A game of hearts {Kuroo}

7.

The crisp sound of pencil on paper filled the small, dimly lit study room. Y/N sat at her usual spot in the library, her biology textbooks spread out before her. Pages and pages of notes were scribbled in neat handwriting, a testament to the hours she had spent preparing for her midterms. Yet, despite her usual calm focus, a sense of panic clawed at her chest.

Her gaze flickered to the clock on the wall. Midnight. She still had hours of material to review, and the exam was in less than two days. She could feel the familiar tension building at the back of her mind, threatening to derail her carefully planned study session. The workload had been getting heavier lately, and it was becoming harder to manage her time between classes, labs, and the social life Kuroo had introduced her to.

The constant juggling act was taking its toll. She had never struggled this much before, but the pressure seemed to be closing in on her from all sides.

"Y/N, are you listening?" Kuroo's voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present.

She blinked and looked up, only then realizing Kuroo had been sitting across from her for the past hour, flipping through his own study materials. They had agreed to meet after one of his practices for a joint study session, but she had been too preoccupied to even remember what they were discussing.

"Sorry, what did you say?" she asked, rubbing her temples.

Kuroo closed his textbook and leaned back in his chair, watching her with a raised eyebrow. "You've been staring at that page for the past fifteen minutes. Everything okay?"

Y/N sighed, setting her pencil down and running her hands through her hair. "I'm fine. Just... there's a lot going on right now. Exams, assignments, lab work. It's all piling up, and I'm starting to feel like I can't keep up with everything."

Kuroo tilted his head, his sharp eyes assessing her. "You've been running yourself ragged lately. You need a break."

"I don't have time for a break," Y/N muttered, flipping through her notes with unnecessary force. "There's too much to do."

Kuroo frowned. "You don't need to push yourself this hard. Overworking won't help you in the long run, you know."

Y/N's frustration flared. She knew he was trying to help, but the stress of everything suddenly bubbled over, and she couldn't hold back the edge in her voice. "You don't understand, Kuroo. It's easy for you to say that when all you have to worry about is volleyball. But this—" she gestured to her textbooks, "—this is my future. If I mess up here, I'm done."

The words hung in the air, sharper than she had intended. Kuroo's expression darkened, and the easygoing smile that usually adorned his face disappeared.

"All I have to worry about is volleyball?" he repeated, his voice calm but carrying a distinct tension. "Is that what you think?"

Y/N opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off, his tone measured but cold.

"Volleyball isn't just some hobby to me, Y/N. It's my future too. I've been working my ass off for years to balance the sport with my studies, and I'm constantly walking a tightrope trying to keep both from crashing down. I get the pressure, believe me."

The sharpness in his words hit Y/N like a slap. She hadn't meant to minimize his efforts, but in her frustration, the words had come out wrong. She could see the hurt in his eyes, even though he tried to hide it behind his usual calm facade.

Kuroo stood up abruptly, gathering his things. "Maybe you need some space to figure things out. I'll see you later."

Before she could respond, he was already halfway out the door, leaving Y/N staring after him in stunned silence. The weight of the argument settled heavily on her shoulders, guilt creeping into her chest. She hadn't meant to lash out at him—especially not when he had been nothing but supportive since they had met.

But the pressure had gotten to her, and now she had pushed him away.

---

The next day, Y/N threw herself even deeper into her work, hoping that drowning herself in her studies would make her forget about the tension between her and Kuroo. She couldn't afford distractions right now, not with exams looming closer by the minute.

But no matter how hard she tried to focus, her thoughts kept drifting back to their argument. Kuroo had always been someone she could rely on—someone who brought a sense of balance and lightness into her life. And now, because of her own stress, she had managed to drive a wedge between them.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, her guilt was too overwhelming to ignore.

---

Later that evening, she found herself standing outside the gym, clutching her phone in one hand and nervously fidgeting with her coat. She had texted Kuroo earlier, asking if they could talk after his practice, but she hadn't heard back from him yet.

The gym doors finally swung open, and Kuroo emerged, his hair damp from the post-practice shower and a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. His expression was unreadable as he spotted her waiting by the entrance.

"Kuroo," she called out softly, stepping forward.

He paused, looking at her with guarded eyes. "Hey."

Y/N swallowed, feeling the weight of the tension between them. "Can we talk? Please?"

Kuroo exhaled, his posture relaxing slightly as he nodded. "Yeah. Let's talk."

They found a quiet bench outside the gym, sittingdown with a noticeable distance between them. Y/N was the first to speak, hervoice softer than usual. "I'm sorry, Kuroo. I didn't mean what I said last night. I know how hard you work—at volleyball and your studies. It wasn't fair of me to say those things."

Kuroo remained silent for a moment, his eyes focused on the ground. "I get that you're stressed, Y/N. But that doesn't mean you have to go through it alone. We're friends, right? I've been trying to help, but you keep pushing me away."

"I know," she admitted, her guilt growing. "It's just... I'm used to handling things on my own. I don't want to be a burden."

Kuroo let out a small, incredulous laugh. "A burden? You're the least burdensome person I know, Y/N. But you've got to let people in. Let me help you."

Y/N looked down at her hands, her fingers fidgeting nervously. "I'm just scared. Scared of messing up, of not being good enough. If I don't do well in these exams, I feel like I'll fail everything I've worked for."

Kuroo leaned forward, his tone softening. "You're not going to fail. You're one of the most dedicated people I've ever met. But you've got to take care of yourself too. Pushing yourself until you break won't help anyone, least of all you."

There was a long pause before Y/N finally nodded, meeting his gaze. "You're right. I've been so focused on everything that I forgot how to take a step back. I'll try to be better about that."

Kuroo gave her a small smile, his usual easygoing demeanor returning. "Good. Because we've still got that deal, remember? I need you to keep me on track with my studies, and in return, I'll drag you out of that library every once in a while."

Y/N couldn't help but laugh, feeling some of the tension lift. "Deal."

Kuroo stood up, offering her a hand. "Come on. I know you're probably going to head back to study, but at least let me buy you a cup of coffee first."

Y/N hesitated for a moment but then took his hand,feeling a sense of relief wash over her as they headed toward the campus coffeeshop. The argument had been a wake-up call for her—a reminder that she didn'thave to carry everything on her own shoulders. And maybe, just maybe, Kuroo wasright. She needed to learn to let others in, especially when it came to someonewho cared as much as he did.