Pinning and Pining Rayne Ames

by rayofsunshyne

Summary:

At the Easton Magic Academy, an unexpected friendship blossoms between you and the Divine Visionary, Rayne Ames. As you spar with each other, will either of you realize the other's feelings?

Chapter 1: First Encounter

It was your third year at the Easton Magic Academy. You were just about to meet up with Rayne Ames to practice some sparring.

Your friendship with Rayne was quite an unusual one, as he often kept to himself. Ever since your first year at Easton, you admired Rayne a lot. He was undoubtedly one of the strongest magic users at the school, even becoming a Divine Visionary in his second year.

Rayne always had a lot of fangirls, often whispering about him in the hallways, but never daring to approach him. He has quite a cold demeanor, though you always thought that he used it to mask his emotions. Or maybe that’s just how he is. Honestly, who knows…

Either way, you could say you were one of Rayne’s fangirls, but you kept it to yourself. The chance of Rayne even considering befriending, let alone talking to anyone remained slim throughout the years he was at Easton. It seemed that even his own brother, Finn Ames, had trouble maintaining a close relationship with Rayne.

And yet somehow, you became friends with Rayne — or at least had enough conversations and interactions to call him an acquaintance.

It all started back in your second year. Although you were already quite fond of Rayne, you never had the courage to talk to him. Your second year was mostly uneventful, but as the year drew to an end, the school grounds became a much more dangerous place.

A man called Innocent Zero began terrorizing Easton in search of one of his sons, Mash Burnedead. Mash, a first-year, was quite extraordinary for his lack of magical abilities. Rather than using spells, he fought against all of his enemies purely with his muscles and reflexes. It was even rumored that Mash was magicless, but you weren’t sure whether to believe that.

During one of the standoffs with Innocent Zero and his crew, all of the Easton students ended up being dragged into this mess. Split apart with dangerous foes with no mercy to face, it was a tragic event in the history of the Magic Realm. Innocent Zero and his allies had little care for the lives of the weak, and thus Easton unfortunately faced several casualties in this battle. The sheer cries and screams of their parents when they were told the news still haunts you to this day.

On that day, you were quite lucky. Although you were average in terms of magic capabilities, compared to Innocent Zero’s men, you were outmatched. So, with the luck of chance placing you in a room with no foes, you decided to stay in hiding for the rest of the fight.

That was, until you saw a familiar face standing off someone much more powerful than him. It was Finn. You saw the desperation in his eyes, as he battled, then attempted to flee, but to no avail. The injuries he sustained could no longer lift his pain-stricken body, and his magic power dimmed.

At that moment, you let go of all your fears, your goals, your aspirations, and leaped to save Finn. Rather, you wanted to save him, you believed that you could just grab him and dash out of there unscathed. But you were wrong.

The attack that was going to deal the final blow to Finn was completely absorbed by you. That was the most pain you ever felt in your life. Blood splattered everywhere, as you screamed in agony, looking at the gaping hole in your chest. This was a day you would never forget.

Shortly after, you fell over and lost consciousness. You were practically…dead.

Nevertheless, by some miracle, you survived. And so did Finn.

You woke up to white sheets and tubes all around you. You were in a hospital. Bandages covered almost every part of your body and you noticed a dim night light on the cabinet. The candle wick was almost out.

As you adjusted to your new surroundings, you felt something resting on your leg. Squinting, you could make out that it was a person with yellow and black hair. They were resting their head on your thigh, and it seemed like they had fallen asleep.

However, the physical sensation of this accentuated the pain you were feeling throughout your entire body. You tried to slowly shift your leg’s position, but you accidentally ended up waking the person up.

“You’re…awake…?” This voice sounded familiar, and on closer inspection, it was Rayne?! What is he doing here , you wondered, frantically trying to keep yourself together.

As you stared at him in disbelief, you decided to finally blurt out something: “Um, yeah— sorry that I woke you up…”

Rather than responding to your reply, Rayne softly said, “I’m glad that you’re alive.” You weren’t sure if you were seeing things, but it looked like a tear fell down Rayne’s cheek.

To see Rayne in such a state, it almost felt like a dream. Yet it was real. You almost died. To save Finn. And Rayne patiently waited for you to wake up.

After a long pause, Rayne followed up with, “How are you feeling? Is there anything you need me to get you?” Although he was averting his gaze, seemingly out of shame, you saw his light yellow eyes glisten in the moonlight.

You replied, “I-I’m fine! At least I think I am now… And uh, it’s okay, I don’t need anything right now.” After some thought, you followed up with, “Sorry if this comes off as rude, I-I’m just genuinely wondering… um, why did you visit me? I don’t think we ever talked. O-of course I know you, and uh, I really admire your abilities, but this was just really unexpected.”

“It’s because you saved my brother, Finn…” You heard Rayne’s voice shake, as he said, “And you… you almost died… for him. I don’t know how I could ever pay you back.”

Days passed after that night, and Rayne didn’t show up again at the hospital. Maybe it was out of embarrassment or guilt, but you never figured it out. However, on the day you were discharged from the hospital, you noticed Rayne inconspicuously glancing at you, perhaps checking on your well-being.

Although your only interaction with him was extremely awkward, you decided to suck it up and initiate a conversation. Upon seeing that you were approaching Rayne, he immediately attempted to shift his focus to the idle people at the hospital. Cute , you thought.

“Hey Rayne! Sorry for approaching you out of the blue, I couldn’t help but notice you there and I really just wanted to say…” You bowed. “Thank you so much for everything you did. Without you, I doubt I would have lived to see another day.”

Rayne’s eyes slightly widened as he put two hands on your shoulders and lifted you out of your bow. His hands still gripping your shoulders, he met your gaze. “Please don’t bow. You were the one who saved my family… it’s the least I could do.” Rayne paused for a moment. “I know our conversation on that day was kind of left hanging, but I wanted to ask you: Is there any way I can pay you back? I know there’s nothing that I can do that will relieve the pain and injuries that you sustained, but I cannot sit still and just go about my day without giving you something in return.”

Rayne’s voice was filled with sincerity, but all you could think about was his unwavering hands and intense gaze. Your face turned a tint of reddish pink as you tried your best to keep your composure. “W-well… if you insist, would you mind giving me a few pointers on my magic abilities?”

This first session quickly became a weekly thing, and you’ve been sparring ever since.

And that’s how you met Rayne. Though you’re still quite unsure if you are even friends with him. Sometimes it almost feels like Rayne treats you like a little sister, or as a pitiful rabbit. In any case, you go to your usual meeting place.

“Hey Rayne!”

“Hey. What’s on the agenda today?”

“I want you to use 100% of your Partisan today.”

Rayne’s eyes widen slightly. “Wai—”

You cut him off: “I know what you’re about to say, but I want you to go all out on me. You don’t have to use your Secondth, but I at least want to fight against you at your full potential this time.”

Rayne replies firmly, “No. That’s dangerous.”

You became a bit frustrated. “Rayne. Why do you always treat me like a helpless kid? Do you pity me…? In the real world, people won’t pity me, you know? They won’t use a fraction of their power, even if they are so much stronger than me. And you know that I’ve gotten better throughout all the months of physical and magical training I did. So why are you so keen on holding back?”

Rayne let out a constrained sigh. “Because— it’s because…” I don’t want to hurt you. And I don’t want to see you get hurt ever again. “Let’s… just move on from this topic,” Rayne replies, averting his eyes.

You feel like you saw Rayne’s expression slightly shift to a worried gaze. However, you were never sure about his emotions. Rayne was difficult to figure out. He always wore this pained, or maybe even annoyed, expression on his face. On top of that, he never opened up about anything to you or to Finn, at least from what you heard.

But what is he worried about…? You wonder, thinking back to the past.

As you were a magic user with average capabilities, you decided to begin physical training, inspired by Mash’s feats. You have been regularly training for the past year, and it has definitely improved both your combat and reflex skills. As such, if you were ever in a position where you had to incur close-quarter combat, you could fight back for a decent amount if needed.

You meet Rayne’s gaze, replying, “If you have no actual reason, then I don’t see why I can’t fight you with 100% of your Partisan unleashed. Please, Rayne, I need this to get stronger.”

You see Rayne thinking about this for a moment before saying, “Fine. But I will absolutely not use my Secondth. If you ever want to end our spar, just yell ‘Stop.’ I’d rather not unnecessarily injure you.”

“Got it.” You position yourself in the arena. “You ready to start?”

Rayne nods and the fight begins.

“Ten Percent Partisan!” Rayne yells. I guess he’s just testing the waters first , you think. That’s pretty typical of most fights anyway.

You carefully dodge his attacks. His swords are not only sizable and sharp but also boast a heavy weight. One hit could send you flying.

“Bubble Rain!” You send out a rush of bubbles in Rayne’s direction. Your power has defensive and offensive capabilities. However, you could not use both at the same time.

Rayne easily dodges your attacks. Immediately after, you yell, “Bubble Spikes!” Bubbles emerged from the ground, as Rayne jumped in the air. Though you may only be a one-liner, your bubbles were still pretty dangerous. Whoever touched any of your bubbles would instantly get stuck to it. And after that…

“Detonate!” The bubbles explode, enveloping Rayne with smoke. Although you weren’t able to get the bubbles stuck to Rayne, the bubbles still held a powerful explosive force.

