly. Xe shook xer head. “No updates. Will you be heading just as the trio or do you need any backup?”

“No backup.” Frazie butt in.

Agent Sanet frowned, but relented as both Agent L. Zanotto and Agent D. Boole nodded in agreement. They were there to find their friend. Their brother. Their loved one.

The trio began their pursuit along the shoreline, slowly breaking apart as Lili went through the thicker parts of the jungle on the island while Dogen kept to the shore with the seagulls to get information, and Frazie out to the ocean, hoping to get around to where the cave met the ocean.

As for Lili herself? She knew the plants had certain… feelings. Vibes would maybe be a better word. Contrary to most held beliefs, herbophonists couldn’t hear plants’ thoughts. Plants didn’t think like humans or even animals. The only ones that made almost that easy were ones that Lili had cultivated herself. And maybe a few of her father’s and uncle’s perennials that she bonded with.

But as of now, Lili was vaulting herself up rocky paths and through winding trees, letting all the teeming of plants fill her mind until she could finally find…

A little tinkling bell finally caught her attention, and she moved her head to face the direction it was coming from. It was echoey, kind of spacy… The exact sound of what she was looking for, specifically Ulocladium chartarum. She lifted her hand as her telekinesis brought out the breathing mask and placed it onto her face. All she needed to do was find the cave and head in.

Moving around, she was careful where she tread and where she heard the sounds of the fungus. Plenty of things could go wrong when exploring a cave. Especially when in there, but even locating the entrance without a guide could be dangerous. She moved closer and closer to the sound until she saw the opening to the cave.

Taking a deep, focusing breath, she let some fire form and burnout, just to get a glimpse of the cave without disturbing the inhabitants too badly. Immediately, that became an apparent bad idea as she felt something spike up, and then move away.

No, please! She thought and began to set through the cave. Her steps echoed, making the mental waves she was following grow further and further away. Please! I need you! She thought out desperately. Anything to remake that connection–

She let out a cry from behind her mask as she landed into some thick water. All around her, it was black and dark. She began to swim up, only for something to grab onto her. Her first instinct was to try to let out a Psi-blast against it, but to her horror, it looked to be the water itself. His own power… trying to kill her…

The saltwater was making Lili’s eyes sting and she clenched them shut as tears joined in the water around her. And then suddenly… she was on dry land.

She shook from the cold and disgust from the water in her clothes and she finally looked up to whatever had saved her.

Barely any sun came in to reflect the water, casting a blue light on the slender, almost lizard-like creature above her. Its wide green eyes stared as it pressed itself against the wall.

Lili took off her mask to make her voice clear. “Is it really you?”

The creature let out a grunt and tried to scrabble up the wall.

Lili pressed herself to the ground, watching its reaction. He was more like a scared animal, now. Though as she waited, he finally began to calm down. He moved on all fours towards her, sniffing and making noises like an animal.

The creature rested its head on Lili’s and began to rumble. Its psychic energy sort of permeated the air in tendrils. Not as manifested as calling upon Telekinesis, but Lili could still feel it poke and prod her. Nervous little touches that she knew from– “Raz.” She finally whispered.

There was the sound of a groan from the beast in a higher pitch. A bit of recognition as more of the psychic energy wrapped around her like a blanket. Sweetpea? She could hear his voice in her head.

She could hear him.

Lili sniffled a bit. “It’s me. Your sweetpea’s right here.” She reached up to where his head was, knuckles stroking his cheek.

He rumbled and leaned into her touch. Sweetpea…

Lili let tears fall and she sobbed a bit. He was here. He was really here .

He made a worried little purr as he moved his head to look at her.

She could see him. She could touch him. He wasn’t some memory or dream.

His tongue outstretched to lick her tears.

Lili instinctively felt ticklish and disgusted by the action of her boyfriend, as she recalled him once greeting her like that. Ticklish little noms to the cheek turning into something gross that she whined and complained about before Raz kissed her and made her forgive all of that.

He stopped, looking back into her eyes. Gears turning. Wait… was he–

His lips touched hers softly. Not a kiss, but definitely trying to imitate one. She stroked his left cheek with her knuckles and sighed with a smile.

“I missed you.” She whispered as she began to sit up. 

Raz let out another whine, wrapping his arms around her. She felt acutely aware of the wet clothes for a few seconds, and then they became bone dry. She could hear a splash and then felt his arms around her tighten.

“Do you… want to come back?” She asked, holding him with her eyes closed.

Sweetpea… Raz’s mind merely repeated.

Lili bit her lip. “Dogen and… and Frazie are here too. Looking for you.”

Frazie… and Dogen?

“Yup. We all came cause… cause we want to take you back home.”

Raz let out a relaxing sigh as Lili thought of the Motherlobe.

“Milla and Sasha miss you too. And-and the Psychic Seven. Your whole family… please come home?”

His thumb wiped at her eye before she could cry again. Sweetpea…

“Oh Raz… what did those monsters do to you?” She sobbed.

He held her tighter and gave her another kiss. It’s… been a while.

“Can you still talk?” She rubbed his back.

She heard him gulp and take in a deep breath. “St-star.”

“Star?”

She could feel his chin move as he nodded. “Spot. Light.”

“Oh, the sun?” Lili looked back.

“That. S. The way. Out?”

“Yeah.”

He grumbled, unsure of if he even wanted to leave his sanctuary.

“Please. We miss you.” She reminded him.

“You have. The door?”

Lili dug around for her Psi-portal, showing it to him. “Are you sure?”

He nodded again. “Help me…”

Chapter Text

Raz rubbed his temple as the wind hit his forehead.

“This is what you get for reading in the car.” Lili scolded.

“Lili, we need to memorize this.” Raz tapped the file that he currently had his fist on so it wouldn’t blow away.

“I told you, the list can wait until we get to the hotel.”

“I still can’t remember the–”

“Arpeggio. You’re Dallas, I’m Sofia. And we’re both currently on our way to your sister’s birthday. Her name is Christina Grover.”

“Hm. So I took your last name… What about the Hotel?”

“Hulton.”

“I know I’m saying Hotel, right, Lili.”

“Right, we’re going to the Hulton hotel. It’s actually at this exit. Roll your window up.”

“Can’t it wait until we get to the parking lot?”

“If files got shredded on the highway, that’s one thing. They get found by the public? There’s panic. Now don’t be a baby, and roll it up, Raz.”

Raz smirked. “Don’t you mean ‘Dallas?’”

“Oh, don’t be an ass!”

“I thought I was being a baby?”

“You can be a baby, and an ass! They’re not mutually exclusive!”

“Oh, really?”

“Well, babies have asses, so you can be both!”

“But a baby can’t help it, they haven’t developed.”

“Just ROLL UP THE WINDOW!”

Play time was over. Raz did so and leaned his head against the cool glass.

“You didn’t push it too far.” Lili told him. As they waited at a red light she rested her hand on his wrist, flicking the old and tattered friendship bracelet a bit. “I like playfights with you.”

Raz smiled softly. “If we weren’t driving, I’d kiss your neck.”

“ We ?”

Raz exhaled with a smile. “You. You’re the one driving.”

“Damn straight.”

“I’m bi.”

“So am I!”

The two suddenly cracked up laughing and Lili put her hand back on the steering wheel. “Green.” Raz reminded her.

Lili pressed her foot back onto the gas and turned. “Can you see it up ahead?”

“Uh–yeah! Yeah, right there.” Raz pointed to the sign.

“Great.” Lili once again had to make a turn, then another tight turn to get into the parking lot of the place.

“We got here late.” Raz looked at the friendship bracelet.

“I know you don’t have a watch on that wrist, mister.”

“Just admiring the craftsmanship.”

Lili snorted. “Of a ten-year-old girl twenty years ago.” She found a parking spot close to the front. “Perfect.”

“Well, that it is.”

“The spot.”

“This too.” He put his arm up.

“God, you’re such a sap.”

“I’m a romantic!”

Lili opened her door. “And yet in the twenty years we’ve known each other you still get all nervous.”

Raz scoffed as he also got out. “Well, I didn’t get nervous in the car now, did I?”

Lili grabbed his other arm and pressed his hand to her cheek, half of her lips pressing the heel of his palm.

Raz heated up and Lili smirked with half lidded eyes. 

“Well, c’mon now Dallas . We need to check in.” She held his hand as Raz stammered, trying to remember their cover names.

“I-I-I-er-right Sofia!”

She gave him a squeeze, letting him know he got it right.

Walking into reception, Lili let go of his hand. “You have the ID, right?”

Raz placed one hand into the folder and nodded, he looked at the two cards he had pulled and offered for Lili to take hers. She took the handoff just as they had practiced and psychically placed it into her wallet.

It would matter that it looked not prepared. Sofia and Dallas wouldn’t have them out and ready.

Interlaced hands swinging between them, a comfy but gushy love? Now that was more Raz and Lili, but it would fit the people they were supposed to play.

Raz took the lead quickly. Always a bit of a showman and ready to jump at the time to act. “Room for Arpeggio?” He asked in a voice that… if Agent Hoofburger heard it, Raz may have been knocked upside the head.

Heck, Lili would probably do that when they got to the room. 

“Alright, that’s one King Sized bedroom, here are your room keys.” The receptionist plopped them down and went back to the computer.

“Wait, King Sized?” Raz clarified.

“Yes, that’s what it says, Mr. Arpeggio.”

Raz’s eyebrows knitted together and he tried to visualize the open folder.

“Thank you, sir. We’ll be on our way.” Lili told him, taking the room keys and patting Raz on the small of his back. “C’mon Dallas. Let’s get a move on.”

Raz could feel his legs move without his permission, as his back was being pushed by his girlfriend. His elbows were stuck at his waist and wrists were limp.

It was only when the elevator closed that Raz opened the discussion. 

“King sized bedroom.”

“Yup.” Lili agreed.

“That comes with… how many beds?”

“One.”

“Ah.” The door opened and the two went to exchange thoughts instead of words. Are there any other places to sleep?

Oh, I wouldn’t recommend it for sleep.

Yeah but–

Lili opened the door, walking past the bathroom and coffee maker.

Raz looked around the room and let out a loud exhale.

“I’ll take the cou–” 

“No you’re not.”

“Lili–”

“Raz.” She said before he could continue.

“We are currently on a mission.”

“Which means, you need better shut-eye than just the couch.”

“Well, it can pull out, right?”

“Trust me, you won’t get a wink of sleep with that.”

Raz grumbled, staring down at the pullout. He leaned down to get it out as he heard the creaking of the bed behind him. 

“Raz~”

Her voice was like a siren’s calling him towards her.

“Are you going to get in bed with me or what?” Lili asked with a smirk.

“I told you, I’m fine with taking–”

“You aren’t being forced to sleep on the couch unless I say so.” Her purple TK hand grabbed him by the loose fabric of his shirt near the front of his collar. She let him fall into the bed next to her and her smile turned sweeter. “Lemme snuggle you.” She told him in that secret voice she only had for him. Almost smokey and full of love for him. She burrowed her head against the crook of his neck, but kept her arms away from his body, just in case he did want to get up.

Raz let out a quiet whine and turned his body so he could grab her. “I think I do want to cuddle.” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

Lili hummed happily as her arms wrapped around his waist. Oh, she was so warm and Raz let out an involuntary noise in his throat. He psychically prodded at her, and her own psychic energy reciprocated. It was like little pulses as neurons fired in the brain, contrasting to the steady… slowing… beat… of their hearts.

Chapter Text

Lili crossed her legs as she watched Raz shift his weight from one foot to another. “Well?” She asked, almost pointedly.

“‘M trying!” Raz told her.

