Scandalous - KuroKen

7

Kenma walked into the sleek lobby of his company's building, hands buried deep in his hoodie pockets as he trudged forward. Beside him, Akaashi kept pace, scrolling through his phone with a faint smile on his face.

"You pulled off the date yesterday pretty well, Kenma," Akaashi remarked, his eyes still focused on whatever he was reading. "Some good pics came out of it too."

Kenma frowned slightly, pulling his hood up a bit higher. "I didn't do anything. Kuroo did all the talking."

Akaashi glanced up, his expression amused. "That's part of it though. You were just being yourself, which makes the whole thing feel more genuine. The public eats that up."

Kenma sighed. "I didn't even want to go on a date in the first place, let alone have it plastered all over the internet."

"Well, it's out there now," Akaashi said, tapping through a few more articles on his phone. "The responses are mostly positive. People are already calling you two a 'surprisingly cute' couple."

Kenma made a face. "Great."

Akaashi chuckled. "Relax. It's better than having them criticize you, right? And besides, we've got more appearances lined up."

Kenma's pace slowed as they neared the elevator, his mind replaying the moments from last night-Kuroo grabbing his hand, the quick getaway from the paparazzi, and the quiet walk along the river. It had all felt so strange, but also oddly... comfortable.

He glanced at Akaashi. "Do we really have to keep doing this? The whole fake dating thing?"

Akaashi sighed, pocketing his phone as they stepped into the elevator. "I know it's not your style, but it's temporary. The buzz around you two is already helping your image. Plus, the fans seem to love it."

Akaashi turned to look at Kenma with a more serious expression. "By the way, you can't tell the team that this whole thing is fake."

Kenma blinked, confused. "Why not? They're my teammates. It's not like they care about this stuff."

Akaashi shook his head. "The less people who know the truth, the better. It keeps the narrative clean and avoids any potential leaks. You trust your team, I get it, but we need to control the story. If anyone gets even a hint that it's staged, it could unravel the whole thing."

Kenma frowned, not entirely convinced. "It feels wrong, they can keep a secret"

"I know," Akaashi said, his voice softening. "But it's just for now. They don't need to know the details, and it'll protect you from more scrutiny in the long run."

Kenma sighed, reluctantly nodding

"You're making a smart move by keeping it quiet," Akaashi added. "Trust me on this."

Kenma leaned back against the wall, his eyes narrowing. "But it's not real. Isn't it gonna look bad when we 'break up'?"

Akaashi shook his head. "We'll deal with that when the time comes. For now, just focus on the short-term goal. Keep things casual, show up for a few more public outings, and we'll handle the rest. No need to overthink it."

Kenma stared up at the ceiling, feeling a heavy weight settle in his chest. It all felt fake, like he was playing a role in someone else's story. And yet, as much as he hated the attention, the idea of spending more time with Kuroo didn't seem as unbearable as it had before.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Akaashi gestured for Kenma to step out first.

"Come on. Let's just get through today's meeting, and we'll take it from there."

Kenma nodded, pulling his hood back a little as they made their way toward the office, his mind still lingering on last night.

Kenma walked into the training room, ready for his meeting. The familiar hum of computers and the soft clattering of mechanical keyboards filled the air as his teammates were already gathered around, warming up for the day's practice.

Yamamoto was in his usual spot, hyped up and adjusting his gaming headset, while Yaku stretched lazily in his chair. Lev was leaning against one of the desks, scrolling through his phone.

As soon as Kenma stepped inside, the room's atmosphere shifted. Yamamoto was the first to notice him, his eyes lighting up with curiosity.

"Kenma!" Yamamoto called out, his voice carrying a hint of excitement. "Yo, man, is it true? The whole dating thing with Kuroo? I saw the photos online. It's all over the place."

Kenma barely had a chance to sit down before Yaku chimed in, crossing his arms and smirking. "Yeah, Kenma, it's not like you to get caught up in stuff like this. What's going on?"

Lev, always the least subtle, leaned closer with wide eyes. "Is it for PR? I mean, I never pegged you as the 'dating' type, especially not with someone like Kuroo."

Kenma slouched in his chair, pulling his hood back down and running a hand through his hair. He didn't want to have this conversation, but he knew there was no avoiding it.

"It's real," Kenma said flatly, his voice nonchalant as if the words didn't carry much weight.

Yamamoto's jaw practically dropped, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Wait, for real? Like... real, real? You and Kuroo are actually dating?"

Kenma shrugged. "Yeah."

Yaku raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Kenma, you don't just start dating someone out of the blue. Especially someone who's constantly in the spotlight like Kuroo. Are you sure this isn't some PR stunt to boost your profiles or something?"

Lev nodded, clearly still puzzled. "I mean, come on, it's Kuroo. Mr. 'Charming Actor.' You guys don't exactly scream 'couple.'"

Kenma leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's real," he repeated, his tone more firm this time. "We're dating. The photos aren't fake, and neither is the relationship."

There was a moment of silence as his teammates processed his words. Yamamoto looked like he didn't know whether to be impressed or shocked, while Yaku studied Kenma's expression, searching for any hint of hesitation.

"Wow," Yamamoto finally said, breaking the silence. "I mean... that's kinda cool. Unexpected, but cool."

Lev, still wide-eyed, grinned. "So you and Kuroo, huh? That's wild."

Yaku chuckled, shaking his head. "I never thought I'd see the day Kenma would get caught up in something like this. Guess there's more to you than we thought."

Kenma didn't respond, simply pulling his keyboard closer to him and settling in for practice. The truth, while technically what he'd told them, still felt strange in his own mind. This whole fake dating thing was supposed to be a simple, temporary fix. And yet, the more people treated it as real, the harder it became to separate the truth from the lie.

"Well, anyway," Yaku said, clapping his hands together as if to move things along, "we've got training to focus on. I don't care if you're dating a movie star-if you're slacking, you're still getting yelled at."

Kenma smiled faintly. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

As the team settled back into their usual routine, Lev, with his usual enthusiasm, leaned in close to Kenma, practically bouncing on his feet.

"Hey, can we meet him?" Lev asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "My sister's a big fan!"

Kenma slowly turned from his screen, his gaze locking onto Lev's with a blank expression. After a moment of silence, he simply replied, "No."

Lev blinked, clearly not expecting such a flat response. Kenma turned back to his screen, fingers gliding over the keyboard as if the conversation had never happened.

Yamamoto, overhearing, snickered. "Should've seen that coming, Lev."

1260 Words