However, before the smoke clears, you hear “Large Partisan!” A giant sword rushes from the clouds, aimed right at you.

“Bubble Shield!” A large bubble forms around you, absorbing the impact of the Partisan. Before you could cast an offensive spell in retaliation, you hear “Rapid Partisan!” Numerous swords launch at you at immense speeds.

“Bubble Shield!”

“Rapid Partisan!”

“Enforce!”

The problem was, Rayne knew of your abilities and their weaknesses. Thus, by constantly launching rapid attacks, Rayne could keep you deploying defensive spells, while he inched closer to victory.

The rain of swords showed no sign of stopping. “Enforce!” This spell rebuilds your bubble shield into a stronger and more durable one. Despite this, one could easily see that Rayne was soon going to tear down through it. You were outmatched in terms of magic when it came to Rayne.

However, when it came to physical abilities, you were on an equal playing field with Rayne. You even won some of your close-combat spars with Rayne before. Thus, it was time to finally put your year of training to use.

“Rapid Partisan!” This rain of swords pierces right through your bubble shield, breaking it. “Detonate!” You explode your own shield, covering you in smoke.

You knew you’d end up getting a talk from Rayne about how self-destructive this move was, but it was through the unexpected, that you were able to get to him.

You leap on his sword rain, jumping from sword to sword. The smoke made it difficult to see your movements, as you grab the last sword and land on top of Rayne, crashing into the ground. You hold Rayne’s own sword against his neck.

Victory.

Though this still seemed a bit too easy. As the smoke cleared, you glance at Rayne. His eyes were widened, and he had an almost surprised expression on his face. He was breathing heavily, seeming completely out of character.

“Rayne, you okay?” You asked worriedly. “Were you still going easy on me?”

Rayne didn’t reply. You see beads of sweat forming on his face, as he averted his eyes. His face was slightly red. Am I making him uncomfortable?

You release him from the pin, placing his sword on the ground. “I’m sorry if I was making you feel uncomfortable in any way— Sorry I didn’t realize earlier…” You frowned slightly, feeling a little guilty.

“No… it’s nothing like that.” Rayne was still avoiding your gaze. “I apologize, I… I need a breather.” You see Rayne quickly leave with a hand covering his face.

Weird, you thought, he never broke his composure like that before… Was it something that I did?

You think back to the end of the battle, when you successfully pinned Rayne to the ground. Your face turns slightly red. Jeez… I was only thinking about my victory at that moment. I didn’t even realize how close I was to his face…

As for Rayne, although he often seems calm and composed, he was definitely not in control of his emotions today. Rayne squatted outside of the arena room, taking a few deep breaths. What’s… gotten into me today? I could have dodged her attack easily, but my body just wouldn’t move in that moment. And when she…

Rayne covered his face with both of his hands, sighing. He was clearly blushing all over, but not willing to acknowledge it. Hah… she really makes it hard for me to think straight. I don’t know how to act when I’m next to her. And when she closed in on me, I completely froze. Almost like I wan—

No, what am I even thinking? This is ridiculous. ‘Made me uncomfortable?’ I made her uncomfortable with my reaction. What’s wrong with me? I better head back and apologize…

Rayne slowly got up, took a deep breath, and walked back into the arena.

Notes:

Thank you for reading my work! Let me know if you want me to write Chapter 2 :D

Chapter 2: Unexpected Hobby

Summary:

After your sparring session, you invite the Divine Visionary to go out, but it seems like he has something to take care of first...

You see Rayne walking back to the arena.

“Hey! Is everything okay?” You ask.

Rayne nods. “I… wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I was just… taken aback — or maybe just struggling to focus? I’m not too sure. I’ll make it up for our next spar.”

You notice that he looks a little dejected. “N-no, it’s not your fault! Honestly, don’t worry about it, I wasn’t uncomfortable at all. I was just a little surprised, since this was the first time I beat you in a magic fight.”

Rayne looks at you, seeming a bit more relaxed. “You did great, (Y/N). I can see that you’ve definitely improved a lot. Good work.”

You can’t help but smile, feeling proud of yourself. Rayne rarely gave out compliments to anyone, so this moment truly felt special. “Thank you, Rayne. It was all thanks to you that I even got this far. You really didn’t have to continue helping me out…”

Rayne slightly frowns. “You don’t need to thank me, it was the least I could do.” You reply, “Do you still feel guilty about what happened?”

He shifts his gaze, thinking back to the image of you in a hospital bed, barely clinging on to life. He doesn’t respond. “It wasn’t your fault, Rayne. It was my choice. And look, I’m still here, alive and breathing! So please don’t get hung up on this.” You try to reassure him.

Rayne looks at you. “I suppose you’re right…” Yet, I still can’t help but feel at fault. If only I just got there sooner, even just a second sooner, nobody would’ve gotten hurt — at least not this much.

You notice Rayne slightly furrow his brow. You place your hand on his shoulder. “How about we go somewhere to relax for a little bit? It seems like you’ve got a lot on your mind and we’re both probably somewhat tired from sparring.”

Rayne pauses for a moment. “I’ve never gone out with friends before, I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

Does that mean he considers me as a friend? You try to encourage him, “It’s never too late to try! There’s always a first time for everything!”

Rayne thinks for a bit and then replies, “Well… I suppose I don’t have anything else on my schedule today.”

“Well then—”

“Oh wait— I forgot to—” Rayne cuts you off, not finishing his sentence.

“Forgot to what?” You inquire, a little curious.

“Nothing — never mind what I just said.” He shifts his eyes, trying to look away.

“Are you sure? I won’t judg—”

Before you can finish your sentence, someone bursts into the arena.

“RAYNEEE! You forgot to feed your rabbits! I have a busy schedule today so I haven’t been back at the dorm, but I just remembered and I overheard that you were in here, but I gotta go to class now so—”

You see a brown-haired student run toward Rayne, but he stops in his tracks as soon as he sees you. You turn to Rayne, who is covering his face with his hand.

Neither the student nor Rayne say anything. The silence is so unbearable that you decide to blurt something out: “Rayne, you have rabbits…?”

However, that seems to only worsen the situation, as Rayne gives you a deadpan stare, and the student anxiously gulps. “U-um I’m Max Land, Rayne’s roommate. I’m sorry for interrupting your—”

“You weren’t interrupting anything.” Rayne cuts Max off. “We were just about to go there anyway. Thanks for letting me know.” Although Rayne may have looked angry, you could hear the compassion in his voice. He looked more embarrassed than anything.

Despite this, you can still feel the tension. You decide to reply to Max: “Nice to meet you Max! I’m (Y/N). I’m friends with Rayne and we occasionally spar with each other.”

“Oh, just friends? Rayne talks a lot about you, I thought you were more like—”

“Max, aren’t you going to be late for class?” Rayne cuts off Max again.

Max glances at Rayne and checks the time. “Oh, you’re right! I better get going, have fun, you two!” You notice Max wink at Rayne before he runs off.

You awkwardly turn to Rayne. “U-um, Max seems like a good guy.” This is the only thing you could muster out of your mouth, as you were still trying to process what just happened.

“Yeah, he is. Let’s go.” Rayne grabs your wrist, taking you out of the arena. His hand feels soft, and his grip is not too strong. You notice that his ears are slightly red as he leads you to his dorm. You recall what Max said earlier… “Rayne talks a lot about you.” But why would he? We’re not that close and I never met Max until today… Maybe Max was thinking about someone else, how would he even know what I look like—

“We’re here.” Before you could finish your thought, you were at Rayne’s dorm. He let go of your arm and unlocked the door. You look at Rayne but it feels like he is actively trying to avoid your gaze. I can’t understand this guy…

“You can come in,” Rayne says without even glancing back at you, as if he knew you were just waiting outside.

“Oh, thanks.” You step inside and look around. His dorm looks very clean and organized. You notice that the beds were neatly made, the books were properly stacked on the shelf, and the curtain was opened just enough for the sunlight to brighten up the entire room. You suddenly feel something on your foot…

As you look down, you notice two rabbits jumping around you, and seven others surrounding Rayne. “Those two are Usao and Usayama,” Rayne comments while cutting up carrots.

“Those are really cute names,” you reply. You see Rayne try to stifle a smile. “What are the others called?”

Rayne turns around with freshly cut carrots in his hand and tosses them in the air. As they fall to the ground, Rayne sits down, allowing the rabbits to surround him and begin munching on their food.

He begins pointing at the rabbits that you haven’t met yet. “This is Usazou. Over here is Usanoshin. There’s Usakichi. This is Usatarou. Here is Usasuke. And these are Usako and Usami.” Some of the rabbits climb on Rayne, while others circle around him.

“How do you tell them apart?” You were genuinely wondering, as they are all white rabbits and look pretty similar to each other.

“I guess I lived long enough with them. All of them have unique personalities too, but it’s difficult for others to tell.” Rayne gently pets one of the rabbits and you see his expression immediately soften.

I never expected Rayne to have pet rabbits, but it’s actually kind of cute. I guess you have to break through his cold exterior to find his warm interior.

“Um… may I—” Before you finish, Rayne takes your hand and places it on one of the rabbits. “Don’t worry, they don’t bite,” Rayne replies.