When she first agreed to assist him with something down in the Quarry, she expected him to need some time away from people. Not actual help. 

But to Lili it didn’t feel like actual help. What did Milla usually call it? “Moral support.”

Raz gulped as he took a tentative step forwards, the Hand of Galochio meeting his foot from the water and allowing him to walk on it like a stepping stone. He stepped again, now fully on the water. He frowned and looked back at Lili.

“Impressive.” She told him, in a genuine voice.

Raz huffed. “I’m trying to get into swimming but…”

“Something wrong?”

Raz looked back down towards the hand and felt a shudder. “It’s just… hard, y’know?”

“With the whole… ‘curse that’s not a curse?’ Are you still scared?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Well, what’s the matter? I mean you’re up there and using your hydrokinesis!”

“That’s kind of the problem.” Raz admitted. “I’m trying to swim but…” He gulped. “Ggh I just– The curse isn’t even real and I still feel… afraid, I guess?”

Lili nodded, allowing him to continue.

“Like… I sometimes feel like… like if I go onto the water… in-instead of it helping me it’ll just… just–” Suddenly the water hand underneath hit Raz upwards, as if chastising him.

Lili held back a smirk as the water did so, covering her mouth as it did it again…

And then suddenly grabbed him.

“LI–” Raz couldn’t get out the other half of her name, getting dragged deep into the quarry water.

“RAZ!” Lili shouted. She glanced in the water, thinking that it might have been some sort of prank. But as the bubbles started to come up slower, her panic grew. 

She took a few steps back, then ran and dove in. 

The quarry water was dark, and stung her eyes. She couldn’t see him but she could at the very least feel him. Despite the water dampening most other senses, psychic abilities only had one thing to really stop them.

Though, that didn’t really help with getting down to him. Even as she clawed and kicked her way down, her body was trying to push her back up to safety. And away from him. 

Mind and Body fought with her Heart on the line.

And still she clawed and dug her way through the suffocating and pressing dark. Only following that beacon she could feel. 

When she grabbed him, it felt like she had reached through almost gelatin to grip the soggy cloth. She pulled herself towards him, gripping his body. She fought now to move up kicking at him and the water fingers that split only to reform and hold him there.

Lili grunted, air leaving a bit of her mouth but didn’t relent. She used psychic abilities to get to him, and he was (not trying to but still) using psychic abilities to stop her from helping. She still had her own powers in her brain.

Using Telekinesis, she began to try to pry the hand off of Raz’s body, interfering and dragging it just like it had done to him. But still it fought .

She couldn’t use her psi-blast with her eyes still closed. She didn’t want to hurt him anymore than he was already getting hurt by himself.

She couldn’t use her Pyrogenesis or Thermokinesis. That would either be too useless or cause the water to heat to possibly scalding and burn them.

The plants… she wasn’t as good as her Great Uncle… but… she could still reach out to the plants that were there, right? Phytokinesis was at least something that could assist.

Her head was already hurting, but she needed to keep going. Her eyes were stinging, but she needed to keep going. Her nostrils were burning, but she needed to keep going. Her lungs were on fire but she needed to keep going.

Suddenly, while she was still gripping Raz, they were both pushed up. The plants seemed to be relieved as she broke out of the water, clutching Raz and pushing her legs to move towards the shore.

Heaving them both on there, Lili took a moment to cough and belch out the water that was stuck in her. She shook from the feeling of sopping wet clothes attaching to her, along with the late summer turning to fall air. Her nose still felt on fire.

She took in a breath from her mouth, as her nose still felt clogged and looked back over to Raz… who wasn’t waking up. “Raz? Raz!?” She shook him.

“Wait… no…”

Pressing her ear to his mouth, Lili clenched her eyes. 

…

Nothing.

Nothing.

There should be breaths! He couldn’t be dying! He just got over the fear, he couldn’t let it consume him!

She wouldn’t let him die.

Lili tilted Raz’s head back, just like she had been taught at Whispering Rock (she supposed that paying attention in Admiral Cruller’s class, despite the fact EVERYONE there knew levitation and wouldn’t be “dumb enough” to go around water they couldn’t swim in) and even remembered to lift his chin. She pinched his nose shut and opened his mouth enough so she could get hers to fully seal. Gently allowing her free hand to lay on his chest, she blew into his mouth.

His chest rose, thank goodness, now she needed to give chest compressions. She got up from his lips and saw blood on his cheek. He was probably cut but they’d deal with that later.

The songs that Milla usually danced to were on the same beat as how fast she needed to give them. 6, 7, 8, 9, Come on Raz, stay alive! 14, 16, 17, 18 You can’t do this, don’t keep me waiting! 22, 23, 24, 25. Why can’t you open your eyes! 30.

Lili went back to pressing her lips to his, breathing out again, twice.

She went back to the chest compressions. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5–

There was a cough, then a stronger one as Raz’s arm turned himself to the side, then onto his hands and knees. He coughed and gagged as he retched out quarry water onto the sides below.

Lili felt relief wash over her as she watched him, nose stinging and tears falling.

He finally turned to face her again, giving her a sad smile before it melted into worry. “Lili, you–”

She grabbed him suddenly, relieved to hear his breaths and heartbeat. “Don’t you dare die on me!” She shouted in his ear, clutching him tight.

“ shh, ” Raz’s shush was quiet, like rain falling. “I won’t… I promise I won’t”

Lili relaxed considerably. “‘M sorry. I shouldn’t make you promise that. I just–”

Raz pressed his forehead to hers, both of them closing their eyes as both shared their near incoherent thoughts.

Lili hiccupped as the two recovered, letting out a few more tears.

Raz tried to wipe it away, smearing a bit more of Lili’s makeup. “Sorry.” He muttered, now realizing what he did.

Lili shook her head, making him let go of her face. She pressed her ringers to her temples, and began to feel pain again.

“Lili, your nose.”

“Wha…?”

“You're bleeding.”

She made a shaky breath. “I may have overexerted myself…”

“Well, I can get us–”

“YOU take a break. You NEARLY DIED!”

Raz blinked. “Yes ma’am.”

Milla found the two later, still shaking and cold and damp.

Chapter Text

She woke up to hear sobbing on the other side of the room. Which was already worrying considering Raz hated crying. He always claimed “I’m not a baby!” when someone would point out something that he may have gotten teary about. But he never cried or croaked or–

The sobs and hiccups were getting worse. Lili rose up, watching her boyfriend’s body curl up more and toss and turn from under the sheets.

“Raz?” She asked, in a bit of a raspy voice. She cleared it and then spoke again, a bit louder. “Raz?”

He seemed to be retreating even further into the blankets, as if covering himself would hide him from any unwanted visitors.

Lili, well she wasn’t a visitor, and she worried about him fiercely.

She got up from bed, walking over and grabbed at the edge of his blankets.

“Raz?” She asked again.

And she was met with whimpering, along with Raz curling up in the blankets. “Razputin!” She demanded, gripping harder and trying to tear the blankets off. He was trying to shut her out and she wouldn’t let him.

“Raz, wake up!” She shouted.

He tossed the sheets off of him, as if trying to get air. His eyes were wide, and he was panting, but still not…

He was blindly panicking. And curling up into a ball

Lili reached out to touch his shoulder. Her hand gently gripped it.

Raz heaved, and then burped. And then began to vomit onto his pillow, with some ending up on the floor as Lili stepped back.

Even as the smell churned her stomach, Raz still couldn’t tell what was going on. She didn’t want to use Smelling Salts if even this scent wasn’t getting through to him. 

Lili sucked in a breath through her teeth and closed her eyes. Another calming breath and she could practically reach out and touch the panicked thoughts coming from him. Raz? Can you hear me?

There was another burp, and the smell got stronger.

Lili focused her breath again, hating the bitterness that bit at the top of her mouth. Can you hear me?

He was shaking all over, but he seemed to have stopped vomit– 

Lili flinched as another batch came out.

Raz. I’m right here. You’re safe.

“l…lili?” His voice was soft.

I’m here. She was breaking through and calming him a little bit. “I’m here.” She repeated out loud.

Raz was already shaking from vomiting, but now started to sob. And even let tears slip up. 

Lili took a step forward.

Raz looked to the sound, another tear falling. His face morphed and crumpled as more tears slipped, and he was crying.

She came to the edge of his bed, putting her hands on it, even though it was higher than she usually felt comfortable with.

He tried to wipe his eyes with his hands, trying to get himself to stop. Lili looked back to her desk.

She TKed a box of tissues over.

Raz blew into a few, disposing of them in his trash. “Lili?”

“Yeah?”

“Can… can I just…” He extended his arms to her. “Can I lean into you?”

She reciprocated, and he slipped off of his bed into her arms. He was still shaking terribly from vomiting and crying. She held him tighter. She looked up from over his shoulder and–

Oh boy that would definitely have to be taken care of. But not by him. Or her. They needed sleep. 

Still using TK, Lili grabbed the sheets and pillow case off of his bed as she worked their way over to her bed instead.

“W-wait but I should–” Raz shivered more, one of his hands grabbing at his belly.

“It’s okay. We’ll get one of the others to help. But we can’t sleep with it here.”

Lili then allowed him to get settled into the bed first, with her at least putting her legs under the top sheets so she could get into the bed after.

There was a bit of silence. “Can I… tell you about it?”

“Will that make you feel better?” Lili asked, grabbing his cheek.

Raz nodded.

“Then go for it.”

Raz exhaled. “It was… I was in my family’s circus. But there was water. And-and it wasn’t the meat circus again. When… I got under the water. There were these… hands with… nasty claws that tried to grab me and pull me out. They… were really rough with me. I tried to swim… downwards because they wouldn’t be able to grab me, but they did and the laughter kept getting worse and worse and–”

Lili put her hand back on his cheek. “You’re working yourself up.”

Raz clenched his eyes, letting tears fall again and hating it.

“Where did they hurt you?”

Raz looked back up. “Uhm…” He started at his belly lightly tracing where there had been a scratch from one of the hands.

Lili scooched a bit more under the covers and kissed him on top of his nightshirt.

Raz gulped, but continued.

Where his hand grazed, Lili followed with gentle kisses. The stinging he remembered being replaced by the warm fuzzy feeling he got from her just being… so nice to him. Over his arms and sides, his neck and his cheeks. And… even though the nails didn’t attack him there, his hand brushed over his lips, which she kissed as well.

Her own nails on his scalp were much nicer than the claws that tried to tear at him. Running through and messing up his hair, but he’d have to fix it in the morning anyways. 

When the kiss separated, Lili still gave him those nice, soothing strokes. 

“Goodnight, Razputin.” She whispered.

“mm g’nigh Lili…” He sighed.

Chapter Text

The screams are blood curdling and tear Raz out of dreamless sleep. He turns on his bed, now facing the other in his room.

It takes him a moment of staring at his girlfriend to realize she’s the one screaming. Blankets are over her head as she seems to knowingly want to quiet herself or hide from whatever fate the nightmare is bringing her.

“LILI!” He shouts in recognition, tearing off the blanket on his own bed and hopping down the bed and running over to hers.

She’s still screaming as he’s trying to get the blankets off of her, but she’s clutched them down.

“LILI!” He calls again, this time closer to her.

Her panic lets up as it seems to pass over, and she takes off the blanket.

In the dark, her wide eyes are hard to see, but he can feel it. Her arms clutch his shoulders, almost like she was dragging him into her bed.

He follows her unthought wishes getting onto the bed. His arms grab her waist. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

Vague thoughts fill his head. The feeling of feet rooted to the floor, unable to move as siblings… parents… loved ones are being taken in some of the worst ways thinkable. No wonder she screamed.

