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This was a bad idea.
This was a really bad idea.
Those were the thoughts that Fang Runin had immediately upon entering, the flashing lights of the party blinding her as she awkwardly managed her way through a crowd of bodies. She was going to kill Venka when she finally found her. Rin had been content to spend the weekend at home. Sleeping in, spending time with the Cike, maybe giving Kitay a bit of a heart attack, then top it off with a rewatch of Star Wars and head to bed.
But no. Instead, she was at a party instead of using per precious free time to sleep in because Kitay was scared Venka might actually kill him if he stayed in another night, wearing a dress owned by Venka because, verbatim, there was “no way in hell you are going in your usual clothes” and wherever Kitay was, Rin went as well.
So here she was, at a party hosted by someone she forgot the name of, looking around for her friends who had disappeared into the crowd as soon as they walked in. But Rin was determined to look for them. How hard could it be to find two people in a sea of bodies? Just follow the attention and she’d find Venka! And probably Kitay, who Venka dragged with her somewhere.
Rin got shoved by some asshole too drunk to watch where he was going, making Rin trip over her own feet embarrassingly before she levelled the jerk with a glare. He didn’t even look back at her. Gods, what was she doing here? It was apparently really hard to find them. How could an area be so small yet so big at the same time?
She groaned, not seeing them even after scanning the crowd for the third time. Giving up, she decided to instead make her way to the drinks. Those two would show up eventually. Most likely. Rin would just have to wait for them. She grabbed a drink, cringing at the taste before gulping it all down. She’d need at least five of those before the night was through. Finding a decent corner, she pulled out her phone. Pulling up Kitay’s contact before shooting him a quick *where are you guys* then having to wait an agonisingly long time for a response. In the meantime, she grabbed another drink, taking slow sips while scanning the party for them again. She was so caught up in her investigation for them, that she didn’t even notice the presence beside her until it spoke.
“Don’t see you much around here.”
Rin froze. She could already feel her blood starting to boil as she turned to face the source of the sound. Him. Yin Nezha. The annoying, pretentious fucker whose face had as much beauty as his parents had money. She scowled, making a point not to look at him as she downed her drink in one go, chewing on the inside of her lip before gracing him with a response.
“Fuck off, Nezha.”
He laughed, that annoying, smooth, spoiled sound while he leaned on the wall next to her. Nezha was obviously staring at her, wanting her to look back at him. Probably wanted her to talk or something. Well, there was no way in hell she would ever let him have anything he wanted.
“Really? You're being like this tonight?”
In the corner of her eye, she could see Nezha gesture towards the party, to the atmosphere, to how everyone was having a good time. Don’t mess it up now. He looked her up and down, something making his cheeks flush as he did. He must’ve been drunk.
“Genuinely, fuck off.”
Rin chanced a glance at him, as if her gaze itself was hot enough to scare him off. If he saw the threat, he wasn’t perturbed by it. Nezha sighed, finally giving up. Resolving to sit next to her in silence. Good. Let the awkwardness stay. He deserved it. They had come to an unsteady agreement some couple months ago. They were at a party not unlike this one, Kitay and Venka to their sides as Rin barely fought the urge to vomit all over the both of them.
“I’m sorry.” He whispered later that night, holding her hair back while she puked her guts out in an upstairs bathroom. She remembered smiling at him, tilting her head as she told him to shove his apology up his imperious ass.
“Rin, look, I-”
His silk voice cut through again, living solely to annoy her as she spun around to face him, her face still set in a scowl. Her eyes scanned his beautiful, gorgeous, lovely face. He was staring straight at her, a weird look in his eyes that made Rin want to punch him.
“What? What could you possibly want other than to ruin my night?”
He stared at her for a long moment, the weight of his gaze making her nearly flinch before he blinked, and the moment was over. She opened her mouth to speak, to make him explain himself or leave her alone before he beat her to it.
“I’m sorry, RIn.”
Oh. That was new. She hadn’t been expecting an apology. It made her stop in place, frozen in time while Nezha continued with his speech. He didn’t sound drunk now. Maybe it was just the lighting, but he seemed almost sincere.
“Really, I am. I was a dick to you in first year, and I was too arrogant and stuck up my ass to realise that you didn’t deserve anything I did to you. You earned your way into Sinegard, just like I did.”
Rin blinked. He just kept going, talking like the world would end if he didn’t. Rin blocked the rest of his ramblings out. He was sorry? He was sorry? Now? He had already said it. This had already been stated. Why was he bringing it up again?
“What.”
Nezha finally stopped talking, still staring at her with that look in his eyes, like this was the only thing that mattered, like the world would stop spinning if he didn’t address this.
“Really, Rin. I am. You didn’t deserve any of that. And I know words don’t mean anything, especially with how much I did, but… I am sorry.”
Rin stared at him. Really stared. He was nervous. Twitchy. His hands were shaking and he wouldn’t meet her eyes unless he was talking. But still, anyone could see he was being honest.
“Oh. Okay.”
She decided not to say anything about it instead. Maybe then she wouldn’t have to pick between actually responding, actually accepting him, or cussing him out, calling him out on taking his sweet time, how horrid of a person he was, how he made her life absolute hell. She was stuck in this weird feeling of limbo, uncertain how she was supposed to react to this sober apology now that it was out there.
“Okay? Is that it?” He stepped closer to her, his brows furrowed. Rin instantly felt her mood sour. How could someone make her mood shift so quickly? She glared at him, stepping forward as he did.
“What do you want me to say, Nezha? I forgive you? Well, I don’t. You owed me an apology, I don’t owe you my forgiveness. It’s great that you realise how much of a pretentious prick you were, but you're a couple years late.”
Rin snarled at him, daring him to fight back, to prove her right, to give her a reason to continue her hatred of him. Instead, he backed down. He leaned back, looking at her with something akin to guilt. Regret, maybe?
“You’re right.” He said slowly, sighing. Nezha looked so pathetic like this, it gave Rin a rush of pride. That she was the one who made him look so sorrowful. The lights of the party painted him in blue, making him even more beautiful. “You don’t owe me forgiveness. You don’t owe me anything. But I swear, I’ll do whatever it takes to earn it.”
He was staring at her as he said that, staring with a weight that made her cheeks flush. What was wrong with her? She must be sick. That feeling of pride suddenly didn’t feel so good anymore, settling into her stomach like stones. Maybe it wasn’t ever pride. Maybe it was something different. Something Rin would rather not acknowledge.
“You’ll have to work hard.” She warned, finally spotting Kitay in the crowd behind Nezha. He and Venka were already making their way towards her and Nezha.
“I’m prepared.” He instantly said, smiling at her. Smiling. Not a condescending smirk or a charming grin. A smile. It was beautiful.
Beautifully gross. It was gross.
“There you are! We’ve been looking all over for you!” Kitay called out, finally reaching the two of them. He paused before dragging Venka over, looking between Rin and Nezha like he was seeing something they weren’t. He raised a brow at Rin. Did Nezha do anything?
She shook her head at him as he passed a very drunk Venka to Nezha. For how often she went out, she had a surprisingly low alcohol tolerance. No. Not this time. Rin felt like smiling as Kitay scolded her for drifting away from them, complaining about how many drinks Venka had had. Rin chuckled, catching Nezha’s eye as he similarly scolded Venka for drinking so much.
He smiled at her. She smiled back. Rin could be nice tonight, she supposed. She’d make him work for her forgiveness tomorrow and every other day after that. But tonight, maybe it’d be okay to let him prepare himself.
“Work hard.”
“I will.”