You weren’t thinking that at all, but the sudden movement made you blush. You gently pet the rabbit, feeling its fluffy fur between your fingers. You can see why Rayne would enjoy this — petting rabbits is truly calming.

You glance at Rayne, but he’s busy taking care of the rabbits. He was never much of a talker, but he feels unusually quiet today. But maybe that’s just how he is when he’s not engaged in a battle. You never really met or talked to Rayne outside of the sparring sessions. You two would always part ways at the door and that would be it. Today is different.

In any case, that didn’t make the silence feel any less awkward. You try to make some conversation: “So… how did you end up getting so many rabbits?”

Rayne continues to pet the rabbits. “It was actually Max’s idea.”

“Oh really?” You inquire. I guess that makes sense, though. I can’t see how Rayne would be interested in this without taking someone else’s suggestion.

“Yeah. He recommended me to try out rabbit breeding. It helps me mentally recuperate.” Rayne responds.

“Mhm… petting these rabbits is truly relaxing.” You smile and ruffle the fur of one of the rabbits.

Rayne glances at you. “By the way, did you still want to go out somewhere? I’m sorry if I interrupted your plans.”

You meet Rayne’s eyes. “Oh yeah, if you’re still down, of course! And you don’t have to apologize, I didn’t have anything planned today either, so we can make it up as we go.”

Rayne pets his rabbits one last time and gets up. “Let’s get going then.” He reaches out his hand to you. You gently take his hand and stand up.

“Thanks.”

Rayne says nothing as he holds the door open for you, slightly averting his eyes.

“So, now that your rabbits are well-fed, how about we get some food too?”

Rayne nods and you lead the way to the markets on Marchétte Street.

Notes:

Thank you for reading my work! Let me know if you want me to write Chapter 3 :D

Chapter 3: Delightful Outing

Summary:

After meeting Rayne’s rabbits, you take the opportunity to relax with the Divine Visionary, but run into some unexpected situations…

As you and Rayne make your way to Marchétte Street, you notice how much livelier the sidewalks are today. The roads are bustling with people: some checking out the shops on sale, others playing magic street games, and many just having fun dancing and partaking in the parade.

You notice Rayne slow his pace a little. “Are there usually this many people?”

Rayne’s probably not used to these kinds of things… I wonder what he does for fun? You attempt to reassure Rayne. “Not really. I think there’s a festival going on today! Just try to stay close to me so you don’t get lost in the crowd.”

Rayne nods and follows as you lead the way. As you two make it down the busy street, it seems like the crowd just keeps increasing. Soon enough, it starts to feel like you’re packed like sardines.

“Hey Rayne, you okay?” You look back, but the blond and black-haired visionary is nowhere to be seen. Oh no… this is bad. I brought him here to relax, but this is probably just stressing him out more…

You sift through the crowd, calling for Rayne, but to no avail. A feeling of guilt starts to set in, when suddenly, you feel someone grab your hand. It’s warm…

“Y/N.” You turn around and see Rayne standing behind you, slightly disheveled with beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “Sorry, I lost you back there.” He’s clutching your hand a little tightly, but at this point, it’s better to just focus on getting out of the crowd.

“No worries, Rayne! Let’s get on out.” You gently hold Rayne’s hand in return and lead him to a quieter spot on the sidewalk.

You hear Rayne mumble “Thanks,” but that’s all he says. His cheeks look a little flushed and you can see him clearly avoiding your gaze.

“Hey, Rayne, are you feeling sick or something? You look a little—”

“I’m fine.” Rayne cuts you off. You notice that you’re still holding his hand and suddenly it hits.

You quickly let him go, feeling embarrassed. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t notice—”

Rayne quietly mumbles, “It’s okay, I don’t m…”

“Sorry, can you repeat that?” You can’t completely make out what Rayne just said, but he immediately replies with “It’s nothing.”

He’s acting a little strange, but whatever. You decide to shrug it off. “Well… for starters, we can go to this cafe! It was quite the journey, but we made it.”

You point to a quaint coffee shop across the street. “One of my friends works there, so I basically know the place by heart at this point. They usually serve tea and coffee, but they have some options for lunch too. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good.” You two go inside the cafe and immediately get greeted by your friend.

“Y/N!!! It’s been so long, how have you been?? How’s Easton? I missed you so much, I wish I could be there with you…” Your friend is pretty energetic, especially since you don’t stop by the cafe as often anymore due to Easton’s rigorous program. It’s always great catching up with her from time to time.

But before you could say anything, your friend jumps in again: “Wait Y/N… who’s this? I thought he was just another customer, but he’s waiting behind you… is he with you? Is he—”

“Y-yeah, he’s with me, but we’re just classmates. He helps me with sparring sometimes, but we were both feeling a little tired, so I decided to show him around Marchétte Street.”

“Hmm… very interesting. Well! Let me not keep you waiting any longer, you guys can sit over there.” She points to a table by the window with two seats on opposite sides. “After this, you better tell me everything~! I can’t believe you’ve been keeping so many secrets from me!”

You give your friend an annoyed look. “Tell you what, exactly?”

“You know, all about that g—”

“I just said, we’re not—”

“Whatever you say~” Your friend leaves you two alone as she begins to take a few more orders from incoming customers.

You awkwardly turn to Rayne. “Uh… I’m sorry about all that, please just forget everything you heard… my friend’s just very friendly, haha…”

Rayne stays silent. Maybe he’s confused? Or just doesn’t know what to say? Ugh, whatever, I’m gonna tell her off after all this!

“Um… so, do you wanna head over to our table?”

“Sure.”

You two sit down in the wooden chairs. The view outside is beautiful… it was a good idea that you decided to come by today.

Shortly after, your friend walks over and hands you both menus. “Call me over when you’re ready to order!”

After she leaves, you already know your order. Crab cakes with tartar sauce and a mango mocktail. You glance over at Rayne. “Have you decided on anything?”

You see Rayne pause for a moment before replying with, “The mung bean sprout salad.” Oh? I wasn’t expecting that… Regardless, it’s a pretty good choice.

After taking your order, your friend comes back with the food. “Woah… this looks as good as ever! I’ll never get tired of it,” you exclaim.

“Thank you.” Rayne often doesn’t talk more than necessary. Despite that, it’s clear to you that he’s genuinely grateful.

The two of you eat together in silence. You notice that Rayne is eating his food rather quickly. He must be enjoying it then… I’m glad.

After you finish, your friend comes over with the bill. “ That’ll be 32 lond. 20% off for friends!” Before Rayne can say anything, you place 40 lond on the table. Good thing I already knew how much it would cost, I had a feeling that he might fight me for the bill…

“Thanks for the food! We’ll get going now, I’ll catch you later today!”

“Wait, but I—”

You don’t let Rayne finish his sentence and just pull him out of the cafe, waving goodbye to your friend on your way out.

Rayne shakes his arm out of your grasp. “Y/N, why didn’t you let me pay my fair share?”

“Because today’s my treat! I don’t want you to worry about money, especially since I’m the one who took you out to relax.”

“Is this what friends usually do for each other?” Rayne has really never experienced the “who’s going to pay for the bill first” game, it seems…

“Yeah, well sometimes, haha. Don’t even think of paying me back though, okay?” You give Rayne a stern look, but he seems unconvinced. “I really won’t accept it, so you gotta promise me, Rayne.”

“Fine.” Rayne huffs a sigh of defeat. “But I’ll pay for you next time.”

Next time? You smile, blushing a little. “Alright, sounds like a plan! How about we check out some of these magic games next?”

“Okay.” You lead Rayne back to the main street, where a variety of magical carnival games are on display.

“How about we try out this one first?” You point to a booth with not too many people.

As you two head over there, the vendor greets you. “Hey there! Welcome to The Lucky Ring! For this game, you have to use magic to make the rings float and then drop them on a spinning wheel of bottles. Sounds easy, right? The more rings you can make float at the same time, the more points you can win. You gain a point for each ring that falls on a bottle, keep the same amount of points if a ring falls in the wheel, and lose points for any rings that fall outside of the wheel’s circumference. A game is only 2 lond, won’t you give it a try?”

You turn to Rayne. He looks up at the stuffed plushies hanging on the wall. “What are those?”

“Oh my, I almost forgot to tell you! You can win prizes based on the number of points you score. Though you have to be pretty good to get the best ones we offer~” The vendor beckons you to an open spot. As you get closer, you notice a giant bunny plush at the very top. 1oo points?! You’ll basically have to get a perfect score for that…

You look over at Rayne. His expression is rather serious, it seems like he’s very intent on winning that bunny plush. This is bad… there are no other rabbit-related prizes here, and I wanted to get him something that he likes… Despite the amount of times I played this game, even I can’t win the top prizes.

As the vendor collects the rings, he mentions, “Oh also, since you two are together, I should mention that we’re offering a couples discount, just for today! You can each take your hand at the game once, and your combined points will determine your prize!”

“But we’re not—”

Rayne suddenly puts his hand over your mouth.

W-wha— what is he doing?? You instantly freeze in your spot. You feel your face begin to burn up, turning into a bright shade of red.

“He doesn’t need to know,” Rayne whispers in your ear.