“I’m here.” Raz reassures her. “I’m here, Lili, I promise.” Her nightmare response isn’t as bad as his was a few weeks ago, but just as she was there for him, he’d be there for her. In their hug, he presses a reassuring kiss to her shoulder. “I’m here. Don’t worry.”

“It was scary .”

His heart breaks as she says that. She was always so brave in any danger… He hugs her a little tighter. 

The nightmare is blurry, but Raz is starting to get more clear figures. One of those slow motion dreams where things are going wrong. And there was nothing she could do as…

Raz felt sick to his stomach watching it as well. “Come on.” He held her and began to scooch off the bed.

“Raz, I don’t need to leave–”

“No, no. You had nightmares in this bed.”

Lili stayed silent, but hugged Raz tighter. 

“C’mon.” Raz took her out of the bed, carrying her to the one he normally slept in.

“Will you stay with me?” She asked.

Raz kissed her cheek. “Of course, драгоценный.”

Lili nuzzled his neck. “I like it when you call me that.”

Raz pressed his cheek to her forehead. “You know, you hear ‘dragon sunny,’ which I think fits you better than what I’ve been calling you.” He placed her onto the bed

“Wait, then what have you been calling me?” Lili asked as he crawled in to be her weighted blanket.

“In english, it translates to ‘precious.’”

He could tell she was blushing fiercely, making her nice and warm as he laid his weight on top of her.

Her arms held his waist as he laid there, smiling and cuddling her back.

“Love you lots, Lilipad.”

“Yeah, yeah… I love you too, Razberry.”

Chapter Text

Raz was pretty fidgety in the bed of the classroom. They were getting a lesson from Milla Vodello herself! The Mental Minx! One of the most popular Psychonauts agents in TPT!

He made sure to be sitting up on the edge of the bed with a lap desk full of paper on his knees. Pen in hand, he was ready to take any notes.

A few others, like Morris and Norma, were sitting up, but the other half of the Junior Agents were lying back, watching Milla.

“Hello darlings.” Milla smiled.

“Hi Milla.” The class seemed to drone, aside from Raz and Morris. 

Mill put her hands on her hips, smile not leaving. “Oh, now I know you can do better than that.” She put her arms wide out, encouraging volume. “Hello darlings!”

“Hi Agent Vodello.” Was said at a louder, a little more enthused chorus. Though, clearly more of a fake enthusiasm.

Her eyes looked around the classroom and she took to the side of the podium that Hollis usually stood behind. “Now then, today I think it is best to have it presented in the physical world. I have a presentation that I have had great help assisting me, and we are both proud of it.”

“The great help is Sasha.” Raz heard someone mutter.

He raised an eyebrow at that, but shook his head to refocus back to Milla.

She seemed to shake it off very easily, smiling and beginning to do some basic projection with her own mind to begin the lecture.

“As you all know, as Psychonauts we use our psychic powers to gain special access to places that others cannot. This includes the minds of others, such as those dealing with hypnosis and brainwashing, psychosis, or other afflictions that are usually caused by trauma. ”

Milla switched to showing off a figure facing off against some mental enemies. “Most, if not all, minds will have ways to prevent our interference, but a way to combat this, is figuring out the person’s love language!”

Raz wrote down “Love language = less enemies.” He looked back on the phrase, then wrote the word “using” in front of “love.”

“The first one we are going over are ‘Acts of Service.’ Doing favors for others before or even in the mind with some mental constructs will allow the brain to trust you more. Even if it is for some harmful mental constructs, doing this can allow the brain to trust you more, and be more willing to show you its problems. However, be cautious. Using this too much may allow you to be prey to manipulation in the mind.”

Raz thought back to Cassie’s mind, working with the Teacher archetype and faking helping the Librarian. Perhaps that was Cassie’s? Raz wrote that down.

“Another one is gifts. We occasionally use this on main targets during missions to get their guard down. It is difficult to give gifts in the mind, but buttering up a person beforehand can let their guard down enough so that less mental enemies are around when you first arrive.”

Raz wrote down “Gifts are for outside of the mind. Can lead to less enemies AT FIRST.”

“Physical Touch is one of the most important ones! And contrary to most beliefs, Physical Touch is not just touching the person, though that can be a very important part of it. Physical Touch also means doing an activity together, with attention focused towards the one you are working with! Physical Touch means being present in the physical world. But yes, Physical Touch can also mean touches that are seen as good and comforting with the person you are working with. Usually, we do not use this out in the field, but for other checkups among our own Psychonauts.”

That struck a chord with Raz, as he went to another page to sketch out him balancing on another person’s hand with “Physical Touch” labeled. He managed to scribble a few more notes, such as “present with others,” and “Touches but also activities.”

“Quality Time is where activities take place, but they do not have to be the same. Things like parallel play is perfect for dealing with this, though it does not come up often on missions, it can still help if you decide to take other routes with being a Psychonaut, such as becoming mentors yourselves!”

Raz pressed his eraser to his cheek. Being a mentor would be cool. Some kid looking up to him the way he looked up to Sasha or Milla or Hollis or Truman, one who has a ton of questions about him or learned about him in TPT. He smiled at the thought.

“And we also have Words of Affirmation. These are usually repeated, but can be anything from as simple compliments, to intricate deconstructions of when someone does well.”

Words of Affirmation struck a chord with Raz. Sure, it wasn’t his, otherwise he feels that more of his family’s jabs would have gotten to him. Or maybe some of Lili’s… not insults?

When he first met the girl she definitely wasn’t the friendliest but… “Why don’t you take a picture? It’ll last longer.” He could have sworn she insulted him at one point… at camp? “Actually… I was saving this plant…” “Look at those two. Who’d even want a stupid friendship bracelet? … Yeah? Well… that’s… stupid!” “You know, if you were going to shut up, you could use that button on your lip.” “You should write Greeting cards.” “You are so immature! And cute… ”

They were all meanly said… but never mean things…

And other times she had snapped at him was never verbal… she usually hit him… in fact… when she was showing off her love it was demands to kiss, but also things like. Giving hi- Harold all those sweet nicknames. Which… meant…

Raz let out a gasp with realization, grabbing the attention of others.

Milla smiled gently and continued to speak, getting attention off of Razputin. But now he knew. He needed to say what he liked about Lili. He’d been so awkward about trying to hold her hand or how she kissed him ( he was already feeling butterflies in his tummy at remembering their first kiss ), and she didn’t know! He needed to tell her, right away…

As soon as class was done.

“Lili!” Raz called as soon as he spotted her.

She turned and smiled as he ran up to her. “Guessing you had a good class?”

“Uh. Well it really taught me something. Something really important.”

“M’kay. What did it teach you?”

“So… Milla was going over love languages and–and how they could help with connecting to minds.”

“Oh. I haven’t had that training yet.”

“It’s not really so much training as it is a lecture.”

“Well, then I probably skipped it.” Lili shrugged.

“But it made me realize something. Lili. I… I need to say something to you.”

“What is it?”

“Over… over the time that we’ve known each other I was always sort of… confused with our relationship. Cause… cause even though you said that I was your boyfriend… a few times it didn’t really click with me… Like… y-you turned away from when I kissed you and– well I… it’s a lot to think about really with this entire deal.” Raz’s eyes began to dart towards the ground, arms shaking out his hands as he began to pace. “I mean I was struggling to understand how you felt while also trying to process my own feelings, and I was trying to figure out exactly wha–”

“ Raz. ” Lili’s voice brought him back to the current conversation. “Come on, what are you trying to say?” Lili asked.

“What I’m trying to say is… I love you.”

Lili blinked and began to blush. “Y-you…what?”

“I love you!” Raz repeated.

Lili made an embarrassed noise and put her face in her hands.

“What?” Raz giggled as Lili failed to hide her face. “All I did was say ‘I love you!’”

She let out an adorable noise that made Raz’s face light up with surprise and his heart fluttered.

“I mean it! I love you!” He insisted as he grabbed her by her waist.

Lili still made noises of protest and embarrassment.

Raz laughed as he picked her up, spinning a bit. “I love you my Sweet Potato Masher!”

Instead of protesting further, he could hear her start to giggle.

His smile got wider. “I love you!” He insisted. “I love you!! I love you!!!” He stopped spinning to toss her up a bit, catching her and bringing her into a sweet mouth to mouth kiss.

She began to hum against him, and he did the same. As they separated they made an “ mmmwUA ” sound. With their eyes still closed, the two touched their foreheads together, completely blissful.

Lili was leaning on Raz’s shoulder as he flipped through one of his comics, reading through and doing the voices for the different characters. She could hear his voice vibrating through his chest or throat, even from where she was.

“Hey Raz?” She asked before he started another voice bubble.

“Yeah, Lili?”

“Why did that class make you say that you love me?”

Raz chuckled, Lili enjoying the vibration from his shoulder again. A little bit of a buzz against her ear, like an excited bee ready to drink nectar from her flowers. “It didn’t make me say that. I just realized something about you from that.”

“And what’s that?”

“Well, when Milla was going over words of affirmation, I remembered how my family insulted me a lot and how it didn’t get to me. And when I tried to think about your insults… you never insulted me in particular.”

“I don’t wanna insult you.” She said sincerely.

“Aww, Lili…” Raz wrapped an arm around her. “But… I may have looked back and realized: your love language is Words of Affirmation. And I felt guilty for never calling you my girlfriend or saying that I love you. Because I really do.”

Lili heated up again and Raz smiled with triumph. “So… do you know what your love language is?”

“I think… it’s physical touch. That’s why doing things together with you or my family makes me feel good. Also the touches.” For emphasis, he rubbed the arm that was wrapped around Lili’s waist up and down her side. “That’s also why the kisses were really big deals to me.” He smirked. “Like this one.” He kissed her forehead, enjoying her blush getting hotter.

“So… in order to make you feel loved, I need to touch and kiss you?”

“Or just do things with me. Like what we’re doing right now.”

Lili grabbed his hand and interlaced their fingers, her hand perfectly encased in his.

As he continued to read the comic, Lili held onto that little piece of information. An idea started forming around it. Her smile grew as she thought it out more and more. She glanced at the Artifact Storage Closet door. A perfect place…

She readjusted around to face her boyfriend. She interrupted him with a quiet, “shut up and kiss me.”

Raz definitely shut up, but he didn’t kiss her. He instead looked at her with scarlet covering his face. 

Lili kept smiling, leaning in and kissing her boyfriend.

Thankfully, he knew how to kiss, pressing back to her as they held the moment.

Lili pulled away first, grabbing Raz by the upper arms. “C’mere.” She told him. 

Raz left the comic where he had been sitting, allowing Lili to guide him. As she moved towards the Artifact Closet, he went a little paler. “You’re not gonna… shove me and leave me in there, right?”

She gave him another kiss. “Of course not, I just want to try something.”

“Oh… uh…” He was turning red again. So adorable. She walked backwards into the storage, staring at him the whole time, then closed the door. 

He jumped a bit at the sound. “Raz?”

“I… sorry… just… there was… it’s really cold in here is all.”

She stepped closer. “Well, hopefully this will help.” She grabbed him and pushed him until he was sitting on one of the boxes.

He looked at her, confused, almost fearful, until she started kissing him again. His back was up against the wall of the storage, with him trying to lean into Lili’s forceful kiss. Not that he was complaining about getting to kiss his girlfriend.

Raz let out a bit of a surprised noise as he felt her hands caress him, still up against the wall of the Artifact Storage. Her hands moved from his shoulders, down his arms.

Lili smiled against his lips. “You’re adorable, you know that?”

He blushed and gulped, unable to make a response. 

She went back to kissing him, her hands moving to his gloved ones and her middle fingers circling the back of his wrists.

Raz didn’t quite know what to do with this sensory information, but it felt… nice… soft… caring… all were positive so he let it happen.

