Hello, mates! I have been feeling like shit today and I needed a soft pick me up so I finished up this I started a little while ago. It's my longest one-shot so far and I'm quite happy with it for now lol
I hope you guys enjoy it! Much love to you all!
Six years ago, when I was ten, I had my life put into jeopardy in such a way that it could have caused a form of global destruction. A camp counselor at a psychic-only summer camp was trying to find the most aggressive, most angry, most spiteful student to put in a brain-operated tank to cause mayhem on the world. That spiteful little student he thought was perfect for the job? Would have been me.
But in 24 hours the new camper named Raz, who literally fell into our little world, found all of this out and saved the world.
In 24 hours, he and I put all the pieces together. We worked as a team in a way, him getting all the intel he could get while soaking up as much psychic information and training he could get his hands on. All while I went around trying to connect all the dots my nightmares were giving me clues of in the real world.
In 24 hours we saved the camper, our teachers, and the world from Coach Oleander.
In 24 hours, Raz made me rethink all I thought about what it meant to be a psychonaut.
At the time, I thought psychic heroes weren't needed anymore. I grew bored of wanting to be a psychonaut. I grew bored of the same lesson. Living the same life day in and day out with nothing new to learn and nothing new to see.
But then I met Razputin Aquato. Then I saw the spark in his eyes whenever he was offered a lesson. The joy he had each time he talked to one of our teachers. The ever-curious gleam he had whenever he had mastered something new. Which that look in his emerald eyes only made it obvious that he was thinking of ways to make it his own. The pride he had in being a psychic. That damned glorious smile he had when he was first called a psychonaut.
He restored the faith I had in the psychonauts. Made me remember what about them first made me want to train in the first place. He showed me what being a psychonaut was supposed to be.
But one of the most important things he taught me that day? The one thing that still affected more than anything else?
He taught me what love felt like.
I looked down at an old pair of red goggles that were in my hands. They were old and clashed with every outfit I ever wore, but I always took pride in wearing them. I would never leave my little room in the apartment above my dad's office without them either. I closed my eyes gently as I focused on the aura the goggles had. An orange energy came from them gently as I held them tight in my hands. Ever so calm. Ever so sweet. Ever so him.
And I could never forget him. Not for the life of me.
I put the goggles over my head and let them fall around my neck. Letting them lay right above my chest as I adjusted my hair so it was now laying over the band of the back of the goggles.
"So," I spoke softly as Raz and I stopped not too far away from the exit gates that led to the parking lot of the campsite. "My dad and I are based on the west coast. What about yours?" The small bit of hope I had that this wouldn't be the last time I saw the burgundy-haired boy died out as I saw the pained look in his eyes.
"We move around a lot. Circus family and all." I felt this horrible pain in my chest as I saw his eyes cast themselves down to the small bit of ground between us. I didn't know it then, but that was what heartbreak felt like. Like my heart was being pulled from my chest and smashed onto the ground as if it was made out of fragile glass. I fought back tears as I pulled my eyes away from him. Suddenly though, as I tried to keep my eyes away from him, I felt him take my hand and place something in it. I snapped my attention toward him to see he had placed his goggles within my hand. His now curling my fingers as if to let me know that he intended them as a gift.
"Take these." I brought my eyes up toward him once more to see he now had a soft grin on his lips. He pulled his hands away from me to bring up his sleeve of the psychonaut outfit Ford Crueller had given him. Showing the friendship bracelet I had made him on his wrist with pride. "So I have something from you and you have something from me."
"Are you-?" I was going to fight him on it. I could tell by the energy that radiated off the goggles that they were a prized possession of his. That he cared for them more than he could put into words, but his psychic powers showcased with ease, yet he stopped me by pushing my hand closer to me.
"I insist." His smile grew to the lopsided grin that would always cause my heart to skip a beat in the short time I knew him. That smile is my favorite of the many different ones I got to see from him in the last 24 hours. "We can make it a little challenge too if you want."
