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CHAPTER 25
The Only Thing Hotter Than The Sun is Kuroo
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You were resisting glancing at him, but you just couldn't. Kuroo looked so much hotter with reading glasses on that you just wanted to either take a photo or stare at him all day. He was busy tutoring Kenma since he could never leave him alone, while you were reviewing your own notes for the upcoming Midterm Exams.
But how could you focus on something else when he's sitting there looking so attractive?
"(Y/N), stop that. It's creepy." Your cousin quietly commented, making the other male laugh while your face flushed.
"Shut up! I wasn't staring or anything!" You buried your face on your textbook, ignoring Kuroo's teasing comments as you kicked him from under the table. "Whatever, I'm better studying alone."
You hurriedly gathered your stuff, waving them off as you ran upstairs to your room. You had to focus, you had to top the exam, that was your goal. You were more than determined to do it for a couple of important reason.
Crawling over your bed, you sat up in a crisscross sitting position and settled your books in front of you, flipping the one you were previously reading open again. "Where was I..."
"Are you angry?" You heard the door open, but you paid it no mind as you continued to study, adjusting your glasses once in a while.
"(Y/N)~" Kuroo sat down on your bed behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist as he rested his chin on your shoulder from behind. "You okay?"
His effect never lessened. He makes your heart beat so fast and your stomach flutter at everything he does. He makes you lose focus on everything else but him, and his scent intoxicates you. Desperately trying to focus on your Science textbook, you ignored him and kept your attention at the book.
"We took a break, so you should rest for a while too." Kuroo uttered, pulling your book away from your hands. "I'll study with you later once Kenma's good."
"I'm fine, I could still go on." You snatched your book back. But he was right, you needed to rest. It was already late, and your eyes and head were straining. You still had class tomorrow, too.
"Always so stubborn." He sighed, pulling you down with him as he laid you on your bed. The black-haired male gently pulled your glasses off from your face, placing it down to the side. You didn't protest anymore as you started to feel the sleepiness creeping in. "Don't force yourself too much, mkay?"
"Mhm..." You nodded, trying to keep your eyes open as you admired him. He always cared for you, even more than how he takes care of Kenma. You two were both special to him, but he makes you feel even more loved and special.
There was no reason to not date him, but your insecurities that you've been determined to fight against. As Kuroo got off your bed and stood up, you grabbed his hand and pulled him back, making him sit down at the edge.
Being a cuddle-person, you loved having him around and maintaining physical contact with him. You loved hugging him and being hugged, and you've gotten used to falling asleep with him. "Stay here." You muttered, looking at him through your blurry eyes.
He smiled, his heart leaping. Placing a hand on your head, he bent down and kissed your forehead. "I'm just going to turn the lights off."
"Promise?" You pouted, making his heart flutter even more. You were already cute when you're being cranky and irritated, but you were much more cuter when you're sleepy and being clingy. He loved all those sides of you, but this one was his favorite.
"Promise." He nodded, and you slowly let go of him allowing him to stand straight again. He cleaned up after your books first before closing the light, noticing Kenma hasn't come up yet. He was probably still playing using the TV downstairs, since the one in your room busted a few days ago from overheat.
You resisted your sleepiness until you felt him lay down beside you, and you immediately sneaked towards his chest, wrapping your arm around his torso as you two faced each other. Kuroo also placed an arm around your waist and pulled you closer, his face resting on top of your head.
Dating or not, the only thing that would probably change was the label; the name of being called "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" to each other. But it was still a big deal for you, you were scared of committing yourself while you were having self-doubts and uncertainties. But you undoubtedly had deep feelings for him, you weren't even sure if it was still just a simple like, or already love.
"Kuroo?" You called, looking up at him as your sleepiness vanished from your train of thought. When he didn't respond, you realized he was already asleep.
Your eyes slowly adjusted, allowing you to see his peacefully sleeping face that you've been wanting to see everyday. Your eyes fell on his lips, an untouched territory to you that's been attracting you more than before. Reaching for his face with your hand, your thumb traced his lips, making your heart race as you felt its softness.