Lili let out a little hum, releasing him from the kiss with a smek . “Are… you… liking the kiss?” She could barely hide the worry in her voice.

“It’s amazing.” He told her, breathless. “ You’re amazing. Your touches… your–your kisses I just… wow.”

Lili giggled and blushed. “Oh, Raz…” She nuzzled his cheek with her nose, hands moving up a bit under his sleeves.

A surprised whimper caught in his throat, making Lili pause again. “Sorry, it’s just…”

“…it’s okay if you don’t like it–”

“I love it!’

Both of them blushed, with Lili backing up a bit to look at his face fully.

“I… really, I do. I love these touches. I think. I’ve never gotten touched like this. But your touches, they, they make my heart really beat in my chest.”

As if testing this, Lili’s right hand moved from under Raz’s sleeve to on his chest, moving until she could feel the heart beating even through the thick sweater. “Oh wow,” she whispered.

Raz gulped as his girlfriend was so close to him.

Lili was feeling what he usually was able to keep to himself. She looked back up to him, half-lidded eyes and a sweet smile on her face. “I love you.”

And she began to kiss and let her hands move again. One hand moved to behind his neck, fingers going underneath his helmet and scratching his scalp, making him melt.

He was starting to feel bad. Here she was indulging his love language, and he wasn’t reciprocating!

As she went away from one of the kisses, he tried to speak. “You’re so–” And he was cut off with a kiss. “Lili, you’re–” And he was cut off with another kiss. “I love–”

“Shhh.” Lili told him before kissing him again.

“But I…” He managed through a kiss and had to take in a breath through his nose. “Wanna compl’men…” There were more kisses as he pressed back. “My girl…” It was more breathy this time. Any other thing the young man wanted to say was already mush in his mind as his girlfriend patted his body and kissed him longer.

His body leaned into her touch, and she responded by adding more pressure.

Raz’s hands finally began to move, grabbing her by the back and pulling her closer.

He could feel her smile against his lips. Her touches made him shiver and gasp a bit.

And then… he felt something else touch his lips. His gasp became sharper and he felt it sweep his lips. Lili pulled back, only for Raz to grab her and kiss her. This was… what it was.

What he was thinking about doing during the time she had been taken back at Whispering Rock. He tugged one glove off, then the other before letting one of his hands touch her upper back.

He could feel the goosebumps form, and was a bit proud of that. He pulled her closer, her knees now on the box and– she was touching him again in ways that made him throw his head back.

The kisses to his neck were chaste, but the way she felt him… “I love you… so much,” he admitted.

“Aww, you’re so sappy.”

“Like a maple tree?”

She giggled. “More.”

“Mor–?”

She kissed him again, letting themselves get lost in the touches and kisses.

Chapter Text

Rain pounded hard against the glass as Lili and Raz hung out, with something off going on. On the outside looking in, you might have just seen two kids reading comic books, but inside, both had a rich inner monologue.

Raz, able to hear his girlfriend, began to scooch away and look up from his comic book. “I’m fine Lili, I swear.”

“You haven’t been flipping through any pages! You opened up to the middle of issue 257 and haven’t put it down since you got here!”

“It’s a long article!”

“Issue 257, page 14? The double page art of Agent Vodello stalking through the dance hall to get to the spy she’s counter-spying?”

“The outfits are interesting!” Raz countered.

Now, Lili could understand that . When she was little, barely old enough to control her powers and definitely too young to go to ballroom dances, she often did stare at the pretty dresses and point them out to anyone who would listen. Which also brought up those jerks saying “aren’t you a little boy? Boys wear suits !”

Lili tried to focus back on her comic, but now felt Raz’s eyes on her. She stiffened. “You heard that!?”

Raz hid his face behind the book, but let out an “I’m sorry!”

Lili clenched her fist as Raz went on.

“It’s just–”

He wouldn’t want to be with her if he thought she was a boy. Most people thought she was one due to how her body was. And now she was learning that Raz was just like–

“You’ve felt that way, too?”

…her… He was just like her.

“You… feel more like a girl than a boy?”

Lili put her comic book down and looked away from him. “Yeah. I preferred the make-up and dresses rather than those stiff things boys had to wear.”

Raz hummed and trailed his thumb over one part of the page. “Is that why you have multiple copies of Issue 257?”

Lili nodded. “I… may have drawn circles around some dresses in the Issue.”

Raz smiled slightly. “I… can tell.”

Lili gasped. “Ach! No! I thought I had that in my private collection!” She tried leaning in to grab it, only for Raz to lean away.

“Oh ho! A private collection, Miss Zanotto? And here I thought I was privy to that?”

Lili climbed on top of Raz to grab the comic. “I mean my secret private collection!”

Raz laughed, letting his longer arms hold the comic away from her.

She grunted as she reached, only for Raz to lean in and kiss her. She grumbled a bit as it happened, but stopped fighting to get the comic. When the kiss ended, she instead let her weight fall on top of Raz.

He made a bit of a gcck! noise before settling down and putting one hand on her back. His glove was off, allowing the thumb to just barely caress the top of her back exposed by her beloved checkered tank top.

“So you… feel like a girl?”

Raz stayed silent, trying to figure out what to say. “I… I don’t… Think so… well kind of… maybe?” He sighed. “I always felt… fine as a boy? And–and things about being a boy didn’t really bother me other than like… well I thought it was something every guy didn’t like but no and…” He sighed again. “I don’t know…”

Lili looked up to Raz, studying him. “Do you… want to try what I did when I first was trying to figure it out?”

“What did you do?”

“I did makeup stuff.”

“Makeup… yeah. I can work with that. Have to put it on before a performance anyways.”

Lili smiled. “Lemme look through my stuff.” She brought over a large makeup and jewelry case. “First up… let’s try to find what colors can fit you, okay?”

“Uh. Yeah, sure. I’ve done stuff like… black and green for my family’s performances if that helps.”

Lili stuck out her tongue as she brought over the first batch of colors. “I don’t know if I have the right color for your concealer, but you don’t really have anything you need to conceal.”

“Are those paint swatches?”

“Yes, Milla and I take ‘em from Home Depot regularly, it’s fine.”

“Why?”

“Well, they’re helping out now, aren’t they?” She placed a paint swatch against his cheek, tongue coming back out. “Hmm… no… no… closer…”

Raz was watching the floating swatches as they danced around Lili, despite the fact all her focus was on him.

“Perfect.” She pinched a particular color and brought a black marker from over her desk to write Raz’s name down over the top half of the color. 

Raz raised an eyebrow as he read the name upside down. “‘Lemon curry?’”

Lili shrugged. “I didn’t come up with the name.” She grabbed the cheek she had put the paint swatches against. “Alright… uh… give me some time with this.” She glared a bit at the color

Raz frowned. “Lili, I’m having a crisis now !”

“I know you are.” She moved her hand to kiss him where it once was. This also allowed both her hands to grab his. “Tell you what. How about… you get your hair all clean so we can style it as well, and I’ll get all my makeup out, okay?”

Raz exhaled loudly. “Okay. Thanks for helping me with this.”

“Of course.”

Lili set out to work with getting colors that fit Raz. Ones that fit his skin tone, but also colors he would like. Maybe not green, but she’d definitely keep that in mind…

Raz stepped back in while trying to wipe his hair dry with a towel. Though, that just made it kind of fuzzy and curly. Something Raz usually hated with his hair, but there wasn’t any pomade that could get him that sleek style that he was used to.

“Here. I’ve got some picked out.” Lili told him. “But you can tell me to choose something different.”

“You’ve had more practice with this.” Raz told her. “I trust you.”

“Alright. You don’t really need concealer, so… we can start with your cheeks or your eyes.”

Raz shrugged. “I’m more used to my eyes getting messed with so… that first.”

Lili nodded and brought out the first part to the makeover–some eyeliner. “I have a few different eyeliners, and I really like the names of them.”

“Aren’t all eyeliners just black though?”

Lili shrugged. “Dad says some eyeliners go better with other clothes I wear. I’m just giving you my favorite.”

“Heh, here I thought I was your favorite?” Raz smirked.

Lili kissed his nose. “You're my favorite person who is not related to me.”

His smile lost a bit of its edge, getting slightly dopier.

“Alright, now–”

“I can put it on.” Raz told her.

“Oh, uh. Okay.” Lili agreed.

Raz stood up and walked to Lili’s mirror, but paused as he saw her down trodden expression and looking away from him. “Lili, is something wrong?”

“Hm?” She looked back from the rainy window. “Oh, n-no. I just…” I was hoping I could do your makeup… “I just thought I’d help you with the other stuff, but I can just explain it to you if you want.”

Raz paused. “You know, I think I would appreciate more help. Maybe you know how to do eyeliner other than what my parents taught me for show stuff.”

She lit up and motioned him to come sit back down across from her.

He smiled at his girlfriend, happy about making the rainy day better. He sat back down and she took the eyeliner pen from him.

Lili stuck her tongue out a bit as she began to “connect the dots” using the base of Raz’s eyelashes. Not as quick as his mother usually did, but Lili was more careful. One of her hands reached to his cheeks to steady his face. Her own face was so focused, so intent on just staring and getting things done.

Raz did his best to keep his eyes open. He wanted nothing more than to just lazily stare at her as she maybe did more things she focused on. Her eyebrow quirked as her eyes looked and only shifted as her hand did.

“Okay, now for the other eye…” She switched hands with the pen, cupping Raz’s cheek with the hand that once held the eyeliner.

He was careful not to blink, to not mess up her work. But staring at her for so long, he wanted to bridge the gap. Let her finish this one task and reward her with a kiss. Maybe over and over again as she–

“Okay, I’m going to use the same color for the mascara.” She capped the eyeliner, only to pop out the other side to reveal what looked to be a brush. She thought it over for a minute, mulling over plans in her head.

It was a little quicker than the eyeliner, though Raz could tell Lili was doing something not similar to her own eyes. Lili’s were done in a much longer way, to make them appear much thicker. This technique meanwhile, seemed to be something she was doing with him in mind. She hummed, and thoughtfully decided that what she had done was looking good.

“Can I see it?” Raz asked.

“No. I want to wait until it’s done for you to see.” She looked in her makeup box. “Now where’s the… ah-ha!” She grabbed out what looked to be more of a purple. “Eyeshadow.” 

“Jeez, how much makeup goes on the eyes?” Raz asked.

“I usually just use these three types.” She told him. “Now, close your eyes.”

Raz did so. Closing his eyes made him more aware of other things. Lili’s thoughts were almost on beat with the rain as she hemmed and hawed with the “Slate Blue,” and she mulled over going with another lipstick. Something either labeled “Byzantium” or “Granny Smith Apple.” The brush was gentle on his skin as she worked. Delicate, trying not to clump up. Her breath was on the skin of his cheeks.

She mentally declared “ there ” and Raz opened his eyes slowly. 

Raz could tell Lili’s breath was caught. Her eyes widened. Her mouth agape. “ God, I want to kiss him… her? I’ll ask Raz when we’re done. Maybe Raz will want to be called something else? I don’t care. I love you so much… ”

Raz hadn’t thought about a name change… He had chosen his nickname sure but… changing his entire name? Could he just do that?

“Now… we have the blush to put on.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it kind of is supposed to highlight your cheeks.” Lili told him, bringing out a larger brush than what was used for the mascara. She began to dust it on his cheek bones, using the excess to blend into his skin. She was sticking her tongue out again, and Raz could barely keep his eyes off of her focused face. Lili had done a good job with her makeup, he realized, looking at the eyeshadow and eyeliner to give almost like a predatory cat vibe. Intimidating, but can be cute to those who like cats.