"What do you mean?" He reached out with his free hand and cupped my cheek with his smile softening sweetly.
"When we see each other again, you can give them back to me."
I looked up toward the mirror across from my bed and gave it a sad smile.
But I never saw him again.
I tried for years to see if I could track his family's movements down, but it was beyond difficult. The battle of tracking down a circus family who went around on their own accord whenever they choose was harder than any battle I have ever fought before. And I was the prodigy daughter of Truman fucking Zanotto. I have been in many god damn battles and missions, and finding Razputin Aquato was the hardest mission I have ever been given. Now it has been six years. Now I was edging into becoming a senior agent.
And I still haven't found Raz.
I sighed as I rose to my feet and grabbed my small school bag from the floor beside me.
Though I doubt it was any easier on his end. I never even gave him my last name, after all. All he has to go off of is the name, Lili. Maybe if I wasn't so forceful on the idea of being more than Truman Zanotto's kid, we would have been connected again, but I was.
"Lili! Are you ready for school? The academy isn't going to wait for anyone you know!"
But at least some things changed since I met Raz. At least I had something new-ish to fill the void he left that day. 'Academy' classes being one of them. Really, it was just a group of young kids the psychonauts knew of that they flung into a classroom and called their own students. Though it was more of a training program than anything. Though, at least they taught me something new every now and then. Sometimes it showed me something that I thought would be useful to finding Raz. Or something that I thought he would enjoy.
"I'm ready!" I came out of my room begrudgingly and went down into my father's office where he always was this early in the morning. "See?" I gestured to myself with a half-smile as my father just laughed a little in return.
"There's my little flower." I smiled softly at my father's comment as he got up from his desk and made his way to me. "Ready for the new school year?"
"You tread the academy here as if it's a normal school." I smirked now at my dad as he placed his hands on my shoulders.
"As normal as schooling should be for a future psychonaut." He looked down at the goggles around my neck as his smile softened.
Ever since the day I was kidnapped at camp, he tried his best to make sure I knew he cared. And ever since that day, I was open about my challenge to find Raz again. It was the day we were open with one another that actually made us start to feel like we had a true father-daughter relationship.
But it was also the day he understood that a lot of the changes I made were based on a promise. The single promise to find him again.
"Well," I watched his gaze come back up to meet mine as his smile stayed soft. "There will be a new student joining the program. Maybe you'll make a new friend?" I rolled my eyes at my dad as I joked in reply.
"You mean maybe the rest of the class will have a new hazing target I'll have to protect?"
"Friend, hazing target, either way." His smile grew once more as he pulled me into a quick hug. "Just be sure to be kind to them. I don't know much about the boy, but Hollis told me that he's quite the psychic. Around your age unlike the other students as well."
"Really?" I grew curious as we pulled back from each other. My father now making his way to the seat behind his desk. "A prodigy too?"
"Not quite a prodigy. He wasn't formally taught much from what she told me." He gave me a serious look as he looked at one of the files he seemed to have been already assorting before I came down to see him. "But he's like a sponge when it comes to abilities. As she said, in a deck of cards, he would be a joker." I hummed approvingly as it was obvious whoever this new kid was, he was accepted for probably that reason on its own. Having an agent that could learn anything thrown at them was rare. Even rarer when they could actually use the skill taught to them effectively.
Though, I doubt he's anything like Raz. Raz learned every single power that Sasha and Milla could throw at him and it in less than six or so hours. Even learning from Ford Crueller himself in one on one lessons. Giving a ten-year-old a repertoire of powers to pull from when having to save all his fellow campmates not even four hours later.
"Sounds like you're personally asking me to make sure he has a kind welcome." My dad gave me a sheepish smile as he knew I had read right through him.
"If you would be so kind, Lili." I sighed a little as I brought Raz's old goggles up so that they were now sitting on top of my head. A habit I had created whenever I felt like I needed more support in my day. Especially after I realized that it made me feel like Raz was truly there to lean on for support.
"I promise to do my best." I gave my dad a salute before turning toward the exit of his office. "Love you."
