A/N: hey besties sorry it's been so long with this one. After writing this im wondering what their group icebergs would look like lol
Plenty of their idol colleagues enjoyed playing up the image of being in a relationship with fans. Candids and "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" style photos were often more popular than professional photoshoots because it helped fans buy into the illusion.
So as uncomfortable as he was, Sasuke could understand the company's latest request.
"You need to be seen together outside of an official setting. You're supposed to be dating, not business partners," their CEO told them. The fact that companies were so willing to work with sly gossip outlets and paparazzi made Sakura's stomach roil, but she understood their assignment too.
So that's how they ended up standing outside Sasuke's high rise apartment complex just waiting to hear the clicks of cameras poorly hidden behind trees.
Sakura clasped her hands together and blew her hot breath onto them. "It's gotten so cold, I didn't check the weather before leaving the house today," she said in an attempt to make small talk. It explained her impractical outfit of shorts and a tee shirt.
Sasuke was comfortable in his jeans and hoodie. The crisp, cool air felt good on his skin. If asked, he would swear he wasn't blushing. His ears just get red sometimes.
"Take my sweatshirt. I'm not cold," he said before lifting it swiftly over his head. Sakura gulped when his shirt rode up to reveal a thin strip of skin above his jeans. He shook it in his hand when she didn't comply right away. "Come on, they'll love it," he said, tilting his head towards the area they both knew photographers were crouched.
"Oh, you're totally right!" Sakura snatched it and appreciated the warmth not only from the added layer of clothing, but also Sasuke's own body heat. "Thanks," she said kindly, voice imbued with gratitude. Sasuke couldn't help but envy how easily she expressed herself; if he gave one word responses, it was often seen as rude.
"Do they still sell this sweatshirt?" she asked, shaking her sweater paws around and trying to expel nervous energy. She would definitely need to buy it in a smaller size. "Maybe we can match."
"It would be good to be seen together in the shopping district. We can pick up something else for just us. I think Naruto borrowed this once so it might seem like a company sweatshirt." He wasn't sure if she had her license, but he could drive them. A tee shirt would be easy, but another sweater wouldn't hurt. Would different colors in the same style be better? She looked fine in his preferred darker tones, but maybe she wanted something that was more her usual warm tones. How about something new?
A particularly strong breeze shook him out of his thoughts. Why did he care about what she liked? Why was he planning any kind of future with this girl?
He noticed a shiver run through Sakura at that moment too. "Still cold?"
"A little," she nodded.
He reached into her personal space and lifted the hood up for her.
"Better?"
"Uh huh," Sakura breathed. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks were pink. She was definitely warmer now.
He reached out again and tugged on the strings of the hoodie so it tightened adorably around her little face. "I think they took enough photos." He turned to head inside and Sakura could only pray that he didn't hear the little squeak she let out.
They walked down the hall quietly until Sakura asked him to take photos of her in the practice room. "You know, couple items and lovestagram. That'll really sell it." He grunted and held out his hand for her phone.
He was used to taking many photos from multiple angles for his own members, but the routine of it all allowed him to get lost in his thoughts once again. She looks so good, he thought. Maybe it's the filter, he thought halfheartedly. (There was no filter. Even with good lighting and a cute sweatshirt, nothing could take credit for that face.)
To break the moment he handed her the phone back. "I took a lot. You should be practicing now."
Sakura blinked in confusion. He was always so abrupt! "But fans like photos…" she faltered. She still had more poses in mind.
"Fans like stable vocals too," he tossed over his shoulder on his way out the door. He needed space to calm down and control himself.
Sakura couldn't help but laugh, standing alone in the middle of the practice room. Maybe he'd skipped over all the "eating CDs" comments when monitoring the way they've been received online lately. And he forgot to take his hoodie back.
While the internet had become a lot safer for her to browse, Sakura couldn't help but stumble upon something that left a bad taste in her mouth every once in a while.
She had logged onto her burner Twitter (everyone has one) to do some routine lurking. She noticed her name trending and steeled herself with a deep breath. This could either be something very good or very bad, never in between.
It seemed like it started with a poorly photoshopped edit of Sakura with a male idol, Gaara, from another company. She hardly knew the guy, but when they passed each other in the halls of music shows, he was cordial. He wasn't the problem.
The problem was the fan response from all sides. SasuSaku shippers had to report any and all accounts that posted these manips because ugly words like cheater and homewrecker were being used. Gaara's fans claimed he was so much more famous than Sakura and that he needed to be freed.
Someone else pretended to be their classmate, saying they had spotted the couple sharing lunch together almost everyday. If anyone did even the slightest bit of digging they would discover that Gaara and Sakura never attended the same school and were born in different regions. But misinformation spread like wildfire to bored Twitter stans.
: wow u really think skr would even go near that jumpscare?
: obviously we're not attacking her. We're mad at her brainless fans.
: lrt omg is that true
: no they never went to the same school lol [attachment: two screenshots]
: ohh so maybe sasusaku is really real huh
: YESS you get it
: if anything we're gonna ship her with ino so DO NOT blame sakura fans ugh
: MASS REPORT! Block and report these accounts for setting up SKR
: MASS REPORT! Targeted harassment towards SKR and SSK. Please do not interact, just block and move on
: Should we report them as hacked too?
: everyone! Please report to protect our best girl!
: just dm'd you a new screenshot :/
: they keep making new troll accounts T_T
: Am I the only one who can't see Sakura with anyone else now that she's dating Sasuke? LOL I was skeptical at first but now I'm like they're married, everyone else can leave.
: Gaara moved to Konoha after becoming a trainee and debuted before her.
: say it louder! He doesn't know her
: guys do u think ssk is crying rn
: no bc his songs actually chart
: ssk million seller is wiping any tears with money
: IF WE'RE TALKING VISUALS AND TALENT SAKURA IS GONNA WIN EVERY TIME!
: SASUKE FIGHT BACK DO SOMETHING IM BEGGING YOUU
: hi! This is a new pics account dedicated to Gaara and Sakura 3 please rt to spread!
: DELETE WE DONT WANT IT
: we have nothing to post [train goes by]
: wait why are they kinda cute together
: they're probably all laughing at this in their idol gc
: why would I be worried about a fan made edit when I can stream their real stage together
Sakura was in the middle of typing a very well-thought out and snarky response to correct someone else's tweet when she stopped herself. Why am I so upset about being shipped with the wrong person?
She sighed. It was time to log off.
She posted her Instagram photos the next day, and the grainy tabloid photos dropped the day after that at the company's request. Her name trended again, but this time, Sasuke's name was there too.
A/N: It's funny reading my previous frantic girls planet note, but xiaoting debuted in the group called kep1er with many of my other picks and yurina is solo debuting in japan literally today :-) it all works out in the end right (laughs in supporting heo yunjin since pd48)
anyway check out wa da da, I will take no negativity when it comes to that song bc my girl shannon worked on it