Raz liked cats.

“Okay… Pick a number 1–10.”

She was going for the lipstick. She wanted to know what he wanted. “Byzantium” was Lili’s first pick, it looked purple. “Granny Smith Apple” was her taking him into consideration and was a green the same shade as the apple. Rather than take the green he wasn’t sure would match “Slate Blue” he went with a unusual number to make sure Lili didn’t know he was reading her mind. 

“3, please!”

Lili smiled, happy to go with her own choice.

Raz supposed it was the “correct,” choice.

She brought out the purplish lipstick and grabbed his chin gently. “Okay, now I just…” She whispered, beginning to rub the waxy substance over Raz’s lips.

He wanted to grimace as he realized they were slightly chapped. 

Lili only put it on his lower lip, and capped it. “Now go…” She curled her lips in before making a ‘pop’ sound. She had a bit of pinkish lipstick Raz never noticed before. 

He followed her example, getting his lips back into covering his teeth, rubbing them together and making the same ‘pop’ sound. It sounded nice in his ears and he smiled.

Lili smiled back. “Let me just…” She brought the lipstick back out, uncapping and just getting a touch on his upper lip, her own puckered. She looked it over as Raz puckered as well.

He tried to lean in…

She laughed. “You’ll ruin the makeup.” Lili teased.

“If I get to kiss you, it’ll be worth it. And you can help me fix it again.” Raz told her with a smile.

“We do the full makeover now, and then you can kiss me as long as you want.”

“Promise?”

“Pinkie promise.” Lili told him. Said pinkie was much smaller than his, but he pressed his pinkie to hers all the same allowing her to curl it around him as he did the same to hers.

“So what else do you need to do for this?”

“Just your hair and an outfit.”

“My… hair?” Raz frowned and brought his hands up to it. There was a reason he stole Dion’s pomade for his hair and it wasn’t just because it helped him look like Sasha Nein. It also helped with covering the… rats-nests in his hair (maybe he shouldn’t use that word. Would Harold be okay with the use of that? He certainly didn’t want to call them dreadlocks, but they were too messy to be tangles–).

Lili was already on her knees, rising up with a brush in hand.

“A-actually, I think we can just skip this.” Raz told her.

Lili glanced down. “What? Why?”

“I just… have a sensitive scalp.”

Lili shrugged. “I can deal with those, Milla taught me.”

“Uh… a-and also I… shed! I shed a lot.”

“I can clean the brush, Raz.”

“Wait wait wait! It’s gonna hurt me!” He cried.

Lili’s hand went to his head, giving loving gentle strokes from her nails. “I’ll be gentle. If there’s any pain you tell me, okay Raz-berry?”

That wasn’t what he was worried about, but she was already feeling it. 

She didn’t bring it up though, instead feeling it and immediately going with the brush. Raz was reminded of his Nona trying to forcefully tug on the hair to rip the darn things out.

Lili pinched the part of the dreadlock that was neater near his scalp, and he began to hear it being raked through.

Though… it wasn’t hurting. At all. Okay maybe the sound was a bad sound but… she was being gentle.

Her fingers found the bad tangles and got through them on his scalp the best she could, before going to the tips of his hair and beginning to brush out those weaker tangles. And when the parts of the brush came to his scalp, while they weren’t as nice as Lili’s nails, it DID feel better than his dread with the bigger tangles. Now that they were gone he could… enjoy this.

“Okay, now I’m going to stylize your hair with a comb, alright?”

Raz was familiar with the fact that Dion had a comb, but he wouldn’t let anyone touch it. It was always on Dion.

His mom always commented that the others wouldn’t use the comb lest they “ruin your precious curls.” He still remembered when she was shocked to find Raz’s hair slicked down, though telling his mom: “This will make it easier for you because of the rest of the family having trouble with their hair, one less thing to worry about,” she relented.

Lili had a comb, and she was working with Raz’s bangs that he liked, bringing them back into their natural curl. Well… not natural curl. His curls always stuck up as if a camel licked him. But she was curling them.

“There…” She whispered. “One… last… thing.” She went over to her closet, sliding through a few of the multiple checkered tops and dresses she owned. She grabbed one of the long-sleeved tops and then went a bit deeper into the closet to grab out a forest green skirt. “Here, put these on.” She used telekinesis to give them to Raz. 

“I… are you sure?”

“Duh. Otherwise I wouldn’t have told you.”

“So, should I go change in the bath–”

“You can just change in here.”

Raz blushed. “In… in your room?” 

“Well, I’m not looking, and I’d rather you wait for the reveal.”

Rain filled the silence that was after, Raz mulling it over. “O–okay… I’ll tell you when I’m ready…”

He took off his jacket and shirt, placing Lili’s top onto him, It came up just a tad short compared to his pants, so he just grabbed the skirt and pulled it up over his pants and the lower part of the top. He let out a big sigh. “Okay, you can look.”

Lili turned, and she smiled so wide. It mostly looked like pride, to Raz, but she walked over and grabbed his arm. “Go take a look at yourself.”

She got him up and let him finally walk over to the mirror.

Raz nearly gasped at the reflection.

“How does that look?” Lili asked.

Raz looked back into the mirror. Raz’s eyeliner had been cleaned up. The blush that Lili had chosen was the exact color Raz had in mind when it came to blush. The color of the eyeshadow was similar to Lili’s own Psi-power, in which Raz felt heated cheeks, but that did nothing to offset the blush she brushed onto those cheeks, thank goodness. It created a large contrast with the green eyes. Said eyes were framed beautifully with the mascara, making the lashes more pronounced and curled. The lipstick color she chose was a deep reddish-purple looking much more purple than it originally did with the stick.

Raz’s natural hair color popped, along with the curls that Lili semi-tamed, allowing them to be there, but tangle free.

For a few moments, Raz could do nothing but stare near breathless at the reflection that slowly smiled back. And grinned as Raz’s blush covered cheeks hurt. Raz could feel stinging in those green eyes and Raz began to bat his eyes to off-set it.

Raz could hear Lili speak from her bed.

“Hm?”

“Do you have a name in mind?” Lili asked.

As rain still pattered against Lili’s window, green eyes locked with the reflection again. “…You know… I like Raine. With an ‘e’ at the end.”

Lili smiled. “Well, Raine, with an ‘e’ at the end,” Lili kissed Raine’s lower cheek. “I think you look beautiful.”

“Well, I had great help.” Raine cupped Lili’s cheeks while Lili blushed. “And Lili?”

“Yeah… Raine?”

Raine pressed her lips hard against Lili’s cheek, giving it a full smmmack! and left a perfect little kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek.

Chapter Text

The Psychonauts Mental Health Charity Ball was one event that, while not popular, did have a good turnout of highly esteemed heads of state and investors in the Company. 

The turnout from the Psychonauts themselves was small. As no villains they had tracked knew of the whereabouts of the Motherlobe. Unless someone had been tracked (which was highly unlikely), then there was no need for extra security. Milla and Sasha were on good terms with several of the people there, and Norma and Adam were selected by Hollis to represent the “younger generation.”

One duo that had a big privilege to be there were Raz and Lili. At first, Razputin was excited that his girlfriend would have such access to this and made a grand gesture to ask her to the Ball (even though more likely she would be taking him as her plus one), but now…

“I thought Balls were supposed to have more dancing?” Raz asked.

“Those are closer to galas.” Lili admitted, picking at her food.

“What’s the difference?”

“The fanciness. The more fancy an event, the less likely there’s going to be dancing and more likely the food expenses are going to go up.”

“If that were the case I would have probably gone with one of dad’s old outfits instead of my dress.”

“I don’t know how you could dance in that.” Lili eyed the large skirt that Raz seemed to be pushing down using his arm.

“It’s a ball gown Lili. It was made for ball dancing .”

Lili paused. “Ball.”

Raz smiled. “Sounds weird now. Baaalllll.”

Lili snickered at that, trying to cover her mouth.

Raz’s smile grew. 

“Children, settle down.” Truman reminded them.

“Yes dad.” Lili whispered.

“Yes Mr. Agent Grand Head of the Psychonauts Zanotto.” Raz word vomited.

Truman patted them both on their upper backs. He stepped up to the stage and began to speak. “I’m glad everyone is enjoying the 6th Psychonauts Mental Health Charity Ball. I want to thank our caterers for making all the food we had tonight. And now we move on to the main event.”

“Dancing?” Raz asked excitedly.

Lili shook her head.

He sighed dramatically in response.

“Please grab your auction paddles and prepare to start bidding. Remember all of your money will go to our Mental Health Charity so we can reach out to more families and expand the Youth Psychic Training Programs.” One of the agents, “Chet” if Raz remembered correctly, stood up and held up a necklace with various sparkling stones on it. Though the main appeal was the deep purple star stone in the center. “This necklace is one of the rare pieces of jewelry made with real psitanium. Though–” The lights went out.

Except Raz, who simply shouted: “WHAT DID I SAY NORMA?!??! WHAT DID I SAY?!?!”

Psychic energy hummed through the air as each agent became on guard. There was the sound of a struggle. A Psi-blast created a harsh light effect that stung everyone’s eyes.

When the lights came back on, Chet was out cold, and the necklace had been taken. 

The audience, not used to this, gasped and began to panic.

“Everyone, everyone please!” Truman called.

As he was trying to calm everyone down, Raz began to tug at his ball gown and stand up.

Lili raised an eyebrow. “What are you–”

“We can’t just sit here!” He told her, he pushed the skirt between his legs before managing to… tie the dress skirt around his waist. “Much better to move in.”

“You look like you’re wearing a diaper.” Lili pointed out.

“Yeah, well, neither of us have a belt or tie. C’mon. Whoever did this couldn’t have gotten far.”

Lili followed after him, both jumping down into the Otto-B.O.N. to get out of the atrium.

The two decided to come out near the landing pad. “Anything coming to you?” Raz asked.

Lili closed her eyes, trying to focus. “Something with… someone in the forest and–” She hissed and sucked in air. “Harold’s dealing with something.”

“Is it related to the person who stole the necklace?”

“No… But I think I know the location of our thief.” She smiled. “Let’s go show 'em what Psychonauts can do!” 

The air around Raz got heated from Lili’s own Psi-energy. He nodded and the two set out through the woods where bushes and grass had been trampled, which he could tell made his girlfriend more agitated.

The two kept pushing forwards until–

“ Children !” They heard Milla’s voice call.

Raz froze, and Lili faltered, turning to look at who was after them. “Dad!?” Lili shouted.

“Oh, thank goodness.” Truman crouched down, checking over her. “You didn’t run into that madwoman, did you?”

Lili sighed. “Dad, I’m fine.”

Truman sighed with relief. “Good girl.” He looked at Razputin. “Both of you, stay here. Agent Vodello and I will take care of this.”

“WHAT!? But dad!!”

Raz cleared his throat. “All do respect, Agent Za–”

“Razputin, I am well aware of your feats, but as it stands, I do not want you two going after her.”

“Yes darlings.” Milla agreed. “Now, head on back to the Gala, please? Sasha is needing to make sure everyone is okay.”

Lili put her hands on her hips. “And if we refuse?”

Truman almost looked tired with this kind of rebellion as Milla put fingers on her temple.

Like back at Whispering Rock, Raz and Lili were encased in a magenta thought bubble and lifted in the air. Underneath the two, Truman and Milla rushed forwards through the brambles.

Both Raz and Lili groaned. With boredom, with surliness, with frustration.

“I took down Maligula!” Raz reminded Lili. “How is it that Truman still thinks I’m a little kid!”

“Right!? We’re not little anymore! We’ve hit double digits!” She sighed. “And I bet if it weren’t for that cheap shot that Oleander took, I could have helped you take down that brain tank back at Whispering Rock.”