"Love you too, Lili. Have a nice day!" I did a little wave over my shoulder as little 'ditto' to my dad as I had already started my levitation over his little water path leading out of the area.
Today is going to be a long day.
But at least it won't be the longest 24 hours of my life.
I hopped out of the little Otto B.O.N's hatch before adjusting my jacket, goggles, and bag accordingly.
Much faster than walking and I never had an issue with landing, but it always messed with my things for certain.
I brought my goggles down from my forehead to let it rest around my neck once more as I adjusted the rest of my things just to make sure nothing was messed with too much.
It never bothered me much, but I always wanted to make sure I had everything in check. Being a Zanotto meant all eyes are on you and those eyes were like a second company to me now. Something I was always used to.
I gave a glare in the direction of the small group of other students as I adjusted my bag on my shoulder.
But those giggles of asshole teenagers hazing the new kid to try and get him to leave? That will always bother me.
I felt a scowl take over my face as I started making my way over toward the other kids. My boots thundered with each step on the tiles which I used to give them a slight warning of my presence. One that would always cause a few of them to be frightened with my presence. One who was always quite frightened of me was one named Morris. He turned in his levitating chair to see where the footsteps were coming from and I could tell by the sudden pale look to him that he instantly knew I wasn't up for their shit repeating.
"Nope, fuck this. I'm not gonna be a part of her reign." Suddenly he started floating his way quickly over toward the classroom as his voice called out to the other students. "Good luck, fuckers! I'm not dying!" This caused some of the other students to look in my direction to see what exactly was causing his frightened reaction, and it seemed the majority of them got the idea quite instantly that I was having any of the hazing they were already starting on.
But the one who was now leading against the janitor closet door was giving me an innocent smile was the only one that seemed to want to test my limits today.
"Norma."
"Zanotto." I glared at the glasses-wearing girl who just crossed her arms over her chest with a smug aura to her.
"I told you to stop calling me that, Natividad." I crossed my arms over my chest as well while I stepped up to her so I was eye to eye with her. "You know how I feel about this stupid hazing shit. You know how my father feels about it too. Let the new kid out of the closet or we're gonna have some problems."
"I have no clue what you're talking about." She gave a smug smile as she adjusted her glasses with the tips of her fingers. "But if you want to be a little snitch, go right ahead."
"Your stupid 'snitches get stitches' bullshit is for the birds, Norma. Now move from the door or I will move you myself."
"I told you, there is no one in there, all might Zano-." Right as she was going to try and aggravate me, I heard a stack of things fall in the little storage room behind her. This caused a growl to release me before I shoved the girl away from the door angrily. I flung the door open and quickly as possible to see that a red-haired kid must have been struggling to find some means of escape from the storage room with all that he had. An archetype's little airplane playing about as it suddenly landed next to the pile that the top of someone's head was poking out of. The archetype unfolded itself and made a whistling noise.
"Oooo~! Look at our little tomb! Tomb tomb tomb tomb tomb tomb." I was too angry to laugh or smile about the little figure's sing-song tune, but I could say that he was amusing. I looked over the archetype with skilled eyes as I knew he would show a lot more about the boy underneath the filing boxes as he seemed to start coming out from his little 'tomb'.
He wore what was familiar to an old airforce jacket with a simple shirt underneath and jeans. His shoes looked like those fancy boots that Sasha loved to wear but were a rather beaten up version of it if the drawn little scuff marks that the archetype had on them. His hair was messy but looked like it was kept a little flat as if it was held down for years on end. Like the psychic who brought him about used to wear a hat or helmet for the majority of their life or must have taken it off right before bringing him out.
But suddenly a hand reached out from the top of the filing boxes and gave a little snap which seemed to affect the archetype immediately.
"Ope, disappearing time~! Toodles!" Right after his goodbye, the little paper buddy was gone and more shuffling came from the boxes.
"Stupid fucking-. Ah! there's my helmet." I gave boxes a curious look like the two on top of them were pushed over and two gloved hands popped out on top as if he was going to pull himself out of the pile instead.