The vendor comes back with the rings and Rayne removes his hand. “I’ll go first.”

As Rayne gets into position, you cannot help but feel your heart rate rising at an alarming rate. How am I supposed to win now…? I can’t focus… And what does this even mean?? This is totally out of character for Rayne! But maybe I just don’t know him well enough…? Either way, how is he so calm after that?!

Rayne manages to lift 100 of the 120 rings, and he carefully hovers them over the spinning wheel. Letting go, the rings fly in all sorts of directions. “87 points!” He got 90 rings on the bottles, but three of them flew off the wheel, and seven others missed the bottles but stayed on the wheel.

“Tch.” Rayne looks slightly irritated as he walks back to you. “This game is rigged. I should have gotten all 100 rings, but there are some oddities to the bottles that the vendor didn’t mention. Either way, it’s your turn.”

You nod and walk to the wheel, trying not to make eye contact with Rayne. 87 points for a first try?! That’s insane… and he still believes that it’s not good enough. Alright… I just need 13 points to get him the top prize, I gotta focus up!

The highest score you’ve ever gotten was 57, but that was after the vendor took pity on you for playing so many times and gave you a piece of candy that temporarily enhanced your magic. That day, you lifted up 70 rings…

The highest number of rings that you could actually lift up was 50, but some would always fall off the wheel, and even getting a score in the 40s was a rare occurrence for you.

In any case, 13 points is manageable — more than manageable. You lift up 25 rings and carefully position them above the wheel. Now! Timing it perfectly, you drop the rings on the wheel. I should’ve gotten at least 20…

“11 points!” What…? “Ah… that’s too bad, you were so close to winning the top prize. Pretty impressive, I’d say! How about you two try again?” The vendor begins collecting the rings. It seems like 18 rings got onto the bottles, but the remaining seven were on the ground.

You turn to Rayne, feeling dejected. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know how that happened…  do you wan—”

“No… he cheated. I saw his wand light up underneath his sleeve as soon as you let go of the rings.” Rayne has a furious expression on his face as he walks back toward the vendor.

“Oh— Rayne, well, it’s fine… we can just—” He’s not listening… I get it though, I’d be frustrated too. I should’ve just picked up more rings, but I was so nervous that I thought I’d definitely screw up. Anyways, what is he—

“Three Percent Partisan!” Ehhhh?? “Admit it, you used magic to cheat.” Rayne moves the three swords closer to the vendor’s neck.

“Wait, we can talk thi—”

“I won’t repeat myself twice.” Rayne narrows his eyes.

“F-fine! Y-you win… it’s true that I used magic during your game, but I was just honestly really worried you two would keep playing and win every last prize… Y-your power is truly nothing like I’ve ever seen here before, and no one has ever been able to win the top prize on their first try.”

Rayne glares at the vendor.

“I-I used — uh, my personal magic is Illusion… S-so I can alter others’ perceptions of reality, and um— i-if you just let me go, I can reverse it.”

Rayne slightly lowers his swords, but still keeps his eye on the vendor.

“Dispel!” The scene shifts, and suddenly you see that of the seven rings on the ground, only one remains. Two of the rings are now on the bottles, and the other four are on the wheel.

“It’s 106 points.” The vendor sighs in relief as Rayne retracts his Partisans. “You may choose any of the prizes on the top shelf.”

You see Rayne walk back to you. “Rayne, you really didn’t—”

“It’s only fair. C’mon.” You follow Rayne to the prize area.

Rayne turns to you. “Pick one.” Huh? I thought he wanted that big bunny plush… maybe he’s just trying to be modest, but still— Oh! I can just take the rabbit plush and give it to him, yeah!

“I’ll take that one.” The vendor hands you the plush and Rayne begins to walk away from the stand. You quickly follow him.

“Rayne, wait!” He turns around, and you shove the plush into his arms. “I actually meant to give this to you.”

Rayne looks a little surprised. “I know that you’re really fond of rabbits so…” You avert your eyes. “So, um, I thought you’d like it.”

Rayne pauses for a moment before holding out the plush to you. “I’m not trying to come off as impolite, but I want you to have it. I noticed you eyeing it the entire time we were here… Also, I wanted to pay you back for the meal.”

Rayne looks into your eyes. Ugh… with that face, he can make me do anything. “That’s so sweet, Rayne, thank you!” You take the plush and smile brightly.

Rayne looks away and rubs the back of his neck with his hand. “So, did you want to do anything else?”

“Hmm, we can watch the nighttime fireworks if you want!”

“Fireworks?”

“Yeah! Since there’s a festival today, they’ll be releasing fireworks soon.”

Rayne looks up to the sky with a melancholic expression. “I’ve seen them before, but never really understood the point. Maybe this time it’ll be different though.”

Notes:

Thank you for reading my work! Let me know if you want me to write Chapter 4 :D

Chapter 4: Mixed Signals

Summary:

After an eventful afternoon on Marchétte Street, you watch the fireworks show with Rayne, but the Divine Visionary keeps giving you mixed signals…

“I hope so.” You give Rayne a warm smile. “How about we find a place to sit down?”

“Sure.” You walk to an open patch of grass and sit down with Rayne. You can see many people already gathering around together to view the fireworks, ranging from families to friends to couples.

You notice the grass is soft to the touch as you run your fingers through the greenery. You can feel the cool breeze of the evening wind gently carrying airy dandelion seeds and swaying your hair back and forth.

You look over at Rayne and see him gazing at the night sky with a solemn expression. You open your mouth to say something, but you can’t seem to find the right words. Maybe the less I say right now, the better.

You can’t remember the last time you went out like this… Lately, your days have been filled with studying, practicing magic, and sparring. It’s nice to just spend some time outside and breathe in the fresh air once in a while.

After some time, you hear a crackle and a pop. The fireworks show finally started! Sparks of all colors light up the sky, taking different shapes and forms. Wow… this is even better up close!

As the flashy introduction finishes up, you see the colors in the sky slowly form into various patterns. A fizz of red shoots up, erupting into a heart, immediately followed by dazzling lights in the shape of orange tangerines. The show continues with glittering yellow stars and green smiley faces. Some shot up immediately while others swirled like waterfalls of glitter, echoing teal and blue droplets. The rainbow comes to its end with purple sparks showered in the shapes of magic wands.

The loud crackling dims for a little bit before you hear it start once more. This time, the fireworks take the shape of countless animals, ranging from adorable cats and dogs to magnificent dragons. You even briefly see a bunny take shape in the sky before exploding into white particles of light.

You notice Rayne’s eyes slightly widen during that moment, but before you can look away, he meets your gaze.

“Hey Y/N. I… uh… just wanted to say… thank you… for today. It was… fun.” Rayne struggles to put his thoughts into words, but in any case, you can tell that he’s truly thankful. He puts his hand on his neck and slightly looks away.

“O-oh yeah, of course, Rayne! I had a lot of fun too! We can always go again if you’d like.”

“Yeah.”

You can feel the awkward tension between the two of you, so you decide to change the topic.

“So um… I had a question—” You pause, unsure of how to continue your train of thought.

“What is it?” Rayne responds, but you can’t seem to read his facial expression.

“Uh… how do I put this…” On second thought, the question you had in mind would be completely out of the blue… and a little awkward. “Sorry— never mind.” You chicken out, deciding to keep it to yourself this time.

Rayne slightly furrows his eyebrows. You can’t seem to keep eye contact and look away, placing your head in your arms.

After a short pause, you hear Rayne say, “Y/N, what did you want to ask me? I want to know.”

You can’t seem to understand what’s going through Rayne’s mind right now, but it is true that you left him hanging with that question, which would probe anyone’s curiosity. Either way, it’s not like Rayne’s the type to push this conversation further anyway…

“It’s… really nothing, haha. Don’t worry about it, Rayne.” You let out a nervous laugh.

“Y/N. Look at me.” Oh… no… that’s his serious voice. He really is going to push this—

“I won’t judge you. And… I still want to know your question.” Did I do something wrong that she doesn’t want to address…?

“And if I don’t want to…?” Your voice comes out muffled.

“Don’t want to what?” Usually, Finn would spill it at this point… And those that don’t, I can get it out of them with a simple Partisan— but she’s… different for some reason.

You suddenly feel two hands on your shoulders and you immediately shoot your head up, locking eyes with Rayne. I’m going to die... The proximity between you two is way too close and it’s getting harder to break eye contact than to keep it. You feel your cheeks flush as you struggle to get out any words. Although it was sudden, his grip is completely relaxed and actually feels pretty soft.

“I— uh— my question, right! I-I was just wondering… what, um, Max said earlier— is it true that you, uh, talk… a-about me to him…? I-I’m not sure if I heard him right t-though…!” You nervously blurt out everything, feeling your body temperature rise at an alarming rate.

Rayne’s eyes widen and he loosens his grip. Well that’s not something you see every day… You see his face flush beet red as he realizes the position he’s in.

Rayne freezes up, and you can see his eyes darting around, as if he’s trying to think of what to say. How do I get out of this…? Even if I try to lie, she already knows, so what’s the point? I need to think of something fast or she’ll get the wrong impression— Wait… why am I so worried about this? This isn’t like me at all… Even when Finn’s life was on the line, I was able to stay calm— so why can’t I now…? This is so frustrating— I need to say something— anything—

“I—”

“Are you okay—” You accidentally cut Rayne off. “I-I’m sorry, you go first.”