“Hah! But I saved the day, and you .”

“Oh can it, Raz.” Lili tapped his shoulder, “Or you’ll get an even bigger head than you have.”

Raz stuck his tongue out at his girlfriend. Just then the bubble popped, the two landing down onto the ground. Raz smiled as a plan formed in his head. “Haha! Yes! If Milla’s no longer focusing on us, we might be able–”

Nearly had it… He heard Lili’s voice say.

“Nearly had what? Are you trying to use clairvoyance on me?” Raz asked, grin growing cheekier. 

Lili began to step forwards. “Oh, just… the fact we were in a Thought Bubble together… wanting to kill a man… but also talking about the past… it reminded me of our first kiss.”

Raz chuckled. “Creepy guy… taking something that we value… us trying to go after it… only difference is you didn’t get kidnapped.”

“Oh? Coming this from Mr. Strung up in the Giftshop?”

The two laughed. Raz wrapped his arms around her. Lili wrapped her arms around him. As their lips met, there was an explosion that went off in the woods. 

Raz separated first, looking in the direction of the explosion.

“Just like at the towers.” Lili murmured. 

“Yeah, well at least there’s no building falling on us.” Raz told her.

She leaned back in with an “mhm” in her throat. She pressed her lips back onto his, and he gladly held her close.

Out of the brambles, both Truman and Milla were heading back the way they came, stopping as soon as they saw the scene.

Chapter Text

They, Raz and Lili, had just been tracking where the hints and clues were leading. The Quarry, Questionable Area, Forgetful Forest, Green Needle Gulch.

Down into the Heptadome.

That’s when they had lost track.

Lili had been checking on some of the plants her Great Uncle had planted using the Astrolaithe’s remains. She didn’t know why none of the plants warned her about the twisting drills. Raz did warn her though. She recalled his voice shouting her name, her landing on the ground, the feeling of pain in her mouth, and looking back to see Raz in some kind of stasis. 

Another figure swore and fled the scene, but there was only one person that could have fit that voice and stature. And they had left Razputin in a trap. Laid out for her.

She dug out her checkered Psi-portal. (This thing had made Maligula happen. There was NO WAY she was going to let Raz deal with possibly ripping apart his own mind while she tried to go for help.) There was really only one thing she could do.

She threw it at his head and prepared for the worst.

His mental walls were easier to get through already.

Lili landed in what looked to already be a messy circus, with multiple enemies already forming and tearing at the mind.

Censors and Heavy Censors were easily counted for, Panic Attacks were teleporting and disappearing, Bad Ideas were starting to sprout as Raz tried to think of any solution to get out of this mess, Doubts were seemingly glowing purple with fear. 

She quickly ducked behind some boxes he usually had in his mind from memories of the circus. Which meant… there might be a tent that she could maybe duck into and get to some mental constructs.

The colors were kind of muted in this mind, surprisingly enough. Sure, Raz didn’t have as good color sense as Lili, but he was at least on par with some others. His mind was nearly as saturated as Oleander’s Happy Meadow, or even Milla’s Dance Party if you were in the Circus area.

This felt more like… a watercolor that only had one coat of paint on each of the areas painted.

Lili was starting to walk and duck around, keeping out of sight from mental enemies as Raz panicked. Just as Lili wandered into the crossroad area, she was met with a more sickening sight. The colors were more like Sasha’s mind.

Blacks. Whites. Greys. And the unfortunate rawness of Raz’s psychic signature of orange.

There was less variety of mental constructs here. Censors, Heavy Censors, and Lots… and lots… of Memory Vaults.

Lili had only seen a maximum of five memory vaults in one person’s mind before… but this!? This was close maybe… 25? 30? She didn’t know. It was a lot more than she’d seen.

And they all seemed to be sniffing at the ground.

One closed its mouth shut. Leaving a hole in the floor and leaping through it down deeper into the mind. Another closed its mouth and jumped through a new hole. And another. And another.

Lili held her breath, and sprinted out. She let pyrokinesis flare up as Censors dared to try to get near her, and she grabbed one of the memory vaults closest to the Circus campsite.

Looking at the thin film it was slurping up, Lili saw different pictures. 

“I am Seen.”

Raz was surrounded by things against Psychics, calling them slurs and reminding him of the curse.

Then he spots the first TPT comic in a comic store

He began to read it, his eyes sparkling

Overtime he read more and more, gaining love for so many others Lili had as well

How he collected them all and brought them out and loved his comics

Him dreaming of being a Psychonaut alongside Hollis and Milla and Morceau and Sasha and Truman.

The Memory Vault headbutted Lili in the chin, making it easier for it to slip and fall down the hole.

Lili panted, shaking her head. “Shoot.” She growled. She looked to the next closest one, and grabbed it with her Telekinesis.

This one was about Milla’s own mind. Lili hadn’t been there with Raz to help him through.

“Meeting the Mental Minx!”

The first was actually going into Milla’s mind.

Then him learning how to use the Levitation power.

Him seeing the nightmares that Milla had warned him about.

Him going through the various obstacles, still terrified of the water.

Getting up to and finishing the race, beating Bobby Zilch.

Him getting up to Milla’s proper dance party.

And him receiving the badge for Levitation.

Lili gripped the Mental Vault tight, and threw it over to the circus area, putting the poor thing in a daze and leaving it to the other enemies as Personal Demons and Regrets began to let out their cries.

Lili ran to another vault, picking it up with TK. This was… Razputin’s Graduation. A rare memory vault with sound.

“Despite my best effort, you interns have seen some… really inappropriate things. But I think you’ve also learned a truth that every Psychonaut should know. That there are flaws in our most venerated institutions, in our heroes, and in ourselves. We all make mistakes… And we all need help sometimes. But we all deserve a second chance. You’ve seen us at our worst and we've seen you at your best. And I am proud to say that you have all… GRADUATED FROM THE INTERN PROGRAM!”

As the Interns cheered, Lili’s grip loosened from the Mental Vault, allowing it to wriggle free. “NO!” Lili cried as she tried to grab its legs, only to feel herself ripped back out of the mind.

“Lili! Lili!” She could hear Milla’s voice shout. “Lili, what were you thinking!?” She scolded.

Lili’s breaths were shallow, glancing back over to Raz. Still floating. Still getting his mind drilled into. Her father had a glare that could melt her uncle out of the ice in Grulovia that he was throwing at her with the jail-broken door in his hand.

“Honestly Miss Zanotto. Razputin could have gotten seriously injured with you two messing around this!” Sasha warned.

“I told you that you over engineered this.” Ford elbowed Otto.

“Okay, you’re right.” Otto agreed.

“Is he going to be alright?” Helmut asked.

“I just wonder how this could have happened.” Cassie told the group.

“Trap.” Lili found her voice. “TRAP IT WAS A TRAP!” She shouted.

“A what?” Milla staggered.

“That is a serious accusation young lady.” Sasha told her.

“No. They set out a trap making sure the plants didn’t warn me. The astrolaith turned on when I was checking on them. And I know…” She growled, and pointed to one of them. “I know it was you. I heard and saw you. You weren’t as slick as you thought you were.”

Chapter Text

It was chaos as the Psychonauts were dealing with another revelation. 

Raz had luckily been dragged to the infirmary by a few other Agents like Forest and Crenshaw. Lili had managed to escape with them. And now with the jail-broken door she had TK-ed away with her, she could finally help Raz.

He was grumbling, confused, and horribly, horribly terrified.

Terrified enough that they had to use one of the straps on the beds to help keep him down. Even if his weak TK hand was trying to rip the buckle off. 

“Get away from me!” He shouted, kicking and getting his blanket off of him.

“Raz, I’m doing this to help you.”

“Stop it! Get out of my head! I don’t want you polluting my mind!”

Lili frowned, tearing up. “I’m not… polluting you… I’m healing you.”

“NO! You’re going to put a worse curse on me, aren’t you!? You’re gonna… you’re gonna make me die not just by water… but… but make all water try to kill me, is that right?”

“It’s… not even…” Lili clenched her eyes tight to make sure she wasn’t crying.

“Don’t lie to me! GET AWAY FROM ME! SOMEONE HELP ME!”

I am helping you. She placed the Psi-portal on his forehead, and let herself fall into the trance on one of the extra beds.

His mind looked way more like swiss cheese now. Though, it was only the Psychonauts area that had been affected. Lili looked down into the holes that led to the subconscious, grabbed her levitation balloon and set gently down.

Holes to the subconscious weren’t as deep as say… pits to the unconscious, but that didn’t stop the long descent or deep shivers that Lili got as she entered her boyfriend’s deeper mind. Clanks of Memory Vaults rang throughout the area. All she needed to do was get them to help her piece the mind back together. 

… if she could catch them that was.

She licked her lips, trying to find any sense of ideas floating around to see if she could connect to the ideas. At least hanging around some of the better psychic campers could teach her some cool tricks. And Chops’s friend certainly had an interesting way of using Mental Connection (he got to learn it early thanks to being the previously top ranked camper. Though Raz took that spot. …Not like Raz would remember that though…)

She reached upwards, trying to sense for any… maybe they weren’t down here. The ideas would only come up in clouds unless she wanted to overload a Thought Tuner. She kept reaching and feeling and soon… She formed a connection with a little stray thought, allowing the connection to form in her hands. “Alright you memory vaults, time to get you back to where you belong.”

She roped over one and dragged it over. She heated it up until it coughed up and opened, allowing her to see the memories.

“Finally here.”

Him looking at the camp below

And falling from the tree

Getting picked up by the Superstar Agents

Him introducing himself

And… him noticing her.

Then going off to the cabins with Dogen

And he noticed her looking back at him.

Lili felt her heart soar at the fact that he had paid attention. She almost thought he was too dense considering how obsessed he had been about asking to makeout. (Not that she was complaining, he was a pretty good kisser.)

The light above her closed up, making her look up. The holes… were healing. She just needed to find the rest.

And the rest were all there and huddled like scared little burrowing owls. 

“Time to smoke you out.”

Lili wrapped the connection around another Memory Vault and heated it up.

“Who is She?”

Raz falling

Only to catch eyes with Lili

Him noticing the plant

Her mentioning Nightmares

Him getting excited

Her putting him back up to the cliff

Him jumping back down

The two bantering…

Lili’s eyes heated up along with her face. How she loved that boy…

The hole above her closed.

Another one wrapped up. Heating it up.

“Meat Circus”

The caravan and Oleander’s meadow

Raz clearing away mental cobwebs with posters of “The Fortune Telling Galochios” versus “The High Flying, Death Defying, Aquatos!” on opposite walls.

Raz holding a bunny that a young Oleander was trying to grab while blasting something utterly mutilated.

Raz rail grinding down what looked to be bones.

Raz running into the Butcher

Raz’s horrible memories of his own father contorted into a monstrosity.

Augustus breaking in and comforting his son.

Raz beating up what could only be seen as a monster made up of pure daddy issues.

Lili took in a deep breath and gave the memory vault a squeeze before it vanished.

The hole above her closed.

“Razputin’s Getaway”

Raz and his family were doing a trick involving their father balance them all on the bottom, his older siblings balanced his mother, and his mother balancing him and his little siblings. Raz was floating Mirtala’s crown above her head, which made her… and Razputin’s father upset.

A mysterious stranger (which Lili could now recall was Raz’s Nona) giving him the pamphlet that led to them meeting… The pamphlet that led to him saving the world… the pamphlet that led to him becoming a psychonaut…

Raz reading the pamphlet while everyone was lifting… very heavy weights.