His lips suddenly puckered, as if kissing your thumb, making you startled when his eyes opened. "Hmm?" Kuroo smirked, and your heart drummed even more when he slowly shifted on top of you. "(Y/N)?"
"U-Uhm... S-Sorry—"
"Do you want to kiss?" He cut you off with a serious, yet, drunk gaze. He was hovering over you, caressing your cheeks with his hand while the other supported his weight.
You gulped nervously, your gaze falling on his lips ones more. Your breathing sharpened, and it was getting harder to keep your rational thoughts intact. "K-Kenma might b-be back soon..." You muttered.
As if on cue, you both heard your cousin's footsteps from outside the door, making the black-haired male groan as he dropped himself beside you, his arm still over your waist as his hand cupped your face. "Not again, Kenma." He mumbled, turning his face to your side. "We should... go to sleep."
Kenma entered quietly, using his phone's light to guide himself to his own bed.
"Goodnight, Kuroo." You whispered, closing your eyes as you held his hand.
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When the midterm exam week came, you've never felt more driven to answer the test than then. Everything was coming to mind, though there were some you were unsure of, you were so confident that you pulled it off.
So when the results came out and you stood in front of the board with Kuroo and Yaku beside you, your heart sank at the result.
Third.
You couldn't top the test, and it never felt more painful. Gritting your teeth, you clenched your fists as you tried to contain your tears.
"That's amazing, (L/N)! You topped our class and placed third place for the whole 3rd year!" You heard Yaku commented.
It was indeed marvelous, it was a great achievement. But it wasn't enough. Your battle had only begun, and it already ended so soon. You lost.
"Sorry." You muttered, unable to hide the pain in your voice as you turned around. You heart ached at every step, the reality coming to haunt you.
"Wait! (Y/N)!" Kuroo immediately chased after you, grabbing your hand to keep you from walking away any further. "What's wrong?"
"I couldn't make it. I'm sorry." You refused to look at him as tears formed at the corner of your eyes. "I'm going home."
Luckily, it was the end of the school day so you didn't have to worry about skipping any class. The only thing that pained you was the promise to the volleyball team of stopping by their practice later, which you won't be able to fulfill.
Kuroo wanted to tell you that it was okay, that you two could still date even if you didn't got the first rank. But it felt wrong to say those, you worked so hard and he was there to witness your determination. He didn't want you to feel pitied.
Giving you the space and quiet you wanted, he just quietly followed you as you walked home, your head hung low as sniffles escaped. When you two reached your bedroom, Kuroo pulled you into a comforting hug.
"Y-You're going to be late for practice." You sniffled, clenching on his uniform as you buried your face on his chest. "You should go... You have a tournament coming, don't you?"
"I could never leave you like this." He uttered. "You matter more than anything to me right now."
"But you're the captain, your team needs you."
"And don't you?"
"I just mean..." You took a deep breath, parting yourself from him as you wiped your tears away. "Your volleyball team needs you more."
"Why do I feel like you're pushing me away?" The pain in his voice was obvious as it slightly raised.
Laughing bitterly, you shook your head. You slid off your hair tie, letting your hair fall messily as you ran a hand through the strands in a frustrated manner. "It's over, Kuroo. We can't date."
"What do you mean by that? Aren't you being hard on yourself again?" The volleyball captain frowned, taking a step towards you. His frown grew when you took a step back, and it repeated until you landed sitting on your bed.
"I'm sorry..." You sniffled. "It's not like that." Lowering your head, you clenched on the hem of your school skirt. "My parents and I had a deal..."
Kuroo kneeled in front of you, taking your trembling hands in his warm ones as he looked at your face. "Talk to me about it. I'll understand."
You sniffled again, unable to contain your tears when you thought about it. Your heart clenched as you leaned forward, resting your forehead on the male's shoulder. "If I didn't top all of the exams,"
You took a deep breath, swallowing the lump that blocked your thoat as you spoke. "They're going to take me to America by the end of the school year. They want me to study college there." You looked up, your eyes filled with pain as it locked with his. "And I already failed my end."
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To Be Continued
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