Scandalous - KuroKen

12

Kenma blinked awake, eyes groggy and the unfamiliar surroundings momentarily disorienting him. Where...?

He sat up, glancing around the room until the events of last night slowly pieced themselves together—the impromptu movie night, the drinks, and... the kiss. His heart thudded a little faster, and he stared at the ceiling for a moment longer, trying to shake off the awkward feeling twisting in his gut.

With a sigh, Kenma swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. He had to face Kuroo at some point.

When he left the guest room and padded softly toward the kitchen, he caught sight of Kuroo already there, casually moving around as he made breakfast. The smell of eggs and bacon filled the air. Kenma hesitated in the doorway, unsure of how to act after last night's unexpected kiss. But Kuroo didn't seem fazed.

"Oh, you're up," Kuroo said, glancing over his shoulder with a casual smile. "How'd you sleep?"

Kenma forced a nod, trying to appear as nonchalant as Kuroo was. "It was fine."

"Good to hear," Kuroo replied, plating up some food and setting it on the counter. "Hungry?"

Kenma nodded again, grateful for the distraction that food provided. He sat down at the table, and Kuroo slid a plate in front of him. They ate in silence for a few moments, the tension from the night before lingering, but Kuroo didn't mention anything. Kenma followed suit, grateful that Kuroo wasn't bringing it up.

As Kenma took a bite of his food, Kuroo finally broke the silence, but it wasn't about the kiss.

"I've got a last-minute shoot today," Kuroo said, wiping his hands on a towel. "I'll need to head out soon. But feel free to stay as long as you want. The door will lock automatically when you leave."

Kenma looked up from his plate, still feeling a little awkward. "I'll probably leave soon anyway."

Kuroo nodded, not pressing the matter further. "Alright. I'll grab my stuff and head out."

As Kuroo left the room, Kenma finished his breakfast in silence, the awkwardness still gnawing at him. He couldn't shake the feeling that maybe—just maybe—they should've talked about what happened. But Kuroo hadn't brought it up, and Kenma wasn't sure he had the nerve to.

When Kuroo came back, jacket in hand, he gave Kenma a small wave. "See you around"

Kenma offered a nod in return, watching Kuroo leave the house. When the door clicked shut behind him, Kenma let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He sat there for a few minutes longer, trying to process everything.

Eventually, he decided to leave too. There was no point of him being here any longer.

.
.

"You invited him over?" Sana asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief as she took Kuroo's coat, hanging it neatly before turning her attention back to him.

Kuroo sank into the makeup chair, shrugging. "Yeah, we just had dinner and watched a movie."

Sana folded her arms, eyes narrowing. "But you didn't post anything about it? Neither of you did. What was the point, Kuroo? You're supposed to be leveraging this for publicity."

Kuroo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know, I just... invited him. It wasn't about making a big deal of it online."

Sana's lips thinned into a line as the hairdresser entered, brushing out Kuroo's hair for the shoot. She waited until the hairdresser left before speaking again, her tone quieter but still sharp. "We'll talk about this matter later."

"What's there to talk about?" Kuroo's voice came out a bit defensive, his usual easygoing demeanor faltering.

Sana shot him a look in the mirror, her reflection serious. "You're in the middle of a fake relationship for PR. A high-profile one. Everything counts. If you're going to spend time together, you should at least get something out of it. That's the whole point."

Kuroo met her gaze in the mirror, but didn't reply right away. Instead, he sat still as his hair dried from the hairspray, the weight of Sana's words sinking in. She wasn't wrong. This whole thing with Kenma was supposed to be for show, to get attention, to play the part. But last night felt different. It wasn't about cameras or followers—it was just the two of them hanging out.

Something about that had felt... nice.

Sana let out a frustrated sigh, snapping him back to reality. "Kuroo, you have to be smarter about this. If you want to help both your careers, you need to keep up appearances."

"Yeah, I get it," Kuroo muttered, though his heart wasn't really in it. The idea of turning last night into a PR move felt wrong.

Before Sana could push the conversation further, Kuroo  stood up and stareted stretching, trying to shake off the tension. He turned to Sana, who was still watching him with that knowing look. "I'll handle it, alright?"

Sana raised an eyebrow. "Handle what?"

"Everything," Kuroo replied, grabbing his coat from the rack. "The PR stuff, Kenma—whatever. I've got it."

Sana sighed again, this time with a touch of exasperation. "I hope you do. You're walking a fine line between personal and professional, Kuroo. Don't lose sight of that."

Kuroo gave a small nod, though his mind was still elsewhere. He walked out of the dressing room, tugging his coat on, thoughts swirling around Kenma, last night, and what exactly he wanted from this whole arrangement.

He wasn't sure anymore if it was all just for show. Or if he was starting to enjoy spending time with Kenma more than he'd expected.

As he stepped outside, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a message from Kenma, short and simple: "Good luck with your shoot today."

Kuroo smiled faintly, typing back a quick response. "Thanks. Have fun gaming"

980 Words