Raz was brightening as he read it

Augustus ripping up the pamphlet while the rest of the family seemed… either horrified or neutral about it. At least, Raz’s oldest brother and mother seemed fine with it happening, while his little sister was gasping and his little brother’s vision was being blocked by his mother.

Raz was breaking into a carriage labeled “World’s Smallest Pony.”

Raz running on top of… wait was THAT how small the pony was?

Raz arriving at Whispering Rock, a man smiling as he drove his lumber truck away.

Lili let the memory vault disappear along with the next hole.

“Maternity Ward”

Lili began to look through it and…

…

…

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?”

Lili regretted opening that memory vault… but it probably was better to get Raz completely healed.

…

Maybe she should have let him talk to her about the Nightmares.

“Maligula’s Malice”

Raz going through the flooded ruins of a city, a painting of his grandmother (or Nona?) in the foreground.

Him trying to talk to Maligula

Only for snakes to try to attack Raz

And then they double-back to hurt Maligula

Sam and Esmerelda assisting Raz in the fight

Maligula attacking them and kicking them out as Raz did damage to her.

Gisu and Norma then stepped in to assist Raz…

Only for Maligula to overpower them again.

Adam and Lizzie tried helping out…

Raz’s Nona tried reaching out for him…

Maligula lashing out to destroy them

Morris helping out

Raz getting Maligula injured as she took out the last Intern.

Maligula and Raz’s Nona separating.

Nona giving up her power to Raz.

And Raz once again going toe to toe with a monster and knocking it down a hole.

Lili shivered. She had never been down in a subconscious before… were… monsters like this going to try to attack her? She needed to fix Raz, quick.

“Razputin’s Romance”

Seeing her for the first time again,

Talking with her in Oleander’s Basic Braining

Him getting close to her (and yet he said “you don’t smell like pond scum” during that time. Was he trying to be romantic because that was an utter failure on his part.)

Her nearly kissing Him.

Him going after Linda with Lili in mind.

Him retrieving her friendship bracelet she made for him.

Him defending her from Oleander.

Their kiss…

And again, he protected her from falling debris.

And their second kiss… The one that made Lili’s stomach flutter.

The two reaching out for one another as the jet crashed.

Him helping her blow up the area and silently trying to protect her.

Him hearing all those special names she picked for Harold. (Maybe she should try calling him “cuddlepie.”)

Him trying to ask…

Lili gave a kiss to the Memory Vault’s “forehead.” “I love you too.” She reassured Raz as the memory vault disappeared.

“Don’t leave me!”

Raz opening the jet up for others.

Him watching as they gathered up everything and rushed out of the self-destructing Rhombus Lab.

His panic as he couldn’t see where his body was.
His horrified look as the jet began to levitate.

Suddenly, the Memory Vault screamed: “DON’T JUST LEAVE ME HERE!”

Lili let it go, and the Memory Vault vanished. She gulped. “I won’t leave you. I promise.”

And she didn’t. She kept working through all of those vaults. Learning how much the Psychonauts really meant to Raz.

Hating the one who dared to TRY to rip that away from either of them.

Learning how much he was isolated from his family. She supposed she knew the same feeling given her estranged Uncle who lived so close to her. Uncle s with a plural as no one even told her that Helmut was one of her Uncles as well.

As soon as the last Memory Vault was opened –as soon as she was left in complete darkness– she opened her smelling salts.

Raz groaned with pain as Lili got back into her body, and she carefully took the Psi-portal off. “I’m sorry I did it without permission– I just–” Raz’s hand came to her cheek, thumb pressing against her lip to shush her.

He gulped before asking, “are you okay?”

Lili let tears slip out. “You were just dealing with you LOSING YOUR memories and you’re asking me if I’m okay!?” 

Raz moved his hand down to her shoulder, and wrapped his other arm around her. 

She began to cry more, biting her lip and hiding her face against Raz’s shoulder and digging her nails into his leather jacket. I trusted him…

Raz nodded. I trusted him, too…

Chapter Text

“ NOT ME! ” Lili and Lizzie shouted as they finished up the song by Joan Jett.

The Junior Agents cheered loudly for them. Raz especially due to the fact he pushed Lili to sing it. “You were incredible,” he told her.

Lili smiled. “Alright, your turn.”

“Wh..what?”

“Come on! You’re the only one who hasn’t done a song yet!” Norma, who had sung “I Love Rock and Roll,” pointed out.

“Yeah, haven’t you been branching out?” Morris asked him, voice a bit dry still from having sung the entirety of “Welcome to My Mind.”

“Uh-huh! C’mon up Raz!” Gisu encouraged him. She had such confidence, singing one of those crappy All Paul songs. “Up Above?” Was that what it was called?

“You can do it, buddy!” Adam smiled. Easy for him to say… he claimed to have the entirety of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” memorized.

Raz pushed back his chair, starting to get up to the karaoke machine. “Uhm…” He tried to look through any song he might know that wasn’t done yet. And definitely NOT All Paul songs. He HATED that boy band sound. He looked through, eyebrows furrowing. One song he seemed to recognize. Maybe. He began to hum.

It felt hard on his throat, his head was hurting, and through it all– “what if everyone was singing?” “UGH, I’d rather die in water!” – “URGH! STOP that caterwauling!” – “We are acrobats, Razputin. Each breath must be used for pushing ourselves forwards. We cannot hold our bodies back for our voices.”

He faked a yawn. “Actually… I’m sorry guys, I think I need to go to bed early.”

There were some disappointed noises, but Gisu and Adam were already waving him off. “Get a good night’s rest, Raz.” Gisu told him.

“See you in the morning, little buddy!”

Lili pushed back her chair. “I’ll head back with you.”

Raz smiled, happy that someone would at least keep him company. “I really liked your song, Lili.”

“Hah! Thanks. Though, I’ll be lucky if I haven’t torn up my throat by the morning.” 

“You can WHAT!?”

“I mean, I was just growling out that song.” She coughed a bit. “Man. I can feel it already.”

“I can go and get you a cup of water.”

“Nah, I’ll get some from the sink in the bathroom.

“Oh… okay…”

As the two got to their room, Lili grabbed her PJs and a cup and headed to the bathroom. Razputin, meanwhile, changed in their room facing his own bed since Lili wasn’t in there.

As Lili got into bed, she TKed her cup back over to her desk. “OK. You’re not tired, cause if you were, the lights would be out already.” She turned towards Raz. “Why didn’t you want to sing?”

“…it’s my mom.”

“What, did she ban singing or something???”

“Not outright but… None of the Aquatos can really sing. My mom points this out. We don’t do ‘vocal warmups’ and we can’t really waste time singing when we could be practicing.”

“Well, you’re not having to practice now. You could sing.”

“I don’t want to hurt your ears.”

Lili leaned forwards, pressing her knuckles into her cheeks. “Come on. I won’t judge you, and you won’t hurt me.”

“N-not intentionally but…” Raz looked at her. “Fine fine, but only if you can pull up a song I can sing.” 

Lili smirked and TKed over her iPod. “Here, put the earbuds in and listen to some of my songs.”

Raz huffed with a smile. “Okay, but I warned you.” He began to go through songs he thought he recognized. Some were… from All Paul. Others were songs he heard tonight. Plenty of them were songs he hadn’t heard. Until… “ The power of love is a curious thing.
“ Make a one man weep– ”

“ Make another sing. ” Raz continued. 

“ Change a hawk to a little white dove

More than a feeling, that's the power of love ”

Lili’s eyes and smile widened. 

Raz seemed to be in more of his element. Getting a confident stance, closing his eyes as the music in the earbuds were barely heard, but he shared it through his voice. “ Tougher than diamonds, rich like cream

“ Stronger and harder than a bad girl's dream .”

She kind of wished his eyes were open right now. Sparkling and staring at her. But wow his voice was something else. A little bit of his rasp went away as he almost was singing from somewhere where his throat wasn’t sore. Pristine and underused.

Lili let her heart swell as Raz sang about “the power of love.” He wasn’t even trying to match the singer like her dad maybe tried and failed. He was singing the notes but it was Raz who was singing.

And as he got to the “ first time you feel it, it might make you sad ” Lili thought back to their first meeting. How he barely noticed her.

“ Next time you feel it, it might make you mad ” and she thought back to how she was so angry and trying to keep down those emotions.

“ But do be glad baby when you’ve found

“ That’s the power makes the world go round. ” She smiled back at him. She really was glad she found him.

She listened to him sing the rest with the smile not leaving her face.

When he was done, he looked back at her. “So…?”

“I think I do know the power of love.” She told him.

Chapter Text

"That's not the beach, Raz." Lili told him while she saw him through the trees.

Raz looked back up to the path Lili was staying on. "Maybe, but I'm close to the water. Close enough I might add."

"Coward."

"Traumatized." Raz corrected.

"We came over here to try to help you with your water issue."

"Just come down here!"

Lili rolled her eyes but began to descend anyways. Her hands, calloused from gardening, carefully braced her body weight as she reached with her legs to other rocks.

"That one's wobbly." Raz pointed to the next rock that Lili was looking to step on.

Lili glared at the rock as if it could choose to be wobbly and was just doing so to ruin her day. Instead she stood up and began to grip onto some trees, trying to be careful to not rip off any bark. She slowly made her way down, then stood just a little behind where Raz was sitting. He was sitting on a rock a meter away from the water. "Not getting any closer?"

Raz pointed out to the waves. "They're getting bigger. It's almost like it's gonna be a higher tide in a few minutes. You can sit closer to the water if you want, but you'll get a wet butt." He gave her that same cheeky grin he gave when he was saving her.

"Oh, shut up." Lili began to lean Raz over. "Scooch over, I'm sitting next to you."

Raz giggled, but did so.

Lili sat down on the rock next to him, letting her legs dangle and her body lean against him.

He accepted this, putting a leg behind her while another was next to her, and readjusting so she was on his chest.

Lili looked back up at Raz, trying to understand.

He just gave her another grin and looked back out to the water, where that water hand of his began to rise out of it.

Chapter Text

"Your hair is so soft." Lili whispered.

Raz's eyes were blinking longer and longer as her nails ran up and down his scalp.

"I thought it would be greasy."

"I don't use grease. I use pomade."

"Pomade?"

"Water based hair product."

"I thought water was supposed to kill you."

"Yeah, well, it's water based so it's different."

Lili hummed, accepting the answer. She brough a second hand into the mix, massaging his head and making Raz sight with content. "I wonder how soft it would be without the product..."

"It'd be fuzzy, not soft."

"Those aren't mutually exclusive, Raz." Lili giggled.

Chapter Text

It was difficult for Lili to convince Raz to even think about skipping classes. But after the whole “Razputin has the highest censor shot record,” and using him as demonstration, there had been a bit of unfriendly competition between him and who Lili knew as one of the most non-confrontational guys in camp.

Topping it off with the fact that next they were mixing in a little bit of summer school this year for other kids and adding in classes like “math” and “language arts” after the whole brain-stealing being linked with down time that the kids had and well…

Even Raz could only handle so much learning before he was only keeping his helmet on to make sure that he wasn’t letting his brain melt out of his ears.

“But I can’t just leave without learning things! I came here to this camp to learn how to be a Psychonaut and I want to get the full experience!”

“Raz, you are a full Psychonaut.”

“Junior Agent R. Aquato, while that is my Psychonaut title, I did not get the full intended training last year.”

“Believe me, I’ve never had to take a science course here. ESPECIALLY with the fact that they’re going over the parts of the plant today.”

“Stem, Sepal, Petals, Stamens, which are made of Filaments and Anther, and Pistils which consist of Ovule, Ovary, Style and Stigma.” Raz and Lili said together.

“You know it?”

“I’ve been listening.” He promised.

She smiled. “Well, we’ve got the whole camp to ourselves.”