That voice. For some reason, it felt familiar. Even though I know I have never heard it personally before. Something about it struck a chord in me. As if I was meant to know it already. Like I heard it a hundred times before.
"What's all the commotion going on over here? What are you all standing around for-?" Dr. Hollis Forsythe came about and walked up toward my side to look into the little storage room to see what I was so captivated by which she then gave an angered reply to instantly. "Oh my, did they put you in here, Aquato?" Forsythe walked into the room right as the boy pulled himself up and out of the pile as if he weighed nothing with how his body and weight caused no harm to any of the boxes around him. My eyes went wide as I saw a familiar nervous smile that was given to Agent Forsythe. One that was matched with a sheepish blush and bright green eyes that I knew just by the look of them.
Aquato. Razputin Aquato.
"I'm fine."
That voice. With the same forgiving and joyous tone it's always had. That same voice that took over my mind so easily within hours. One that called out to me when I was taken by Linda.
The same one I have been hunting to hear again for years and it's right there.
"Ra-."
"Razputin." My voice was soft as I cut off Forsythe from saying the boy's name. This caused the redhead to snap his attention toward me with a look in his eyes that was only equivalent to a deer in headlights. Quickly his shocked look soften and was matched with a smile as he seemed to know who I was almost instantly. The glance at his goggles around my neck seemed to be a quick double-check as his smile simply grew.
"Lili."
"Give me a moment." I tried my best to smile at the blushing green-eyed boy as I turned toward Norma once more. "You put him in a fucking storage room."
"He's the new kid. Hazing is allowed in the guidelines. What's so wrong, Zano-?"
"Raz is not some new kid," I growled out the words protectively as I took a step closer to her. "He save my life when we were kids. He's my-." My brain hesitated a moment before using a quick gesture toward the boy before speaking as quickly as possible. A desperate try at covering my hesitation with what to call him. "Fucking friend."
"Some random kid?"
"He's not some random kid! Raz-!"
"Lili," I stopped quickly as I felt a hand gently take mine. Despite the glove covers in our fingers, I could tell that his movements were kind of soft as he seemed to try his best to calm me down. Something only he has been able to do in the six years it's been since I saw him. "Breath, alright? I'm okay." I looked between him and Norma for a moment as if to ask him silently if he was sure and in return, he gave a soft smile and squeezed my hand lightly. "It's okay." I took a deep breath and relaxed in his calming presence. His loving and forgiving character acted like a buffer to mine as I relaxed slowly.
"As long as you're okay." My words were merely a mumble as he gave me a happy reply.
"I most definitely am, Lils." I couldn't help but smile at the nickname as I got a little lost in his eyes. Ones that were the same healthy green as most of the plants in my secret garden. A beautiful hue that matched his ever so forgiving and positive personality.
One of the many things I'm remembering that I love about him.
"Promise?"
"I'll pinky promise it if you need me to." He chuckled softly as a cheeky smile came about with his reply.
Yep. That's Raz alright.
So easily he can just show up and act like 24 hours mattered more than the six years we spent apart.
I held up my pinky that was exposed by my old fingerless gloves with a wide smile.
"Then prove it, Aquato." He smiled like an enthusiastic child. Something that seemed to have not changed in the six years we have spent with the time apart. He moved instantly to hook my pinky with his own. One that was covered with clunky gloves that rubbed against the leather of my own.
"You know me, Lilypad," He gave a cheeky smile as I saw a familiar gleam in his eyes. A determined one that was one of the first emotions in his eyes that caused a weak quake in my knees. "I keep my promises well."
"You do, Razzle Dazzle." I blushed greatly as noticed the loving smile on his lips and the joyous sparkle in his forest-green eyes.
And in less than one, he was able to spark a forest of emotions that were now settling into a spreading fire.
I felt myself smile ever so slightly toward him as the warmth within my chest grew.
This time I have more hours with him. More than just 24 hours.
And I can't wait to see the outcome.
