caycay: (Default)
Cater Diamond ([personal profile] caycay) wrote in [community profile] splitmemory2024-05-20 12:26 am

The Care and Keeping of Bunnies

In which Cater is AU'd into the MASHLE universe.
usatarou: (57)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
Egotistical, yes, but it was all that Rayne could do, wasn't it? All he had to offer anyone, in Cater's position. His job was to look out for the students under his purview, to make sure he did what he could to support them through their school life. This might be a little bit of a stretch of that, sure, but... if he wanted to change the world, to make it a better place...

Even his harsh words needed a sweetness to them, at times.

"Don't." Rayne replies easily, to that first comment. Falling for him? No, the very idea was even more stupid than anything Cater had said during this conversation.

Oh, but that smile. That smile-- the sight of it was so different than the other one. Rayne can feel his heart pick up its pace in his chest. A decision is made, then and there. Not a conscious one, not nearly close enough to the surface for Rayne to realize it had even been made at all.

"Good." Leaning back in his chair, Rayne nods, seeming contented with the acceptance.

"We'll start tomorrow. To motivate you to work extra hard-- if you can put your all into it, find something within the realm of Practical Magic that pushes you to learn more or that makes it easier for you to focus on the subject, I'll spend one day with you in town." Cater's asked enough times that this should be ample motivation, right?
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[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
"Shh!" Rayne immediately shushes him, with a finger against his lips. The small scolding falls away easily, as his eyes now stare down at that pinky held out to him in offering.

How.... childish. It makes his chest hurt, for a second. The person on the other side of this table wasn't Finn, but the offered pinky-- it reminds him of another time, another part of his life, that he'd shoved so far away he couldn't even reach back for it.

He'd broken that promise to Finn, hadn't he? What did promises mean, when he broke them so easily?

Still, Rayne's pinky ends up hooking with Cater's.

"That's right -- I won't take it back. I don't say things that I don't mean."
usatarou: (37)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 06:08 am (UTC)(link)
Cater wanted to see his notes?
Was-- oh, gods, was he actually going to get on this immediately? Was this something Rayne was going to realize was a total and utter mistake on his part?

With a nod, he pulls his hand back, moving to grab at his bag again. He pulls out a second notebook, setting it on the table and sliding it towards Cater.

"This one holds my notes from Practical Magic for this year. If you have trouble following any of the diagrams I've drawn, we'll go over them tomorrow."

... Could he use the notes Cater made? Possibly. He could at least cross reference his own notes with Cater's.

"Alright."
usatarou: (19)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 06:44 am (UTC)(link)
With a nod, Rayne accepts the notebook, opening it up to already begin looking through them. His thumb traces one of the doodles within it, as he looks over them.

... Cater drew cute little doodles, even for subjects he enjoyed, huh?

It's almost too precious. Something endearing that Rayne was learning about Cater.

....... How did they go from sharing notes to this?
Rayne was leaning against the wall outside of Cater's dorm room, dressed in a simple outfit to go out with him -- a button up, tie, and dress pants. Pretty much the same as his uniform, minus his robes. Their second training session, the day before, had gone too swimmingly. He'd made progress, and-- really, Rayne would be hypocritical if he went back on this promise.

So there he waits, his hands shoved in his pockets, staring off further into the hallway. He'd arrived a few minutes early - Cater'd come out when he was ready, he's sure.
Edited 2024-05-21 06:46 (UTC)
usatarou: (42)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 07:01 am (UTC)(link)
All the while, Rayne found himself confused yet enraptured. How was he supposed to take his eyes off of Cater when he stepped up in class, when he was proving himself in such a way, as if trying to show off just how much he could do when he put his mind to it.

It did do it. Cater's unspoken question was answered when Rayne told him they'd be going out the next day, in a small private moment during their training.

As Cater comments on his appearance, Rayne's brows furrow-- and before he can comment or complain, Cater's hand is on him, undoing his tie. This closeness was something he hadn't experienced from anyone but Finn in years. It's enough to catch him off guard, to make him pause.

"What's wrong--.. with looking proper-" Rayne finally gets the words out, batting at Cater's hand to get it off of him. Hey, he could've been far harsher with that slap, to actually remove him... but he hadn't. Was Cater getting a pass????
usatarou: (6)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 07:23 am (UTC)(link)
How... immature, really, to steal the tie and keep it hostage. Rayne seems unamused, though he doesn't actually complain. It's fair enough, he supposes, to keep something of his to make sure Rayne got him back safely, even if he's not sure why Cater would worry about that.

It's when the arm tries to attach that Rayne brings his own arm back harshly, almost by instinct. As if he thought-- well. It was too close, that's all. That's Cater's warning, a physical warning, without a single word. Then, his hand slips back into his pocket.

"Coffee is more what I prefer." It depended. Shifting, Rayne begins to take a few steps down the hallway, assuming that Cater would follow.