“O-Oh, it’s okay, you can go first…” Rayne looks away in embarrassment.

“Oh um… I was just wondering if you were okay…” You glance at Rayne, a bit worried.

“Yeah— I’m fine.” Rayne curtly replies, not saying anything else.

The awkward silence continues…

Well this isn’t getting anywhere… why can’t I think of anything to say? She’s putting more than enough effort into maintaining our conversation while I can’t even answer a simple question. I can’t figure out how she will react though… Whatever, there’s no point in hiding it, I’ll just say it—

“Um Rayne— I’m sorry if that question made you uncomfortable, y-you don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to…! I-I guess I just wanted to know why you’re always so nice to me, well like I never really know what y-you’re thinking, and it’s not like I’m Finn or part of your family, p-plus I’m just a one-liner, a-and I don’t know if I really deserve— I-I mean I don’t want to waste your time, you know, ’cause you’re a Divine Visionary and I-I’m sure you’re very busy so—”

As you keep rambling, Rayne suddenly stands up.

“Huh…?”

Rayne walks up to you and leans down, placing his hand on your shoulder.

“It’s because I think you’re a wonderful person.”

You feel Rayne let go as he walks past you.

You freeze for a second before quickly turning around, but you can only see the overwhelming crowd of people… and no sign of Rayne.

Notes:

Thank you for reading my work! Let me know if you want me to write Chapter 5 :D

Also, I'm super sorry for the late update and the short chapter!! I'll try to post Chapter 5 soon and make it much longer T^T

Also also, I know this story is like a Y/N self-insert thing, but I made a potential character design if any of you are interested in checking it out :D

Here's the link: https://x.com/rayofsunshyne_/status/1790153350186504279

Chapter 5: Conflicting Emotions

Summary:

After the Divine Visionary walks out on you at the fireworks show, you meet up with your friend and tell her everything that happened. At the same time, Rayne goes back to his dorm and has a pivotal conversation with his roommate.

You stand up, trying to collect your thoughts. Me? A wonderful person? And why did he… just leave? Honestly… this gives me more questions than answers.

You let out an exasperated sigh. I guess I’ll just go to Juni’s place early then…

You and Juniper go way back. You two were childhood friends ever since primary school. You remember Juniper’s parents would always make delicious pastries every time you came over to the cafe. It’s amazing how you two still stayed in touch even after going to different secondary schools.

You trudge towards the cafe, trying not to overthink what happened.

The cafe is almost at closing time, and as you walk in, you see Juniper’s mom cleaning some of the tables. She notices you and waves.

“Hey, Y/N! Long time no see! I’ve missed you so much!”

“Yeah, I’ve been really busy at Easton, haha, but I hope I’m not intruding! I know the cafe can get busy at this time…”

“Oh, no worries, Y/N! You’re always welcome here, sweetie.”

You notice a large group of people walk into the cafe.

“Ah sorry, I have to tend to these customers for now— If you’re looking for Juniper, she’s upstairs!”

Juniper’s mom hurries away, grabbing a few menus on the way.

You walk to the back of the cafe, briefly saying ‘hi’ to Juniper’s dad on the way. He looks too busy in the kitchen to stay for a chat, so you decide to head upstairs.

As you reach the second floor, you knock on Juniper’s room.

“Hey Juni! It’s me, Y/N!”

“Coming!”

Juniper opens the door, revealing a room filled to the brim with posters, plushies, and pillows. The decorations in her room have a very cute aesthetic, and she is always updating her room’s look.

“Y/N!!!”

Juniper hugs you. It’s really been a while since we last spent time together…

“I missed hanging out with you so much! Come on in!”

You follow her inside. “I hope my room isn’t too messy, haha.”

Juniper takes a look at the clock. “Woah, you’re actually pretty early, did something happen?”

You avert your gaze, unsure of how to respond. “W-well… maybe? I don’t really know…”

“Ooh, this sounds interesting~! You gotta tell me everything!! C’mon, let’s get comfy.”

You two take it to the couch, snuggling under some blankets. As the evening drew nearer, it felt much colder going around in just a shirt and a skirt.

“So~ what happened? Did you—”

You cut her off. “W-wait, before you jump to conclusions— it’s not what you’re thinking!”

“Hmm… okay~” Juniper gives you an unconvinced look.

“So… the guy I was with earlier, Rayne, he’s just someone I occasionally spar with at Easton. Well… actually, you don’t even know how we met.”

“Ooh true, catch me up, Y/N!!”

“So remember that Innocent Zero strike that was all over the news last year?”

“Mhm.”

“Well, I ended up getting caught up in that… as did all the other Easton students.”

“Wait, really?!” Juniper gives you a bewildered look.

“Yeah… it’s a long story, but anyway, I actually got pretty lucky and was able to hide for the entire time. But then, I saw one of my classmates and well… I couldn’t help it. I wanted to save him, so I took the blow for him and I ended up in the hospital…”

“No way… how come you never told me about this?? I hope you’re doing better now… Living at Easton seems pretty dangerous, I’m worried for you…”

“Oh, don’t worry Juni!! I’m still alive and kicking, haha. But the crazy part is… that’s where I met Rayne— well, I already knew of him, I mean, he’s a Divine Visionary! But yeah, he was just there when I woke up in the hospital bed. Because the classmate I saved was actually his brother.”

“Woahh, so you already knew his brother?” Juniper asks.

“Yeah, he’s a good kid! Well, after that, I didn’t see him again until the day I was discharged from the hospital. It seemed like he had something to say so I walked up to him. He said something along the lines of wanting to pay me back— I wasn’t really sure what to say, but since he’s a pretty powerful magic user, I asked him for some pointers on my own magic.”

“Ooh~ I see where this is going…” Juniper chimes in.

“Haha, just you wait… From there, I somehow ended up having weekly sparring sessions with him. It still feels pretty surreal, to be honest. To have someone like Rayne… personally taking time out of his day just to spar with me.”

“Well, it sounds to me like he likes you!” Juniper exclaims.

“W-w-wait!! You don’t have the full picture yet, Juni! And how can you even be so sure, nobody ever knows what he’s thinking… ugh, whatever! J-just keep listening for now…”

“Okayy~”

“So anyways— we had a sparring session today, and guess what, I actually beat him! Well, I kinda feel like he was going easy on me… Either way, after that, I suggested that we go out to relax for a bit—”

“You invited him out on a date and you still think that he doesn’t like you—”

“Juni!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll keep listening… sorry, I got too excited, haha.”

“I-it wasn’t a date or anything, just a friend hangout. But um, before that, his roommate showed up at the arena and told him to feed the rabbits he has in his dorm room. So we ended up heading together to his room and I got to meet all of his rabbits! He actually has so many…”

You look over at Juniper and see her trying really hard not to say anything.

“Ugh… I know what you’re thinking, Juni, you’re so obvious!”

“I can’t help it!!” She sighs.

“I’ll just keep going… After that, I suggested that we get some food on Marchétte Street. We first came here, and well, you know how that went down. Then, we played some street games and watched the fireworks show.”

“Ooh, didn’t that show just finish? You didn’t watch the full thing?”

“I’m getting there… I didn’t mention this earlier, but when Rayne’s roommate stopped by, that was the first time I met him. I remembered him saying something along the lines of Rayne talking a lot about me to him. I wasn’t sure if I heard that right, but I just wanted to clarify with Rayne if that was true. So… um, I guess it was probably bad timing in hindsight, but I asked him about it during the fireworks show…”

“Oh no…”

“Yeah… he seemed kind of flustered— I probably should have just kept it to myself… What kind of caught me off guard though was that, after a few awkward silences, he stood up and said, ‘It’s because I think you’re a wonderful person.’ And then… he just left. Like, literally! I turned around almost immediately but he was already gone, just like that! Ugh… I still feel so bad… It’s all my fault… I don’t even know how I’ll be able to face him back at school… But yeah, Juni, that’s the entire story. Do with that what you will…”

“Oh my gosh, Y/N, that lowkey feels like it came out of a fanfic— but I’m sure that it’s not your fault! It’s not like you asked him a super sensitive question…”

“I mean, true, and he did want to know what my question was… so I guess it’s kind of his fault as well—”

“Exactly!! Okay, but going back to the elephant in the room, doesn’t this scream that he has a crush on you— or at least likes you?!”

“I-I honestly don’t know, Juni… he’s very hard to read. It could just be that he’s an awkward person or really shy…?”

“Hmm, okay, how about we take a step back… Do you like him?” Juniper intently waits for your response.

“M-me?! Uh… um…” Your face flushes a deep shade of red. “W-well, he’s a Divine Visionary, w-who wouldn’t like him, you know…?”

“You know what I mean!”

“I-I’m not really sure— I mean, I do get butterflies in my stomach whenever I’m around him, b-but he just also has that kind of presence, y’know what I mean? Like— what I’m trying to say is— m-maybe I just think he’s cool and it’s more like how a fan feels when they meet their celebrity? W-well, in any case, I really doubt he likes anyone romantically… I don’t know… he feels very closed off.”

