Danika actually liked the article that made more of the details of their relationship available to the public, despite her discomfort with the idea of personal life publicity.
She liked the quote they'd highlighted from Shinichi that said, "The hearts of a million people may not be able to reach you, but the one that you reach for can change everything."
She also secretly loved the picture they'd chosen, of ShinZing and ZipZing in the air together as pixies, complete with their wild windswept hair and sparkling wings. She suspected that the game had made her appearance as an air elemental a little more delicate than reality, but every time she looked at it, she thought, "We actually look good together."
She did worry a little that it would reveal Shinichi's character despite not including character names, because he looked basically the same, but he assured her that it didn't change anything. She wasn't entirely reassured when he pointed out that almost anyone who bothered to connect Underneath with Endless Song could identify both of them anyway, but he really seemed unconcerned.
The article didn't mention things like the fact that they'd decided to change "girlfriend" to "fiancé" after the production press release. At this point it was the truth, even if they hadn't formalized it with any of the typical rituals. It also didn't say that Danika had found answering some of the questions really difficult, such as, "What's your favorite food?" Or mention the way she had been floored, when Shinichi had answered for her, "Strawberries."
When he sent her the article proof, Underneath's manager Priyadarshi had joked, "Millions of people are going to start playing hoping for a fairy tale ending."
Later, Danika told Shinichi worriedly, "I feel a little guilty about boosting the game with your fame."
Shinichi replied calmly, "Don't, it's a good thing. Didn't we agree to use all of the advantages we can, since we have to live with all of the problems it causes anyway? I'm just relieved that even if it's only second hand, my career can have some good influence on yours too."
"Has mine had any good influence on yours?" she questioned doubtfully.
"Yeah, in subtle round-about ways that you just aren't noticing," he assured her with a grin.
Danika wasn't quite sure that she believed him, but she decided not to ask for specific examples.
--
When Shinichi finally returned home, Danika was waiting for him at the door, even if it was silly and cliche. His smile as he scooped her out of her chair made it worth it.
Her thoughts as he carried her along the hall without even bumping her toes along the balcony were both jaded and delighted, because he was managing to kiss her at the same time. The jaded portion of her was pretty certain that the maneuver was something that required practice. The delighted portion was just enjoying the kiss, the warmth of his hands, and the romanticism.
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She couldn't help laughing when their landing on the bed was more awkward, as Shinichi missed getting his knee aligned, and pretty much fell onto the bed with her cradled in his arms. He was laughing too, as a cloud of golden sparkles puffed up around them in the sunbeam coming through the window. It took her a moment to question the scene that would have fit 100% into any romantic comedy.
Shinichi was faster, as he sobered, and looked around before patting the bed. Another puff of golden sparkles fluffed into the air. On closer inspection, Danika could see that the particles were composed of dust and cat hair.
"Ah," she mumbled.
"Where have you been sleeping?" he asked disapprovingly.
"In the VR-medi pod," she admitted guiltily.
"Oh…" He looked at her, and then asked worriedly, "Is sleeping here actually uncomfortable for you?"
"No!" she insisted quickly. "I just got kind of lazy while you were gone."
He didn't look entirely convinced so she wriggled into a position that she could kiss him from. His grin said that he wasn't entirely fooled by her attempt to change the subject, but he responded enthusiastically.
--
Their long promised date started out the next morning in a leisurely fashion, since both of them had firmly rejected all other demands in order to keep the entire Saturday free for it.
It wasn't until their third stop that Danika whispered to Shinichi, "Did Sakurai or one of the others follow us on our first date?"
He looked around until he spotted Sakurai, and then shrugged and said, "I don't think so, but maybe. I told them that I didn't want anyone interfering, but I had to give them a list of places we might go, just in case."
Danika glanced at Sakurai and said quietly, "I only noticed her a bit ago, and I think it's only because she's familiar."
Shinichi asked, "Want me to ask her to go home?"
"No, actually I was thinking that this is probably the coolest part of her job? Tailing someone just like a spy?" she suggested.
He laughed and asked, "Then is it too early to watch a movie?"
Since she hadn't wanted to admit that she was already getting tired, she greeted his inquiry with enthusiasm.
--
Danika knew that Shinichi was really enjoying being able to walk around in public with her again, but she had thought that he would calm down after they'd done a few things. Instead, he seemed to be trying to cram every classic date activity he could think of into the day.
He made such a production of getting ice cream in the middle of the afternoon, that she asked rather dryly, "Are you afraid that no one has noticed that we are on a date? I feel like we've been getting plenty of startled stares. But should we do something even more flamboyant, or illegal, like bribing a Ferris Wheel operator to let me on?"
He gave her a sheepish grin, but then spoiled it by asking cheerfully, "Do you want to ride one? I will?"
"No, don't!" she protested laughingly. "I just feel like you have a very full itinerary. And you've told every person that you've had any excuse to speak to, that we're on a date?"
"Ah, maybe… Sorry. You're tired and ready to go home?" Shinichi asked wryly.
"What else is on your list?" Danika asked in return.
"Nothing that we need to do if you don't want to," he replied firmly.
"Haven't they all been things that you think I want to do?" she asked laughingly.
"Hopefully?" he agreed questioningly.
"Everything's been fun," she insisted quickly. "We've just done a lot already?"
"Yeah," he agreed. "But we could do one more thing?"
"Like?" she questioned.
"We could get married on the way home," he suggested laughingly.
"Oh," she replied a little blankly.
"It's okay, it was just a suggestion," he said quickly.
"I will, if you really want me to," Danika insisted. "But my family members will probably hold grudges about it, and I think that even Ryuske wants to see his son get married, since he has mentioned how all of Hikaru's children have had weddings?"
"It's really okay, I didn't plan to, or bring a ring or anything. It just… seemed like a good time to suggest it," Shinichi insisted. "I guess I thought you'd laugh?"
"Then what if I'd instantly agreed?" she questioned doubtfully.
He grinned and told her, "Then we'd get married next."
Danika rolled her eyes at him, but she couldn't help laughing.