rin didn't exactly know what came over him in the moment, but something about seeing y/n at the same party that he was performing at made him feel a little more bold. he watched her gossip with kotone and he took note of the few and meaningful glances that she sent him.
when the music began to play, he watched her take her first shot.
maybe it was the alcohol telling him that he had to make sure that everybody knew that his band was still on top, or maybe it really was the nerve that makoto referenced earlier. either way, he felt vocal.
"you guys know that new girl?" he asked loudly and wrapped his hand around the microphone.
he received plentiful cheers and claps, but most importantly, he had y/n's attention.
"well, she told me that she was going to take our spot," rin laughed.
people cheered again, as if part of system programmed to love everything that rin said.
the subtle and pointed glances that haruka, makoto, and nagisa all sent each other were all hidden in the shadows of their sweaty hair hanging in front of their eyes.
"and i want her to see that that is an absolute pile of bullshit."
rin's eyes bored into y/n's from across the room. it was impressive that y/n managed to hold eye contact even after taking shot after shot of the most bitter alcohol that the pantry had.
"i hope you're listening, kitamura. this one's for you."
y/n rolled her eyes and tried her hardest to tune out the music so she could give all of her attention to kotone. but sometimes, it was hard not to feel like rin was stabbing her any chance that he got.
"well, i think i'm gonna burn in hell... everybody burn her house right down."
it made y/n pull her face into one of anger, but she was able to control herself for once and avoid lashing out like she tended to do. she was calmed by feeling kotone by her side and taking every shot with her until they both had hit their limit for at least the next few hours. kotone pulled away for the first time to find herself an open bathroom, and y/n stayed hunched over the kitchen island, scrolling her phone and taking sips of the warm water in her own solo cup.
considering that rin was slandering her in front of the many, many people at this party, y/n was shocked when she felt someone other than kotone tap her shoulder. she turned to find their eyes, though she seemed to sway and tip off balance with how buzzed she was.
she was steadied by two large hands on her shoulders, and her vision began to clear with the feeling of how gentle the touch was. she looked up and she found the amazingly pretty eyes of a boy who was taller than her. they were a gorgeous hazel that made her blood burn, but they were shadowed by his shoulder length and messy black hair.
"hey," he said just loud enough for her to hear.
"hey," she said back, making no move to leave his hold.
"you're kitamura, right?"
"guilty," she chuckled, taking another sip of her water. "just call me y/n."
"not a fan of your family?" he asked, shifting to stand closer so someone could walk behind him.
"not a fan of the reputation. i want to be known for me," she admitted.
"understandable," he said with a nod. "i think everybody at gakugei can sympathize with that."
"not everybody."
the boy that stood in front of her followed her eyes up to rin who was still singing and he laughed.
"you don't have to give matsuoka the attention," he told her. "he thrives off of people hating him."