“Hm. There’s the cafeteria to watch TV?”

“Is that what you want to do?”

“No.”

“Knew it.” 

Raz sighed. “Maybe we can sneak into class? Or–or one of us can go to the bathroom and the other can head back under the same excuse?”

“We could go down to the lake.” Lili turned to him. “You’re doing better with water, I saw you.”

Raz gulped. “Working with a little stream is one thing… but a whole lake?”

“Oh come on. You won’t be working with the whole lake. Just like… a little bit of it.”

Raz sighed. “It’s… I dunno. I was literally under Lake Oblongata and still saw Chio trying to grab me.”

“Chio” was the loving name he decided to call his power. (“It doesn’t really feel like me , sort of just an extension that lets me manipulate it! Like your Uncle Bob using Phytokinesis to move his plants!”) While Lili and others had found it weird at first, they each took to Chio and respected it in the same way they did Raz. 

For some, like select interns, they decided Raz was crazy (how dare they?) and others have accepted Chio with open arms (no pun intended). 

“Well, it’s not gonna try to grab you now, is it?”

“I know that here Lili. But there? I don’t want my powers going all… haywire. It’s one thing when practicing near the GPC or… or even in Ford’s sanctuary, but I don’t think you really remember being underwater in a decrepit town.”

“No, but I do remember being underwater in a decrepit airplane, train, and abandoned lab.”

Raz opened his mouth to retort, paused, and then grumbled out a reluctant “touche.”

She brushed against him a bit. “We’re close to the cabins, so we can choose to stay or we can get changed into bathing suits here. What do you want to do?”

Truth be told, Raz was starting to think more and more about the lake idea. He could always share comics with Lili during evenings when the sun was making the sky golden, but the lake would often turn unbearably cold during that time. “Let’s get changed.”

Lili smiled and nodded.

Raz was very glad that Milla told him to get swim shorts and a special beach towel. He… disliked the feeling of wet clothes that weren’t made to get wet, but hadn’t yet mastered the ability to make himself dry as a bone like his Nona could do with her own clothes.

But even still, he wasn’t used to showing this much skin. He had a t-shirt on still, a white one, and covered his body with his towel as if he was already soaking wet.

Lili, meanwhile, had to get a full bathing suit on, so Raz waited. Though, outside of trying to do some form of herbophony to see if he could unlock it, Raz was unsure if he’d be able to do so, considering that Herbophony (kind of similar to his own hydrokinesis) was only ever able to be used naturally by the Zanottos or people who had worked with them. Raz hadn’t gotten offers, and he would rather have learned it on his own. He thinks it would be a cool thing to show Lili if he learned it, something they could bond over–

“Okay, I’m ready.” Lili told him, stepping out of the cabin. Her bathing suit was pretty simple, a nice purple decorated with a spattering of white flower print on the belly. She had flip flops which, while the straps were clear, the place where the feet landed were her classic checkered pattern (Raz was surprised that she managed to find something like them). “C’mon, I want to get as much time down at the lake as we can.”

“Are you sure that you can walk over the bridge with flip flops on?”

“Raz, please, I’ve been going to this camp for years. I know it like the back of my hand.”

“Right. Okay.”

The rickety bridge wasn’t as big of a problem as Raz thought it would be with other non-acrobatic kids, but he supposed that was because Lili was actually smart and not trying anything stupid on the bridge. Not even trying to run across it.

They went past the lodge and down the dirt path all the way to the beach.

Lili set down her towel first, lining it up longways in the sun. She then let down her ponytail holders that kept her pigtails together, her long thick hair making a bit of a curtain covering the sides of her face as she placed the holders carefully there.

Raz was a lot less careful, getting his slightly wrinkled towel down as Lili was getting ready to run across the dock. And she went off without him, laughing and jumping into the cold water below. “Lili!” He shouted for her, walking to the dock as she came up.

“C’mon, Raz!”

He hesitated, staring down at how her hair was soaking wet and her lashes clumped with the water.

She tilted her head. “You can swim now, right?”

“Yeah, I can swim pretty girl–PRETTY GOOD! I can swim pretty good now.”

“Then jump in!”

“I… I don’t know…”

She scoffed playfully before going around the dock, walking up the sand slope “C’mon, I’ll lead you in.”

Raz took her hand, and the two began to walk towards the water. “YEE-ACK! It’s cold!” Raz took a few steps back.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be colder if you don’t just jump in.”

“I feel like if I jump in the hand of Galochio is going to smack me like a basketball.”

“Then I guess you’re gonna have to deal with the cold.”

“Mmeeegh…”

“Wait aren’t you like… Grulovian? Shouldn’t your body have a tolerance like your nona?”

“Nona is from Grulovia. I’m half Grulovian and I’ve never been there. So I’ve never built up a tolerance.”

“Well, you seem pretty tolerant to me.”

Raz finally realized that they were both waist deep in the water. "Oh. Hehe! Would you look at that!"

"I am looking at that. That's how I was able to tell you, doofus."

Raz shot her a lopsided grin, and Lili let go of him, going deeper into the water.

She managed to use her arms like scoops to push water behind her. Er, push herself forwards in the water. 

Raz looked back downwards into the water, and still felt spooked, trying to take a step back.

“C’mon Raz! I’ll be here!” Lili encouraged him.

Raz felt his shoulders tense. His throat was starting to tighten as his eyes widened. He scrambled back out of the water, thanking the hot sand as a mark of dry land.

Lili watched him do that and treaded water until she was back onto the parts her feet touched, then walked out of the water. “Raz, Raz can you speak to me?”

Raz looked back up, face red both from lack of breath and looking at Lili. “Y-Yeah I can. I-I’m fine. Just… a bit too much too fast.”

Lili nodded. “Okay. Is it alright to touch you?”

“Uh… yeah. Yeah.”

Lili put her hand on his shoulder giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Raz closed his eyes and flashed her a smile.

“Maybe with enough squeezing, I’ll wring all that water off of you, like a sponge.”

“Hah! I’ve got more bones than a sponge.” 

Lili snort laughed at the idea of a sponge with bones.

Chapter Text

I'm not sure how I ended up here. I don't even remember what I was doing beforehand. All I know is-

It's only you and me at the beginning of time.

I remember my time only as I first arrived. Words repeated around and around. And there was you. And there was me. And besides the cup cart-

It's only you and me at the beginning of time.

I recognized you, or at least my heart did. It sped up and dried my mouth. We were the only two-

It's only you and me at the beginning of time.

I jumped over to you, leaping in impossible ways. Your eyes remained fixed on me. It was only us-

It's only you and me at the beginning of time.

Your red hair was brighter, deeper than mine. Your hazel eyes search my green. Those warm colors are yours forever-

It's only you and me at the beginning of time.

You hold me. I hold you. We hold each other-

It's only you and me at the beginning of time.

Chapter Text

Lili is supposedly still asleep. Raz doesn’t believe it, though. Given how she is breathing quicker than a sleeping person, and her hand has a claw shape as her phone leans against the hand. She is either pretending, or trying to go back to sleep.

"It's morning, Lili." Raz reminds her.

Lili doesn't look happy to be reminded of that. Her sight takes in the look of the ceiling. The room is bathed in a soft light blue on the cloudy morning. She closes her eyes again.

Raz smiles, shaking his head and sits on her lower legs.

"Ugh. Raz-"

Raz turns, bringing a finger to his lips. He uses telekinesis to toss himself a bottle of lotion and squeezes out some into the top of Lili's left foot. His right hand grips the foot's ankle, lifting it slightly even as he sits on her leg.

Lili lets out a low and soft grunt. Raz is really good at massages. He always has been. Raz always said it was because his family were acrobats that needed to know proper stretching, cool downs, and good muscle knowledge.

Lili bet in another life, where they didn't have powers, he would be some masseuse. He is that good at it. His thumb and pointer finger works to press in lotion to her callouses, softening them up and bringing relief Lili doesn't know she needs.

"I'm gonna fall asleep again." Lili threatens I'm a teasing tone.

"That's fine. Go ahead and relax."

Lili blinks, "you sure?"

"Yeah it's the weekend. Plus I know you were up last night trying to get your time cards done."

"Well, you were also up, stressing about that 6 month mission Report. You don't need EVERY detail."

"I want them to be accurate when it becomes a True Psychic Tales comic!"

"Ah, yes. 'Tales of Agent Aquato: The Youngest Psychonaut Ever.'"

"They don't have that tagline for me anymore. Not since I turned 20."

"...I'm surprised you're already up."

"I at least got up at 9:30, dearest."

Lili yawns. "What time is it now?"

"About... 10:45."

"Ugh."

"Yeah? You hate the sun that much?"

"You know I don't."

Raz hits a pressure point on her sole that makes Lili jerk up and chirp. He blushes at the action, and feels her boring holes in the back of his head.

"Tell anyone I made that noise and they won't find your body."

"Why would I ever share information about my girlfriend being adorable?"

"It wasn't adorable it was embarrassing!"

"Toe-MAY-toe, toe-MAH-toe." Raz finds another pressure point, and Lili seizes up before melting into the memory foam mattress.

"... you're too good at this."

Raz chuffs, moving to the next foot.

"Oh no..."

"Oh yes. All over again."

Lili sighs, decidedly not drifting off as Raz soothes her body. "You're cutting off the flow of blood though."

Raz's body tightens with a "hmph" full of humor. "You'll have it back in just a second."

Lili feels Raz stretch out her toes a bit popping the joints. She sighs, closing her eyes again, just as he gets up. She bends her toes, and rolls her ankles in the air.

"Ready to start for the day?"

"I'm ready to go back to bed." Lili says with a laugh as she sits up.

Chapter Text

Raz grumbled and leaned into Lili more.

"I know, we're almost there."

Raz grumbled again as Lili reached into his jacket pocket, grabbing out a key that seemed to already start to rust.

"You need to take better care of this key," Lili commented as she unlocked his room. "One of these days, it'll get stuck in the key hole and you'll need a whole new lock." Lili still held onto him as she walked into his room, leading him to the bottom bunk to his bunk bed.

"... you know I have a crush on you, right?".

Lili smiled, nodding. "I should hope so! You're my boyfriend."

Raz blinked a few times. "Wow, really?"

"Yes."

"... how did I do that?"

Lili giggled. "Well, you were very adventurous, and kind of cool."

"Kind of?"

"Well, you're also a huge dork."

"But you like dorks?"

"Not a lot of dorks, but... I'm a dork in the same way."

"How so?"

"We both like comics."

"Really? Do we read the same?"

"Did you run into a villain with an amnesia ray or something?"

"I just... don't understand how I got so lucky."

Lili shook her head. "I got lucky. You're a very brave hero."

"... do brave heroes still get kisses?"

Lili smiled. "You're getting better at learning what a 'moment' is." She kissed his cheek.

"Oh, good. ... Lili?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I see you tomorrow?"

"Sure, Raz. We can even share a meal."

"Like a date?"

"We have a date planned next friday."

"Woah! That's a big date day!"

Lili laughed. "How is that a 'big date day!'?"

"Cause it's the weekend and people usually have more time."

"It's close to the weekend. The evening is the weekend. And we still have..." Lili began to count, stopped, began to count again, and stopped. She counted a different way and came to a conclusion. "Ten more days."

"... I still can't..." Raz yawned.

"Sleep, and you'll finally get that smart mouth of yours back."

"Does that mean I have to say good night to you?"

"Yeah, but you'll see me tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Raz yawned, and turned over, grabbing a blanket and halphazardly tossing it over himself still in his mission uniform. "g'night Lili."

"Good night Raz. Sweet dreams."

Raz didn't respond, quickly dropping into deep sleep.