"Where all are we going? Did you make plans, or did you expect me to?"
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[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 07:43 am (UTC)(link)
Luckily for Cater, it seemed like Rayne was willing to let the awkwardness of that momentary fumble fall away. Normally, it's so easy to annoy and frustrate Rayne, but something like that? No, it was nothing more than a little mistake, something they could push past.

Rayne doesn't stop him from chattering on and on as they walk. Cater might notice at a few points Rayne slips his hand back behind his lower back, pressing his hand there to gently lead Cater out of someone's way if he's ever not paying enough attention. There were a few people out and about, enough that they did need to watch where they were going.

Hopefully not enough that he'd be recognized. No, it's very likely he would be.

Still, the sleepy little place Cater leads them into seems comfortable. Rayne's eyes scan the building as they step in together, his hands once more to himself, in his pockets.

"Have you been here before?" It really didn't seem like a place Cater would go.
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[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 08:06 am (UTC)(link)
Cater... had actually put thought into this. Had decided on a place that he thought Rayne would like, over dragging him somewhere he wanted to try. It's difficult, impossible even, to describe the feeling in his chest when he hears that.

Instead of questioning that feeling, Rayne nods. "Alright-- sure."

No way was he going to admit that Cater had done a good job selecting the place. His hand brushes against Cater's shoulder as he leaves his side, a motion to show where he was headed - towards a more secluded area of the cafe, where hopefully the calm would be even more prominent.
usatarou: (79)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 08:28 am (UTC)(link)
Cater wasn't going to pay for everything today, on this excursion, but... well, Rayne couldn't exactly go up and pay for their drinks if Cater had been ordering for them. His arms rest against the table as he waits for Cater to join him, his eyes focused over on the other teen up until the moment he spotted him.

Ugh, why was Cater so--
Enticing.

A calm quiet settles over him as he listens to Cater's explanation, something about how he'd found this place. The moment their cups are placed in front of them, though...

Rayne's eyes widen. Blinking at the two cups, his face begins to dust a light pink. "I--" Rayne seems to be ready to defend himself, to make up some excuse for the doodles he'd left in that notebook of his. Both of his hands come out, grabbing carefully at the mug with the bunny foam topping. He brings the cup close to himself, admiring the art.

Lifting his eyes briefly up to Cater, he's quickly looking back down at the art.

"... I like it." He mutters out, the quietest admission possible. Slowly, he pushes the cups back together, looking at both pieces of art atop their drinks. "They match." He states the obvious. It's clear as day - Rayne Ames is enamored.
usatarou: (43)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 08:40 am (UTC)(link)
Carefully, Rayne positions both cups to allow the art to face Cater, to let him take a perfect photo of them. He, really, didn't understand the concept of anything regarding online life, but if that was something Cater wanted to do, well...

Rayne was too enamored by these drinks to even care or question it, for now.

"Do you have pets?" Rayne asks, out of the blue. "You draw cats so often in your notebook. It'd make sense if you did have one." Rayne? Asking a question unprompted? Was he okay?
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[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 09:01 am (UTC)(link)
Never in the same place for long-- Rayne could relate to that. His own hands take ahold of his cup, bringing it close again once Cater seemed satisfied. Both of his palms press against the warm outside of the cup, his attention still very much focused on it.

"When I was younger, it was the same for me. I had enough to take care of without adding a pet into the mix." That's enough personal detail for one comment, he's sure. Shifting in his seat, he brings his cup up, trying some of the coffee. It's a little sweeter than he'd prefer, but-- something about it makes the moment so very sweet.

As if, for a few minutes, Rayne could forget about everything else, to focus on this time.

"Now, I have several rabbits." More than several. How he was even allowed to have so many within his dorm room was a wonder in itself. "My roommate suggest I take up rabbit breeding, as a hobby, due to my ..." Interest? Love? How was he supposed to explain his adoration for bunnies without losing all of Cater's respect? "... Enjoyment of them." Simple enough.

"I've been raising them for a while now."
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[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 09:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Cater knew when not to push. That’s a good thing, as Rayne would react negatively to Cater asking too many personal questions, just as Cater might brush them off or change the topic. Neither of them were very willing to get personal, even if this was slowly becoming more than two classmates hanging out, no matter what Rayne would call it.

“That could be one of your next goals. To meet all of them.” Rayne mentions idly, taking another sip of his drink.

As for Rabbit Breeding… “It depends on how busy I end up being. Divine Visionaries have a massive amount of responsibilities on their shoulders. There’s not much room for personal hobbies or activities among the work we do.” Rayne explains, his gaze falling down to focus on his drink.

“I’d like to though. I think it would be a worthwhile hobby.” Plus, it’s something he and Finn still tended to bond over, no matter how lightly.

“What about you? Do you have any hobbies?” He’s taking this serious, keeping the conversation going and everything! What a good prize this was, for all that hard work Cater was putting in, right?

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