castles in the air: chapter 4Ā
chapters: one.// two.// three.// four.// five.// six.// seven.// eight.// nine.// ten.//
pairing: kuroo tetsuro x f! readerĀ
genre: uni romantic dramedy, angstĀ
wc: 3.1k
warnings: drunken shenanigans, assholes abound
summary:Ā
Exam season is far more brutal than winter.Ā
The roads may be slick with sleet, the sunās time in the sky grows shorter and shorter, but that bleakness doesnāt compare to the mind numbing hours spent cramped up in a seat, either in the library or your dorm room, trying your best to cram as much as you can before the dreaded week of exams. You arenāt alone in making offerings at the altar of grades, because Kurooās similarly burning his hours in pursuit of perfection, snapping at your heels.Ā
āI want to dieā, he complains, lying headfirst on your bed.
āDie, thenā, you reply, resisting the urge to brush his hair away from his forehead.Ā Ā
āAlrightā, he agrees amiably. āPromise me youāll explain to my grandparents that Iām deceased because of grades -āĀ
āSo youāre making me break their hearts?ā you snort. āRude.ā
Youāve seen his grandparents a few more times since, because he lives a few bus stops from you, and you wave to his grandparents when they insist on picking him up from the bus stop, never mind that heās their strapping adult grandson. You start to pick up little titbits for them before you both make the trek back home, dried cod flakes, beef jerky, black beans packed in tiny individual packets for obaa-san to bring out on her morning walks. They, in turn, pack Kuroo off with herbal drinks and soup on Sundays, insisting that cafeteria food isnāt nutritious enough for either of you.Ā
Even the New Yearās break doesnāt earn you much of a respite, despite stealing a couple of hours to hang out with your high school friends. The chance encounter with Kuroo at the diner throws your heart into further turmoil, your thoughts mired in quicksand, revolving around the question of his feelings for you. Heās said clearly to his high school team that youāre not his type, yet he gives you tickets to his games, follows you on your runs, lends you his scarf, winding it around your neck when youāre cold.
He confuses you to no end.Ā