“Girl, it sounds like you like him. Even if you were a fan before, you’ve spent enough time for him to become your friend. But if you want to take it slow and figure out your feelings, I totally get that! Not to be so pushy…”

“Yeah, no worries, Juni… It’s just a little complicated, haha.”

“Mhmm, I can tell.” Juniper smiles.

“Um… but, Juni, do you really think that he l-likes me…?”

“Yeah, definitely! It’s soo obvious! Although you describe him as a generally closed-off person, it seems like he doesn’t mind spending time with you, and quite a lot of time at that. Yeah, maybe the first few times, it could have been out of guilt for what happened, but the fact that you have been sparring with him continuously for months shows that he, at the very least, formed a strong bond with you and cares about you.”

“How can you be so sure that it’s still not out of guilt?” You lower your gaze, still unconvinced.

“Well that’s where the rest of your story comes in! You’ve grown close enough for him to invite you to his room, even though it was just to feed his rabbits. I doubt that he would be that welcoming to someone he didn’t consider close, even if he still felt guilty. And on top of that… him saying that he thinks you’re a wonderful person and basically confirming that he talks about you to his roommate all the time is such a big tell!! No guy would just randomly say something like that, and the way you described it didn’t feel platonic at all. And~ to add a little something that I personally saw… I caught him staring at you a few times while you were looking out of the window. The look he was giving… was definitely something special. If all of this doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will…”

You feel your cheeks start burning up. “H-he was… staring at me?”

“Oh yeah, totally.”

“I—” You can’t think of how to respond. “Oh um, also, why do you think he just left me alone at the fireworks show? Doesn’t that go against everything you just said?”

“Haha, that’s easy! He probably got too flustered and ran away out of embarrassment. I doubt even I could say that with a straight face…”

“So you don’t think he hates me…?”

“Girl, where did that come from?? Of course not! I’m sure he just needed some time to calm his nerves.”

“That’s reassuring…”

“I’m sure if you ask him, he will say the same thing. Well— he probably won’t admit to being flustered, but he isn’t going to say that he hates you. So if you really wanna go for him, I’d say you should do it! He’s giving off all of the signs, I’m sure you got this in the bag!”

“Haha thanks… I’ll let you know if I make up my mind.”

“Of course! I’m always here for you if anything happens!”

Juniper gives you a warm hug and you two continue talking about all sorts of things till the sun comes up.

Meanwhile…

Rayne quickly pushes himself through the crowd and runs into a secluded alleyway.

His face is burning, and his cheeks are colored the brightest shade of red. He buries his head in his hands, ruffling his hair, as he breathes in and out.

What’s gotten into me…? It felt like my mouth just started moving on its own… and when I realized, it was too late. So I panicked and ran away.

That’s so… pathetic. I made the situation awkward and then decided to run away from it, rather than face it head-on. This isn’t like me at all…

But what can I even do now…? Even if I went back to apologize, I’m sure she has already left at this point. This is all my fault… I guess I’ll just head back.

Rayne rushes back to Easton, returning back to his dorm. Once he unlocks the door, all of his rabbits immediately surround him, demanding treats. Rayne instantly feels more at ease as he begins cutting up carrots.

“Oh, you’re back already?”

Rayne slightly jumps upon hearing a familiar voice — it was Max. I didn’t realize it was this late… or that he was here already… seriously, what’s happening to me?

Rayne continues to cut the carrots, as if he didn’t hear him.

“You haven’t even put your bag down, Rayne. You know the rabbits can wait just a few seconds…”

“It’s okay. The bag isn’t that heavy,” Rayne replies.

“Hmm. I feel like you’re acting differently today, Rayne.” Max gives Rayne a curious look.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rayne mumbles.

“Okay, now that just made me even more suspicious.”

“Tch.” Rayne continues to feed his rabbits.

“Is this about her?”

Rayne pauses before replying, “…Maybe.”

“I knew it.” Max grins.

“It’s none of your business though. You’re not getting anything out of me. I’m not in the mood anyway…” Rayne huffs.

“You’ve been talking about her non-stop, but now it’s suddenly not my business ? I’m not falling for that, Rayne.”

Rayne doesn’t say anything and takes a seat at his desk.

“So… what happened?” Max inquires.

Rayne sighs loudly. “I… screwed up.”

“In what way?”

“Well we were watching the fireworks show… and I said something impulsively, so I just… left her there.” Rayne clenches his jaw.

“You left her there…? Wait— hold on. Back up a bit. What did you even say?”

Rayne averts his gaze. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Oh come on, if you want to resolve this, you have to tell me at least that.”

Rayne’s cheeks flush a shade of pink. “It’s embarrassing…”

“What, did you confess or something?”

Rayne’s ears turn red. “Wh— No! Why would I even do that?”

“I mean… don’t you like her?”

“We’re just friends. And… it doesn’t matter how I feel about her.” Rayne sulks.

“So you do feel something for her…” Max smirks.

“I never said— whatever, I’m going to bed.” Rayne flashes Max an annoyed look and gets up.

“Hold on— Don’t you want to work things out with her? I’ll stop teasing you, I promise!”

Rayne furrows his brows, pausing to think about Max’s reply. He huffs a defeated sigh.

“Fine.”

“So what did you say?”

“I told her that I think she’s a wonderful person,” Rayne mumbles.

“And then… you ran away out of embarrassment?”

“You don’t have to put it that way… but… I guess so.”

“Hmm, yeah, this is definitely not like you at all. Are you going to apologize to her?”

“I would like to… but it’s probably too late.” Rayne hunches his shoulders.

“It’s not at all! I’m sure she will understand if you just explain—”

“Explain what? That’s basically admitting a confession— I mean—”

“And what’s wrong with that? From what you’ve told me about her, it sounds like she probably likes you too!”

“After that, I’m sure she doesn’t. And when did I ever say that I like her in that way or want to confess—” Rayne ruffles his hair.

“It’s quite obvious. Everyone sees it but you, Rayne.”

“Whatever… Hypothetically… even if I liked her, I can’t afford to be in a relationship. Not right now, and probably not in the future either. I have to focus on keeping Finn safe and make sure I keep up with my Divine Visionary work. It’s just not realistic.”

“Come on Rayne, you can have fun once in a while! You have to relax, man. I’m sure Finn can handle himself perfectly fine on his own. Plus, he’s got a lot of friends now! And it’s not like Divine Visionaries aren’t allowed to have partners. The only person restricting you is yourself.”

“Hmph.” Restricting myself? I’m concentrating on what’s important right now. Another incident like Innocent Zero can happen again and this is not the time to be relaxing so much.

Rayne starts preparing for bed.

“So… what are you going to do about it then?” Max questions.

“I’ll apologize to her, but that’s it. There’s nothing between us anyway and it will have to stay that way.” Rayne narrows his eyes. I’ll have to distance myself from her so I don’t lead her on or hurt her. But I’ll worry about that starting tomorrow.

“Wait— Rayne, you’re going to give up, just like that?”

Rayne climbs into his bed and turns to face the wall. He lays his head on the singular pillow and throws the blanket over his body.

“There’s nothing that I’m giving up on. I’m just focusing on what’s right.”

Notes:

Early post to make up for the last chapter yippeee :DDD

Thank you for reading my work! Let me know if you want me to write Chapter 6 :D

Chapter 6: Strained Circumstance

Summary:

After an eventful night out, you rarely see the Divine Visionary throughout the week. It seems like all hope is lost until you bump into a certain brown-haired friend…

A few days passed by since you and Rayne last talked. You haven’t even seen him in passing, almost like he was avoiding you— but who knows, he might just be very busy…

You slowly trudge your way to Potions class, stifling a yawn. You haven’t gotten good sleep the past few days, especially with the workload amping up. Finals season is coming up, meaning you have lots of studying to do, not to mention all of the homework and projects in between.

But as much as you would like to focus on all of that, the whole situation with Rayne just won’t escape your mind. Although Juniper made some good points, you can’t shake the feeling that something’s off.

You rub your eyes, trying to wake yourself up, before noticing a familiar figure in the hallway. Yellow… and black hair… wait— isn’t that Rayne?! It felt like he just appeared out of thin air…

You sneak a glance at him and wave “hi,” but it seems like he didn’t notice you. However, just a second later, you see Rayne’s eye twitch and he begins to walk slightly faster past you.

Strange… but maybe I’m just sleepy and not seeing things right… You shrug it off and decide to head to class.

A few days pass…

You haven’t seen Rayne since that short encounter, but it soon came time for your weekly sparring session.

You slowly open the tall arena doors, peering inside. Rayne is already waiting at the center of the arena. It seems like he showed up early…

You quickly catch up to Rayne and wave. “Hey! Sorry to keep you waiting!”

“Hey.” Rayne pauses.

This is a little awkward… Maybe I should start some small talk first…? “Um, so—”

“Ready to begin?” Rayne cuts you off.

“O-oh, sure…” I guess he’s eager to start or something…

“Rapid Partisan!” A large amount of swords fly in your direction.

Holy sh— “Bubble Shield!” You frantically yell, narrowly evading the barrage of swords. He’s already got me cornered… though that’s to be expected from a Divine Visionary, I guess—

“Large Partisan!” A giant sword strikes your shield. You can see it start to form some cracks… This is bad… maybe I need to try something different.

