*Cover image belongs to Hiro Mashima. Edit from chapter one of Edens Zero.
Terms & Agreements
Rebecca couldn't be happier she decided to stop for lunch at her favorite planet. She couldn't believe her luck, or the situation she accidentally put herself in.
Majestic Flint, also known as one of the biggest pop stars in the Sakura Cosmos, was having coffee at the same restaurant Rebecca was in. There were no reports that the singer was there, and Rebecca had no inside knowledge. It was pure coincidence she ran into her, literally. She had been heading to the bathroom when she took a tight corner, not seeing the lady approaching her.
At first Rebecca had been mortified with herself, apologizing when she spilled coffee on the lady's dress, but her voice had cut out as soon as the woman spoke, her identity no longer a secret to Rebecca. No disguise could hide that voice, the one that belonged to Rebecca's idol since she was thirteen.
"You're fine, sweetie. Accidents happen."
Miss Flint brushed the loose droplets from her dress, the material being mostly waterproof. It made since to Rebecca, seeing as they were on a planet known for its constant raining. If it weren't for the stellar food, Rebecca wouldn't have visited so often. If there was one thing Rebecca appreciated, it was good grub. Well, that and a great video, but those were harder to plan.
A loud pop sounded somewhere from inside the restaurant, but Rebecca ignored it in favor of staring at her favorite singer. Just as Majestic was about to step away, Rebecca held up her hands, her voice rushing back to her as she blurted out, "You're Maj—"
A hand sealed over Rebecca's lips, causing her to jolt back in shock. Majestic dropped her hand immediately, looking just as stunned before she whispered, "I'm sorry but please, don't."
Rebecca blinked, not catching her drift. She took the smallest step closer, her voice lowering to match Majestic's tone. "Don't what?" She was happy she didn't stutter, knowing she could get a little flustered when dealing with famous people.
After looking around and seeing the restaurant was mostly empty, Majestic's shoulders relaxed as she pushed her sunglasses higher on her nose, as if it would conceal her identity better. It wouldn't, at least not to Rebecca. Now that she knew who she was, it was easy to see the resemblance.
Majestic's plump body fit her pictures to a T. Her nose was the exact same shape too, slightly elfish while her cheekbones were higher than normal. Her hair was the biggest giveaway, a rich brown with bits of golden glitter at the ends. It was definitely Majestic, but Rebecca didn't understand why she was acting like she was hiding.
It was Rebecca's dream to be famous, to be recognized for her talents. Majestic was well known in these parts, so why would she shy away from the public eye?
Instead of asking, Rebecca went with a different approach, one that was more direct to her own goals. "Hi, my name's Rebecca. I run a video blog called 'The Blue Cat Channel'. I've been listening to your music ever since you came to the Blue Garden planet the first time and I loooove your work. Like, a whole lot! I have all of your albums."
Rebecca paused to take a break, hoping she was able to convince Majestic to do her a favor, even though she didn't owe her anything. Honestly, it was Rebecca who should have done something nice for Majestic after making her spill her coffee, but opportunities like this didn't fall into her lap often, and Rebecca had to make the best out of every situation if she wanted a million subscribers.
"Would it be too much trouble to get a video with you? Please? I know my subscribers would go wild for something like that!" Rebecca gave Majestic a large grin, batting her eyes in an attempt to sway the pop star's decision.
Majestic sighed, her head turning around, scanning the area before she whispered, "Look, I'm sure you're a nice girl, and I appreciate you supporting me, but I can't do interviews or whatever for everyone who asks. You can try calling my agent to get something scheduled, but there's no guarantee. I'm sorry."
If Rebecca's cat ears could fall, they would. Her smile dropped for a moment, but she forced it back on, not wanting to show her disappointment. "Oh, okay. Yeah, I get it. No need to apologize... Thanks anyways."
Rebecca started to turn, frustrated at herself for not at least asking for a picture with the famous singer. That could have brought in more views, but she had to respect Majestic's wishes. If she didn't want to be put out there, it was Rebecca's responsibility to mind her own business.
Before Rebecca could fully turn, she was being bombarded from the side, a mess of black hair and wide eyes greeting her as Shiki placed his hands on her shoulders, his grin as bright as ever as he shouted, "Guess what Happy and I just discovered!"
Rebecca jerked away, confused by his enthusiasm. When she left the table moments ago, he had been busy chugging chocolate milk while waiting on his fries. She didn't understand how he had time to 'discover' anything. Then again, everything seemed to be new to him, even basic concepts like space ships and planets.
Forgetting Majestic was there, Rebecca straightened herself up before asking, "What is it?"
She prepared herself for something silly, and she was rewarded with just that. Shiki took his hands off her to show her a straw. He pinched the ends of the straw before holding it up to her, failing to hold back his snickers. He rolled his fingers around, making the straw smaller and the air inside more pressurized. "Okay, flick it with your finger. Go on! Try it! It's fun!"
Rebecca looked down at the straw before glancing at Shiki again, a chuckle escaping her as she did as she was told. She had already 'discovered' that trick long ago, but since Shiki looked so excited, she figured she wouldn't burst his bubble.
Only the straw.
She flicked it, not surprised when a loud pop rang throughout the area. It was then she realized the sound from earlier came from Shiki as well, playing around with whatever he could get his hands on.
He was a very curious guy.
"Ha, that is pretty funny," Rebecca said, keeping her voice light while a real smile graced her lips. Shiki was the breath of fresh air she hadn't expected. She got the chance to explore the world again when he was around, seeing normal things as amazing discoveries. It was nice having him with her and Happy, even if the circumstances around him leaving his home planet were still raw, something she hadn't talked to him about.
