A game of hearts {Kuroo}

2.

The university library was a sanctuary for Y/N. The tall shelves packed with books, the quiet hum of pages turning, and the occasional soft footsteps of students seeking knowledge provided the perfect environment for her to dive into her studies. It was late, and most students had either gone home or left for the dorms, but Y/N preferred these hours when the library was nearly empty. She sat at a table near the back, her textbooks spread out in front of her as she worked through a dense chapter of molecular biology.

Tonight, however, the quiet wasn't as absolute as usual. From a few tables away, a group of students chatted in low voices, occasionally breaking into stifled laughter. It was distracting. Y/N shot them an irritated glance, but they didn't seem to notice.

She tried to refocus on her notes, but then came a sudden burst of loud laughter. Her grip tightened on her pen as she clenched her jaw, trying to push through the distraction. The voices—clearly members of some sports team, judging by their conversations—continued, filling the once peaceful library with unwelcome noise.

Finally, Y/N had had enough. She stood up, intending to move to a different section of the library, when she heard a sharp clatter. A cup of coffee had tipped over from the table where the rowdy group sat, spilling directly onto the floor—and worse, the stream of liquid trickled toward her, soaking the edge of her carefully written notes.

"Are you serious?" she muttered, half to herself, half in disbelief. She quickly pulled her notebook away from the table, the pages now smudged with brown stains.

One of the guys from the group hurried over, looking concerned. "Hey, sorry about that! Let me help—" His voice trailed off as he crouched to pick up the drenched papers.

Y/N was about to tell him off, her frustration ready to spill over, when she looked up—and froze. The guy who had spilled the coffee was none other than Kuroo Tetsurō, the captain of the volleyball team she had watched the other night. His trademark bedhead was unmistakable, and the same confident smirk he wore on the court was softened by a look of genuine remorse.

"Oh no," Kuroo said, standing up and running a hand through his messy hair. "That's totally my fault. I'm really sorry." He glanced at the table of ruined notes. "These look important. I'll help you rewrite them."

Y/N wasn't sure what surprised her more—seeing Kuroo in the library late at night or the fact that he seemed genuinely concerned about her notes. She blinked at him, still irritated but a little disarmed by his unexpected kindness.

"I'm fine," she replied curtly, gathering her ruined pages. "It's just... I've been working on these all night."

Kuroo frowned, visibly wincing. "I get it. I know how it feels when something like this happens. Let me make it up to you. Seriously."

Y/N stared at him for a moment, still skeptical.Kuroo didn't strike her as the type who'd hang out in a library late at night.And he was definitely the last person she would expect to offer help withbiology notes. But there was something earnest in his tone, and she couldn'texactly say no to the guy who just ruined her work.

"Fine," she said after a moment of hesitation, sighing. "You can help me rewrite them. But I doubt you know anything about molecular biology."

Kuroo laughed, but it wasn't mocking. It was light, amused, and surprisingly warm. "You're right, I'm more of a chemistry guy. But I can definitely help with anything science-related."

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you're actually studying chemistry?"

"Yeah," Kuroo replied with a casual shrug. "Biochemistry, to be exact. Volleyball doesn't take up all of my time, you know." His tone had a hint of playfulness, but there was an underlying seriousness in his words.

Y/N felt her irritation slowly dissipating. She had assumed Kuroo was just another athlete who lived and breathed sports, but the mention of his studies caught her off guard. Maybe there was more to him than just volleyball after all.

They sat down at her table, Kuroo sliding his chair over as he scanned the remaining undamaged parts of her notes. He wasn't just pretending to help—he actually seemed interested in what she was working on, asking questions about the experiments and the lab work she had written down.

"So, what exactly are you studying here?" Kuroo asked, his eyes flicking between her notes and the textbook she had open.

"Biology," Y/N said simply. "I'm a transfer student, and I've been focusing on molecular biology. It's not the most exciting thing for most people, but I find it fascinating."

Kuroo's eyes lit up with recognition. "Molecular biology, huh? Sounds intense. You must be pretty smart to tackle that. What made you transfer here?"

Y/N hesitated for a moment. She didn't know why, but there was something about Kuroo that made her want to answer honestly. "I wanted better research opportunities. My old school didn't have the same facilities, and I... I guess I wanted a fresh start."

Kuroo nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense. This place definitely has some top-notch resources, especially for science. But it's a big adjustment, isn't it? Especially with all the sports stuff everywhere."

Y/N couldn't help but smile slightly at his comment. "Yeah, I noticed. I've never really been into sports, but my friend dragged me to one of the volleyball matches."

Kuroo raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. "Really? Did you enjoy it?"

She shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. "It was... interesting. You're good at what you do."

"Just good?" Kuroo teased, leaning back in his chair. "I'll have to work harder, then."

Y/N rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a small smile. Despite her initial irritation, she found herself enjoying this conversation. Kuroo was surprisingly easy to talk to, even if he had that playful, slightly cocky attitude. There was something genuine beneath the surface, and she was starting to see it.

As they worked together for the next hour, rewriting her notes, Y/N realized that she had completely misjudged him. Kuroo wasn't just the arrogant athlete she had seen on the court. He was sharp, insightful, and even when he was joking around, there was an underlying intelligence to his words.

When they finally finished, Y/N stretched and looked at the clock. It was later than she'd planned to stay, but surprisingly, she didn't mind. Kuroo stood up, gathering his things.

"Well, I think that's enough studying for one night," he said, flashing her a grin. "If you ever need help with more notes—or if you just want to complain about volleyball players ruining your study time—let me know."

Y/N smirked, feeling more at ease with him than she expected. "Thanks for the help, Kuroo. I'll keep that in mind."

As they left the library, walking side by side in the cool night air, Y/N found herself wondering what other surprises this semester would hold. Kuroo had already proven to be an unexpected one.