“Bubble Rain!” As soon as your shield dissipates, you dodge to the left, just missing the large falling sword. A shower of bubbles quickly follows, Rayne meticulously dodging each one.

Maybe I can get him with my magic this time…! “Bubble Spikes!” However, right before the spikes emerge from the ground, you see Rayne jump into the air.

“Partisan Surf!” A levitating sword appears under Rayne’s feet. Using it like a surfboard, he rides on it at immense speeds, and before you know it, you’re pinned against the wall. Well, that’s how most of our fights go, so…

You take a deep breath, only just realizing how tired you are. “I guess that was payback for last time, haha~” You stifle a smile, trying to break the tension.

Rayne’s eyes slightly widen and he lets you go. “Sorry…” Rayne mumbles something that you can’t make out.

“Sorry, can you say that again? I couldn’t really hear you the first time…” You look at Rayne.

“I’m sorry that I left you the other day. And I apologize if I pushed you too hard today, I just wanted to have enough time to talk afterward…” Rayne averts his gaze.

“O-oh, thanks for apologizing! And no worries about the fight, it’s all good. What did you want to talk about?” I can’t really think of what he might say…

“Ahem— I would like to take a break from our sparring sessions for a little bit. I have a lot of work piled up on top of Divine Visionary duties, so I want to apologize in advance about this…” Rayne had a strange expression on his face, almost as if he was forcing this out. It’s no time to speculate though.

“Oh yeah, no worries at all! I completely understand, I’ve been pretty busy with schoolwork and finals too, haha… Just let me know when you’re ready to start again!”

“Sure—”

“Oh and if I can help you out with anything, don’t be a stranger! I’m sure it’s hard being a student at Easton and working as a Divine Visionary at the same time…”

“Thanks. I’ll, uh, have to get going now…” Rayne starts to walk away.

“O-okay, catch you later! Good luck with everything!” You reply as you hastily get your bearings.

Before you know it, Rayne is gone. And this time, who knows for how long…

As you head outside of the arena, you bump into someone…!

“M-Max?!” Rayne’s brown-haired roommate was standing before you, seemingly in a rush.

“Oh, h-hey! Sorry for pushing you— wait, you’re Rayne’s friend, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah…! If you’re looking for Rayne though, he already left…”

“I see…” Max frowns. “Did he, uh, say anything strange to you…?”

“Hmm…” You think for a bit. “Well he seemed in a rush today… Oh, and he wanted to take a break from our sparring sessions for a bit, but he’s got a lot on his plate, so it’s totally understandable!”

“So he’s doing this again…” Max mumbles under his breath.

“Doing what…?” You could barely hear what Max said.

“Oh, ahem— nothing.” Max furrows his brows, seeming a bit frustrated. It’s not up to me to explain Rayne’s actions, he needs to do it himself. But maybe I can give him a little push…

Max switches up the topic. “I’m guessing you’re a third-year?”

“Mhm, how could you tell?”

Max points to the textbooks in your hands. “I remember taking those classes last year, haha…”

“Ahh I see… so you’re a fourth-year then?”

“Yup. Same as Rayne. How has finals week been treating you?”

“Pretty rough… but I’m trying my best! Lots of studying though…”

“Haha, same here… my fourth year has been a little more forgiving though! Say, do you need any help studying for the upcoming exams?”

“Hmm, I could use some pointers for Transfiguration… I’m also struggling with memorization for Magic History, but maybe I just haven’t practiced enough… ”

“I can definitely help you out with those! I did pretty well in those classes, and I have some past exams as well. Switching up your learning strategies might be the change you need…”

“Yeah, that’d be great! Only if you have time of course— I understand you must be busy too…”

“It’s all good! I’m working part-time as a TA, so think of this as just extra practice for me.”

“Let me at least treat you to a meal after exams though!”

“Sure! You wanna start studying together tomorrow?”

“Yup, I should be free after classes.”

“Alright, meet you at the library then?”

“Mhm, see you!”

Max quickly takes off, probably in a rush to his next class. I haven’t known Max for long, but it seems like he would be a good friend.

I guess only time can tell though…

Notes:

Hey guys!! I'm so sorry for the super late update... T_T

I've been kinda demotivated to continue this fanfic for a while, but fear not, I have returned >:D

Here's to hoping I'll have more regular updates from now on lolol~

Thank you for reading my work! Let me know if you want me to write Chapter 7 :D

Chapter 7: Unforeseen Guest

Summary:

After a quick chat with the Divine Visionary’s roommate, you two meet up at the library the following day. However, you notice a certain half-blond is also studying there…

Tomorrow, after class…

Max told me to meet him at the library… I hope I’m not too late.

You rush down the halls, carrying your textbooks in an over-the-shoulder messenger bag. Not long after, you reach Easton’s main library…

Walking inside, you notice enormous bookshelves filled to the brim along every wall. The library is already jam-packed with students diligently studying for their finals. How am I supposed to find him here…

You sigh, realizing you only have one choice: Go up and down the aisles until you eventually locate Max. Combing down the rows of tables, you attentively look for the brown-haired student. It feels like almost forever, but as you slowly trudge down the last aisle, you finally see a familiar face…!

“Max!” You happily exclaim, before quickly putting your hand over your mouth. A few students at the nearby tables turn around after hearing you shout.

You walk up to Max, feeling slightly embarrassed. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to yell—”

Max gets up, letting out a little laugh. “Haha, it’s all good, glad to see you here! How’s it going?”

“Well, to be honest, I’ve been pretty tired lately… but I’m doing okay!”

“Makes sense… that’s what finals week does to you…” Max pauses, letting out a reassuring smile. “But we’re going to get through this! Did you bring your textbooks?”

“Yup!”

You start taking out your books and just as you’re about to set them down on the table, you notice a familiar face.

It was Rayne.

You lock eyes with him for a second before whipping your head back to the textbooks in your hands. You gingerly place the books on the table, unsure of what to do next…

I know he’s Max’s roommate, but why is he here?? How am I supposed to focus now— a-and why didn’t he say anything…? Did he know that I was going to be here…? To be honest, he looked kind of surprised, now that I think about it—

“Oh! My bad, Y/N, I forgot to mention that Rayne might be here sometimes too. He’s usually busy, but we study together from time to time!” Max smiles and gestures to Rayne.

Rayne glares back at Max before resuming his studying.

“Uhh I think he’s in a bad mood today or something…” Max nervously laughs. “Shall we begin?”

You nod. “O-okay.”

“Okaaay! So you said you were struggling with Transfiguration and Magic History, right?”

“Yeah…” You timidly glance at Rayne. Maybe I’m the only one feeling a little awkward here…? Rayne looks up, briefly making eye contact again.

Urk! You immediately break your gaze and look back at Max, who seems to be patiently waiting for you. I-I need to focus on studying right now…!

“Okay so, how about we start with Magic History first? Since that will be purely a written exam, it might be easier if we begin with that.”

“Y-yeah, that sounds good.” Focus, Y/N. Focus!

“So how is your general knowledge about the Magic Realm, magic society, and the overall history of magic?

“Well, I feel like my general understanding is pretty good.” You pull out a notebook. “I took many notes in class, just in case I needed something to reference back to quickly.”

Max flips around the notebook to face him. “Woahhh, your handwriting is really neat! These are great notes, I’m impressed!”

“Haha, thanks…” You shift in your seat. For some reason, I feel this looming aura coming from beside me…

“So, it seems like your note-taking skills are perfectly fine, but you need help with memorizing, right?”

“Yeah… to be honest, I thought that I would’ve been better at memorization after writing very detailed notes, but my practice exam results told a different story…”

“Hmm… could you be so focused on writing down notes that you don’t really pay attention to what the professor is lecturing about in class?”

“Wait— I think you might be onto something! It’s just so hard to take notes and pay attention at the same time if I’m trying to write down every important thing they’re saying—” You sigh. “If only I realized that sooner…”

“Hey, it’s not too late! We still have a few weeks before finals and I can definitely teach you all the best techniques before then. You’ll do great, I can feel it!” Max grins.

You feel much more assured with Max on your side. “I’ll definitely give it my best shot! Thank you so much Max!!” You warmly smile.

“Haha, no need to thank me yet… but let’s get started!”

You study with Max for a few hours, carefully noting down the techniques he mentioned. After enough time preparing for Magic History, you begin to shift gears toward Transfiguration.

While Max is talking, you sneak a peek at Rayne. You notice him stifle a sigh as he begins to pack his textbooks away. As Rayne gets up, you quickly glance back at Max, fearing you will make eye contact again.

Rayne begins to quietly walk away when Max suddenly gets up.

“Hey Rayne! You forgot your pencil case!”

Rayne waves off Max. “Just give it to me later.”

Max furrows his brow, seemingly a little frustrated, when suddenly everything falls out of the pencil case.

You jump a little, feeling startled. Was that… an accident?

Max picks up one of the items that fell on the floor. “Oh? What’s this?”

Rayne freezes.

A crumpled piece of paper…? I wonder what’s on it—

In an instant, Rayne comes back and snatches the piece of paper from Max’s hand. “It’s… just some trash I forgot to throw out.”

“Oh, really? Why would you keep trash in your pencil case?” Max looks genuinely surprised.

