Scandalous - KuroKen

5

Kuroo leaned back in his chair, exhaustion weighing heavily on him after a long day of shooting. He swirled the coffee Sana had just handed him, the bitter scent a small comfort in the late hour.

"Sorry for dragging you here so late, Kuroo. I know you've had a long day," Sana said, settling into her seat with her tablet in hand.

He offered a tired smile. "No worries. Better to get this done now than drag it out."

A sudden commotion outside the door interrupted their conversation. Muffled voices, one particularly annoyed, echoed through the hallway.

"I get that you have a live stream, but this won't take long," a male voice insisted.

"This is so stupid," another voice, clearly irritated, grumbled.

The door swung open, revealing Kenma with a scowl on his face and Akaashi behind him, looking apologetic as he ushered the reluctant gamer inside.

"Sorry we're late," Akaashi said, practically pushing Kenma into the room.

Sana waved it off, smiling. "No worries, really. And sorry for scheduling this so late, but it was the only time that worked for everyone."

"It's fine," Akaashi replied, casting a side glance at Kenma. "He's always up this late anyway."

Kenma slouched into a chair, arms crossed, looking less than thrilled. "So, what's this about?"

Sana straightened up, tapping her iPad screen as she spoke. "We need to organize your first public date."

Kenma raised an eyebrow, visibly unimpressed. "You dragged us all the way here just to talk about a date?"

Sana met his annoyed gaze with practised patience. "Yes, because your first public appearance together has to be perfect. The rumours are already spreading, so we need to capitalize on that momentum. This isn't just about a casual outing-it's about managing public perception."

Kuroo glanced at Kenma, who sighed dramatically. "I hate this," Kenma muttered under his breath, his eyes flicking toward Kuroo as if silently pleading for him to share his misery.

Kuroo chuckled. "Welcome to showbiz."

Kenma shot him a half-hearted glare. "This isn't showbiz. This is nonsense."

Sana smiled sympathetically. "I get it. But trust me, the right first date will set the tone and help control the narrative. If you two just show up anywhere, it'll look random and careless. We need to be strategic."

Akaashi nodded in agreement. "She's right. If we're doing this, we need to do it properly."

Kenma leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. "So, where are we supposed to go then? Fancy restaurant? Red carpet? Because I'm not doing that."

Sana shook her head. "No, no. We were thinking of something more low-key but still public. Maybe a popular café or a trendy outdoor market. Something casual, but where the paparazzi are likely to hang out."

Kuroo sipped his coffee thoughtfully. "That could work. Somewhere public enough for photos but not too overwhelming. Kenma hates crowds."

Kenma gave him a sharp look, as if to say, Don't speak for me, but didn't object.

Akaashi glanced at Sana. "Do you have any specific places in mind?"

Sana swiped through her tablet, then turned it toward them, showing a list of popular spots. "I've narrowed it down to a few locations. There's a cosy café downtown that's known for being a hotspot for influencers, or there's this weekend market by the river that's always crawling with photographers. The café would be more calm, but the market has more foot traffic, so it's up to you."

Kenma stared at the list, clearly disinterested. "Is there an option where we don't have to do any of this?"

Kuroo chuckled, "Come on, Kenma. It's just a couple of hours. Smile for the cameras, act like you're having fun, and we're done."

Kenma groaned but didn't argue. "Fine. But I'm not doing some cutesy hand-holding thing."

Sana smiled, pleased with the progress. "No need for that. Just be yourselves. The media will do the rest."

Kenma rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because being myself is really going to work in this situation."

Kuroo grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Oh, I'm sure we'll manage."

Sana cleared her throat, looking at both of them seriously. "We need to finalize this soon. The press will be watching, and we can't afford to mess it up. So, the café or the market?"

Kenma sighed heavily. "The café. Fewer people. Less annoying."

Sana nodded, making a note on her iPad. "Great. I'll handle the arrangements. It'll be this weekend, so you both better be ready."

Kuroo gave Kenma a sidelong glance, smirking. "Looks like we've got a date."

Kenma groaned again, sinking lower into his chair. "I'm going to hate every minute of this."

Kuroo's smirk widened. "Probably. But at least we'll be miserable together, Honey"

Kenma finally cracked a small smile, despite himself. "That's the only thing making this bearable."

As the meeting wrapped up, Sana and Akaashi went over the finer details of the outing, leaving Kuroo and Kenma to exchange exasperated glances. The weekend couldn't come fast enough, and yet, both of them knew that this "date" would be far from ordinary.

850 Words