#past razlili implied

[sxrrandomfanfics]

Hey, Stranger

Inspired by @frankenbolt's story premise of "And They Were Mindmates." Taking on Lili's perspective of what I believe would be Raz and Lili meeting again.

This is not meant to pressure the author into going back into the fandom, this is more of a love letter to that piece of work and the ideas behind it.

“Did I tell you to get this bouquet ready?”

“Yes Ms. Zanotto! Sorry, Ms. Zanotto!” One of her workers, Cecelia, squeaked and ran from the back room.

Lilian Zanotto. An Ex-Psychonaut Agent turned owner of a flower shop in a relatively small town. The bouquet was being sent to the new local festival queen. Of the festivals, Lili couldn’t remember, due to there being like… four in the town, 3 of which during the summer.

She had been working for a few years here. Her own apartment above the shop. It was quite spacious with two stories, with a kitchen, little living space, and one and a half bathrooms. She could survive during the tough times with her own old blood money, but she tried to use it sparingly. Afterall, she liked feeling like a self-made woman. As she worked she heard the bell ring, with a new customer coming in. Odd, normally she’d schedule pickups or drop offs. Many were down at the County Fair. That was the thing that was going on. Right. The other two festivals were street festivals, which is when she’d get more customers, but the County Fair was in such a place that barely any traffic came to the downtown she was in.

She felt a jolt of irritation and her worker was being quite loud with her thoughts. This guy has got a lot of nerve. What was a male Karen called again? Stop demanding for my boss. I haven't done anything wrong. Why do you need to talk to her? Raz? That’s a strange name–

Lili tuned her worker out, slamming her hands on her desk and getting up. It couldn’t be, could it?

“Please, I-I really need to speak with her. She might have gotten a message from someone else?” That voice. His boyish rasp had left his voice that was now deeper. If she closed her eyes and listened to it she bet she could even feel the stubble of her ex-boyfriend. They had parted on good terms, don’t get them wrong. But with him traveling and her wanting to leave the place he’d always dreamed of being at…

“Ms. Zanotto is a very busy woman.” Jodie told Raz. Just as she said that, Lili decided to open the door.

Looks like he’s made her angry. Jodie thought loudly.

Lili approached Razputin, surprised to see him so much taller than she was. She was from a family of taller than average people, that came when you were a psychic, but Raz was still taller than her. He let his beard grow out, now most of it covering his lower face and she had to hold back her thoughts of just wanting to feel its texture. Not censor the thought, just make sure he couldn’t hear it. “Hey, stranger.” Lili said with a smirk.

Raz exhaled audibly, as if trying to muffle a laugh, but his eye that her workers could not see closed in a flinch. “Yeah, it’s been too long, hasn’t it?”

Lili turned around. “Come on, follow me to the office. You clearly have something very important on your mind.”

Her footfalls were the only ones she could hear for a few paces, then she heard Raz’s shoes. Still making loud click-clack sounds on the tiles that were on her floor. “So what’s this all about? A mission?”

“I mean… it’s kind of a mission but also a vacation…”

“Well, that’s like snow falling in summer.”

Raz shook his head as Lili took standing beside her desk. “Well… uh… I haven’t been working my 100% and uh… a Mental Wellness Check revealed that there’s some… empty space.”

“With your thick head? I thought everything would be pretty tight.” Lili smiled, good natured.

Raz’s emerald green eyes sparkled as he mirrored her smile. “Well uh… our… connection.”

Their mental connection. They had kept up with it for only a few months after their breakup, trying to stay friends. But Raz got busy with missions and Lili got busy in college and… that place sort of became a dead zone. Lili could try to explore her mind if she wanted to, but she never had the right amount of patience to let her astral projection show in the Collective Unconcious, only to turn right to her door. And she had no brain tumbler to assist, either. She wasn’t sure what it even looked like now.

“So, are you offering a little Wellness Check for myself?”

“Uh… A-Agent Forsythe said that… we should… maybe check on the status of the mental connection, yeah.”

When did he get so nervous? “Hey.” She acted on impulse and brought her hand to his jawline. Her thumb rubbed away phantom tears and she almost melted as he leaned into her hand. “Just tell me what you’re here for, okay?”

“Uh…” Raz gulped. “I have a motel room, but it hasn’t been paid for other nights. Agent Forsythe wanted me to check on the status of this mental connection so both of us could be working at full capacity.” God he was reciting the entire mission to her, wasn’t he? Did he memorize the file? He was so cute and such a nerd still. “To do that I would like to ask permission to not only work with you, Ms. Zanotto… but also if I could… live with you. Temporarily!” He quickly added. “I-It would only be temporary as I rest while simultaneously check in on the mental connection status.”

Lili felt her heart almost become engulfed in flames. Or maybe that was her face. But as she stared at him, his face was stern. Determined. Mission oriented. The fire in her heart suddenly faded, replaced with a painful seed that suddenly burst to life at the center of her heart and she tried not to flinch.

“Lili–” Raz now reached to cup her face. “Y-you don’t have to if you don’t want to–”

“You can sleep on the couch.” She answered him. “It’s just upstairs.”