“I just… couldn’t find a trash can.” Rayne begins to pick up the other items that fell out of his pencil case. Lots and lots of rabbit-themed office supplies.

You try to help out, but Rayne places his hand over yours. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. You can just go back to what you were doing.”

You blush a little, but before you can say anything back, Max cuts in: “You know~ Rayne was actually at the top of his class in Transfiguration. He even helped me master some of the more difficult spells. To be honest, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have passed with such a high grade.”

“Woah, really?! That’s amazing, Rayne!” He’s definitely more compassionate than he lets on…

Rayne’s eyes slightly widen before he clears his throat. “Ahem— thank you for the compliments but I really wasn’t—”

“Oh, don’t give me your excuses, Rayne.” Max is quick to interrupt. “Say, how about you stay for a little longer with us? I’m sure Y/N will appreciate it if you have any pointers for those complex Transfiguration spells as well.”

“I’m really busy, you know—” Rayne pauses and looks at you. “Um…” He shifts his gaze, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “...Fine. I’ll stay.”

Max grins. “Great!”

The three of you take your seats back at the table and study for another hour before parting ways.

“Alright, that’s a wrap for today! How was it? Did we do well?” Max eagerly questions you as you pack up your textbooks.

“Absolutely!! This study session was so helpful! I’m forever indebted to you guys…”

“Haha, well, all that matters is that you do well on your exams! I’ll see you again tomorrow then?”

“Sounds good!” You smile, giving Max a thumbs-up.

“Alright, well I’ll head back with Rayne. He seems a little tired, haha~” Max pats Rayne’s shoulder.

“I’m fine.” Rayne replies, moving Max’s hand off of his shoulder.

“Sure, sure~ Have a good night, Y/N!” Max waves goodbye as he and Rayne take their leave.

“See you! Rest up, Rayne!” You wave back and start heading back to your dorm.

 

BONUS:

Meanwhile, back at Max and Rayne’s dorm…

Huh? He’s already asleep…? I swear he sat down just five minutes ago…

Rayne is peacefully sleeping at his desk, his head neatly cushioned in his elbow. The small rabbit lamp on his desk is still shining, partially illuminating his face.

Hmm… wait. Is this—

The same crumpled piece of paper from earlier was lying in Rayne’s open hand.

I know I shouldn’t… but… it’ll just be a quick look—

Max carefully took the piece of paper out of Rayne’s hand and opened it, revealing…

Notes:

Thank you for reading my work! Let me know if you want me to write Chapter 8 :D

Chapter 8: Rising Tensions

Summary:

After another successful study session with the Divine Visionary’s roommate, you join him on an excursion to an antique tea shop. However, an argument quickly ensues when the other anticipated guest shows up…

The following day…

You meet Max again at the library. Rayne isn’t there this time though…

“Hey Max!”

Max gets up as soon as he notices you. “Oh hey, Y/N! How’s it going?”

“I’m doing good! How about you?”

“Same as well…”

After some small talk, you two spend plenty of hours studying together. By the time you called it a day, it was already evening.

“I’m so tired…” Your head was starting to hurt from all of the information you went over today.

“Haha same here…” Max stifles a yawn. “Hmm… actually if you’re not too busy, do you wanna join me at this tea shop? We're planning on getting some relaxation tea.”

“We…?”

“Oh! Rayne is coming too! If that’s okay with you…” Max quickly adds.

“Oh, um, yeah I’m fine with that, but what about Rayne? I’m assuming he doesn’t know…” You shift your gaze to the chair he was sitting in yesterday.

“I-I’m sure he won’t mind! You two are friends anyways, right?” Max lets out a nervous smile.

“Y-yeah, sorry I’m just not really sure what he thinks of me right now…” You furrow your brows. Maybe I should really just stop overthinking and—

“What he thinks of you? You mean like, if he thinks of you as a friend too or not?” Max’s eyes light up with curiosity.

“I guess so…? Maybe I’m the only one who actually thinks we’re friends— I mean, I can never really tell what goes on in his head, y’know?”

Max chuckles. “Haha, he was like that with me at first too, it just takes some time for him to warm up to you. He’s a really sweet and kind-hearted person on the inside, I can at least attest to that! But… maybe he could be acting this way because he doesn’t think of you as just a friend…?”

“Yeah, maybe he didn’t really feel comfortable hanging around someone that he just pities, honestly he probably doesn’t even—” Wait. “Just” as a friend? Did I hear that right—

“Oh, I meant that he might think of you as more than a friend but anyways…” Max continues talking, but every word he says after that flies over your head. More than a friend? He was speaking fast but I swear that’s what he said. First Juni and now Max?? How can they both come to this conclusion when all I’m getting are mixed signals from him. I just have this feeling that he either pities or hates me at this point… maybe both?! But, even so, I can’t just keep speculating… I have to—

“Y/N? Y/NNN? You there?” Max waves his hand in front of your face.

You blink and snap back to reality. “Oh my gosh, I-I’m so sorry!! I-I think I zoned out for a bit and I totally missed everything you just said—”

“Haha, don’t worry. You were just giving me this blank stare for a while and then I realized something must be off… but it’s okay! I was honestly talking for too long anyways, do you just want to just start heading over to the tea place?”

Your cheeks flush in embarrassment. “Y-yeah, I feel like I’ll need it…”

The two of you start heading out of Easton and go to a smaller, more peaceful sector of the city.

Max tries to start some small talk on the way. “So… this place actually doesn’t get a lot of people because it’s a little secluded and surrounded by nature. But that’s what adds to the vibe! It really helps you relax and take in your surroundings without having to deal with all of the noise of the city.”

You try to forget everything that happened earlier and focus on the current conversation. “Woah, that’s amazing! I didn’t even know a place like this existed in the Magic Realm. It seems like it would be really popular among the Easton students, especially since it’s so close…”

Max chimes in. “Right? I thought that too when Rayne first suggested this place.” He pauses for a second to think. “Though actually… this could be a blessing in disguise. The smaller the crowd, the less overwhelming the experience is. I do think it’d be nice if more students knew about it though. The storeowners are really kind and accommodating… Oh! We’re here!”

A quaint tea shop stood in front of you. The building seemed to be old but well-maintained. Most of the nature around the area was not altered too much apart from some benches and signs placed around.

“It’s so beautiful…” You let yourself take it all in before heading inside.

You follow Max through the entrance and get greeted by one of the storeowners.

Max takes a look around. “It seems like Rayne isn’t here yet… he’s probably running a bit late. Do you wanna find a place to sit for now?”

You nod. “Mhm, sounds good.”

As you two pick a table, the waitress hands over the menu. There is a large selection of various teas, as well as a few desserts available. You ask Max for tea recommendations and about his favorite items on the menu.

While the two of you chat away…

A certain yellow and black haired Divine Visionary is rushing out of Easton, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with a hot pink rabbit-themed handkerchief.

I had to work overtime again today… I hope Max didn’t have to wait too long. No matter what, I have to keep going… for Finn. I can push through anything as long as I focus—

As soon as Rayne enters the tea shop, his entire body freezes. Is that… Y/N? That’s actually her. I wasn’t completely sure yesterday, but now I definitely know that Max has something to do with this. What should I do now…?

Before Rayne has enough time to come up with a plan, the waitress approaches him.

“Welcome! I remember you came by last month with your friend. He’s over there if you’re looking for him!” The waitress points to the table that Max and Y/N are sitting at.

“Oh I, uh, I actually…” As Rayne tries to come up with an excuse, Max makes eye contact with him.

Rayne quickly hides behind a nearby pillar. “Sorry, just give me a second,” he replies to the waitress.

“No worries, take your time!” The waitress smiles and walks away.

Rayne notices Max get out of his seat and begin walking towards him. This… is bad. I’ll just— Rayne begins to walk towards the exit when Max suddenly grabs his robe.

“Where are you going?” Max asks.

Rayne pauses but doesn’t turn around. “I’m… going to the restroom.”

“It’s the other way though. That’s the exit.”

Rayne sighs. “...Why is she here too?”

“I invited her,” Max replies.

“I didn’t mean—” Rayne pauses and takes a deep breath. “Max. I know you’re doing this on purpose. I didn’t say anything the first time because I thought that it could have been a coincidence. But today too… really? I thought we talked about this.”

Max furrows his brows. “As much as your relationship with her isn’t exactly my business, I know where this is going. You’re going to distance yourself from her so you don’t hurt her, but in the end, she’ll just end up hurt and confused by your actions. You did the same thing with Finn, and look at how he ended—”

“ Don’t mention Finn.” Rayne cuts him off. “I’m not in the mood to talk about this right now, Max.”

“...Fine. But you’re not going to do this to her too, I’ll make sure of that.” Max gives Rayne a determined look.

“You’re making it sound like I’m deliberately trying to harm her. I’m just—”

Max cuts Rayne off. “Just what? Protecting her? Is that worth all of the emotional pain you’re going to cause—”

Those words seemed to have struck a nerve in Rayne, as he immediately storms off without a word back.

“Wait, Rayne! Where do you think you’re going? We haven’t finished—”

Before Max can catch up, Rayne casts a teleportation spell on himself.

“...Talking.”

Notes:

Thank you for reading my work! Let me know if you want me to write Chapter 9 :D