Disclaimer: Psychonauts and all affiliated materials are property of Double Fine Productions Inc.
Think Me Naïve
By: Nanaki BH
Work, work, and more work. Late nights were becoming boring for Sasha. It was beginning to seem as though his glory days were over. As of late, "official Psychonauts business" was no longer exciting. He barely even got out of his secret lab anymore. Their business had been reduced to paperwork and looking after little kids who were confused about their psychic abilities. The most exciting thing he'd done all week was attend a beach party for the staff; something he would have usually never been caught dead at. Maybe he was just getting old or something.
Sasha's attention was torn away from his pity and paperwork when he heard some shouting coming from the entrance of his lab. It appeared he would be having a very loud visitor. Not that he minded; he'd been waiting for something interesting to fall into his lap for a long while.
Down from the secret hatch fell Raz, slamming down hard on his back on the landing. He wasted no time, not even taking time to recover before he was up on his feet, scrambling down the winding stairs until he could safely collapse on the floor beside Sasha's feet. He was sputtering, gasping, trying to form words yet failing horribly at it. He appeared to be completely worn out; his young limbs a mess strewn on the floor.
"Bears," he gasped, struggling to get up. "Bears, Sasha. Did you… Did you know this camp has bears?"
Sasha took a moment to calmly assess the poor, worn out boy lying at his feet. "Yes, actually. They're very mean, boy-eating bears with psychic powers. How could I not know about something like that? Personally, I think the cougars are worse."
"Cougars? We have cougars, too? This is crazy." He finally managed to push himself up into a sitting position with some effort. His heavy breathing remained, not quite able to catch it just yet. Sasha could only imagine the kind of time Razputin must have had being chased by a bear so late at night. It was a little bit of a funny image, the one that came to mind. Sasha had to repress a chuckle but he couldn't help thinking so cynically after working with so many annoying children for so long.
"Thank God a bear would have never been able to fit down that hatch. If I hadn't got in here as quick as I did, I would have been that bear's midnight snack," he mused tiredly.
"What're you doing here anyway, Razputin? This is far beyond curfew, you realize," he pointed out, swiveling his chair around to face him. He was expecting a good answer. The ones Raz came up with were usually amusing at the very least. Sasha would reserve his right to believe him based on how ridiculous his answers were.
Raz fell back onto his back, hair splaying out around his face on the floor. Taking in a breath, he folded his hands over his stomach. "I had a nightmare," he said. Then he paused, waiting to see how Sasha would respond. Realizing, though, that he was actually waiting for him to continue, he kept talking. "Right, so… I think I screamed, too but I'm not sure. I don't even remember what the nightmare was about but it definitely scared the shit out of me. It was even scarier when I realized that nobody cared."
"That's because people value their sleep, Razputin. You can't expect them to wake up just for you."
"I think I screamed. Didn't you hear that part?"
"A minor detail."
Sasha turned back around and began clearing away the mess from his desk, seeming barely interested in what Raz had to say to him. He was more concerned with keeping his personal work personal. It would be the worst if one of the kids found out about all of their top secret business… Although, if one of the kids were to "accidentally" find out anything, it might as well have been Raz seeing as how he had ten times more sense than any of the other kids in the camp.
Confident that he had everything secured away in his drawers with mental locks, he turned back around, surprised to find Raz curled up in a ball on the floor. He looked sort of cute that way; exhausted, trying to find some rest any way he could. Sasha's calm, collected side was embarrassed by such ridiculous thoughts. Raz was a child; a boy much younger than himself. Thinking of him as more than just a boy would be sure to land him in some serious trouble.
But what exactly could he do when the adorable, little youngster was sprawled out on his floor? He couldn't right well leave him there. That would've just been cruel. Sasha sighed, realizing just how late it was getting anyway. Although sometimes he made the trip back to his own home, that wasn't looking very plausible. Nor did it seem like such a good idea to be "sneaking" around outside the cabins at night with his young friend. He decided that he would spend the night in his lab with Raz and he would have him come up with his own excuse for the counselors in the morning.
He picked up his neglected pack of cigarettes off his desk and just as he reached for the lighter in his pocket, the end of the cigarette he had now dangling between his lips spontaneously ignited for him. Shocked, he even started questioning whether or not he could keep his own psychic powers under control. Luckily, he was wrong. There, down below, sat Raz happily hugging his leg.
"Smoking is bad for your health, you know."
"And so is starting fires so close to some people's faces," Sasha replied, eyeing Raz curiously. "Not that it's gone unappreciated." Calmly, he brought the cigarette back up to his lips and took a drag. Raz was most definitely the most intriguing child in their camp as far as Sasha was concerned. Perhaps spending some time with him like that wasn't such a bad idea. If he was so interested in seeing more of Raz, then what better than giving him his undivided attention?
Raz yawned loudly, raising his arms high up above his head. Whatever observations Sasha was going to make, it was clear he was going to have to make them some other time. For the moment, he would have to find a place for Raz to sleep. Given that his own lap was not an option, he would have to find him an alternative place to rest. There was only one recliner in his lab that he could comfortably sleep on. If Raz were to take it, he would have to sleep alone in his chair at his desk; not very pleasant… sort of lonely.
"So, Raz, if you're going to sleep here tonight…" he trailed, stubbing out his cigarette in his ashtray.
"Sleep on that recliner with you, right?"
Sasha's mouth opened and closed wordlessly. Choking on a bit of foolish embarrassment, he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. The boy was something else; intuitive, at least. He could see the very thing that Sasha was trying to step around the whole time, it seemed. He looked down at Raz, his face radiating a fuzzy smile without the clarity of his glasses. It was devilish, the kinds of things such a young kid was making him think and feel. Even if he was a master of his own thoughts, it was obvious he wasn't yet a master of his own emotions.
Just looking at Raz made him feel like he was doing something terribly wrong. Although he was open to new things, new experiences, Sasha just couldn't bring himself to do anything or to tell Raz the way he made him feel. He smiled back at him, though, because he could only imagine the look on Milla's face if he were to tell her something like that. Soon, without even realizing what he was doing, he was leaning forward, his face mere inches from Razputin's.
There was a whole likelihood that he was blushing, but he tried to keep himself as stony-faced as possible. Raz reached up and grabbed him by the lapels on his jacket and pulled him down meet his lips. Sasha's glasses clattered to the floor, forgotten. It was wrong, so completely, utterly wrong. It was late, though, so Sasha would just have to worry about making up excuses later. Gently, he placed a hand at the back of Raz's head, willing himself not to break down then and there.
They parted with closed eyes, neither entirely wanting to admit what had just happened.
"Why did you… do that?" Sasha asked quietly.
"Because I wanted to. And because you wanted to, too."
Author's Notes: And of course, now you're going to be left with the mental image of the two of them cuddling in Sasha's lab. Adorable. That one was short for me, though. Or at least, it took me a short amount of time to make. I hope you enjoyed in nonetheless. This pairing needs some more support! Feedback is always appreciate!