Maybe when they grew closer she could sit down with him, talk about how he felt regarding his robot friends and the virus that took over their minds. She imagined it was hard seeing the only people he cared about like family betray him, but he seemed to be holding up well. There were a lot of distractions around to keep his mind off his troubles, and seeing as she loved exploring new areas, there were sure to be more distractions coming his way.
"Oh!" Shiki looked over, finally realizing Rebecca was with someone. "Is this your friend?"
Before Majestic could respond, Shiki was holding out his hand, his nerves a little more under control than when he had asked the same question to Rebecca and Happy. "Let's be friends? My name's Shiki."
Majestic blinked at him in confusion, the pop star dumbfounded as she glanced at the extended hand. She hesitated, probably wondering why Shiki was being so forward and weird. Rebecca's worry lightened when Majestic humored him, shaking his hand as she said, "Sure. We can be friends."
Shiki beamed. He leaned over to Rebecca before he released Majestic's hand. "I'm already up three friends. This is awesome!"
"He's cute," Majestic said, a playful smile on her lips. She looked at Rebecca as she put her free hand in her pocket. "Is this your boyfriend?"
"What?!" Rebecca nearly gasped, her body refusing to cooperate as she tried shaking her head. "Oh, no, he's—"
"Of course I'm her boyfriend!" Shiki announced, sounding more proud than he should. He slung an arm around Rebecca's shoulders, pulling her in for a half-hug. He had all the confidence in the world, even if he was dead wrong.
"Shiki, I don't think you kno—" Rebecca started, but stopped when Majestic started giggling.
"You two are adorable together." Her eyes flitted back and forth before she turned to Rebecca with a smile. "Tell you what, I need to get going soon, but call this number and I'll set something up for your video blog. I should be free next Tuesday afternoon, if that works for you?"
As Majestic pulled out a business card from her purse, Rebecca's jaw dropped. "R-really?!" She couldn't keep the excitement from her voice even if she tried. She realized belatedly she wasn't supposed to draw attention to them, Majestic wanting to keep her privacy. "Sorry," she whispered, but Majestic shook her head.
"You're okay. I get it." She handed Rebecca the card, one that contained a direct line to her assistant. "You caught me in a good mood. Besides, you remind me of myself when I was young and in love."
Fire blazed straight to Rebecca's cheeks as she almost choked, unable to deny Majestic's insinuations. She wasn't in love with Shiki. Hell, a week ago she didn't know he existed! However, she didn't say a word, knowing Shiki's presence was one of the reasons she was getting a video with the pop star, and Rebecca didn't want to risk that.
While Rebecca blushed, Shiki raised a brow, not following how Majestic got to that conclusion. "Wh—"
Before he could say a word, Rebecca hugged him back, nearly squeezing the boy in a death grip as she pushed them out of Majestic's way. "Thank you so much! I'll be in contact soon."
Majestic merely chuckled as she stepped by, offering them a casual wave. Rebecca thought that would be the end of it, but before Majestic got too far away, she turned, eyeing the two travelers. "Oh, and make sure you bring him along. You two have good chemistry." As she turned, Rebecca swore she thought Majestic added, "Such a cute team."
Rebecca waiting until Majestic was nowhere in sight before letting out a long sigh. She looked over at Shiki, realizing they were still hugging each other. Her face felt a little hotter as she pulled away, her mind muddled as she tried piecing together what just happened.
"What was all that about?" Shiki asked, cocking his head to get in Rebecca's line of sight.
She gestured for him to follow her to the back to the restaurant so they would have more privacy. She was tried of whispering. Plus, she wanted to explain it as quickly as possible seeing as she still had to go to the bathroom, and looking over her shoulders every now and then took up precious time.
Once they were in the back corner, Rebecca sat down at an empty table, motioning for Shiki to do the same. "Okay, first things first, you shouldn't interrupt me when I'm working. It was helpful this time, but next time it may cost me a video, so be careful."
"Oh," Shiki started, his brow furrowing as he leaned in. "I thought you were just talking."
"We were, but that's part of my work." Rebecca offered him a small smile, knowing he didn't understand everything she did. "I need to get people to agree to take these videos, and Majestic, the lady I was just talking to—"
"My new friend," Shiki said, cutting her off. "Yes, I know her."
Rebecca nearly laughed, somehow enjoying how innocent and weird Shiki was. He acted like he knew Majestic on a real friendship level even though he didn't even know her last name.
"Yes, your new friend... Anyways, she's a big deal around these parts. She's the lead singer in a pop band and she's rarely spotted out in public. She doesn't let just anyone take videos of her, so I had to charm her."
Shiki smiled, not batting an eye as he snorted. "What are you talking about. You got loads of charm!" His tone held no mocking in it. He was being genuine.
"I uh..." Rebecca was caught off guard by the compliment, needing to clear her throat before she could speak again. "That's not the point. The point is, now she thinks you're my boyfriend because you lied to her. You're not my boyfriend!"
Shiki's smile vanished in an instant, concern growing in his eyes. "But... I... I thought I was your friend?"
When Shiki frowned, Rebecca put a hand over her face before dragging it down. "I don't know how no one ever taught you this, but just because you're a boy and you're my friend doesn't make you my boyfriend."
"But—"
"No buts." Rebecca waited until she was sure he was concentrating on her before explaining. "You're my friend, period, end of discussion. Boyfriends are something different, it's when someone's romantically involved. Like, if we were dating—"
Rebecca could only imagine how interesting that would be, seeing as he was still very curious to everything around him. She shrugged the thought away, knowing it was too soon for her to be thinking such things. "If we were dating, romantically, then I'd be your girlfriend and you'd be my boyfriend, but right now we're just friends."
"For now?" Shiki asked, causing Rebecca to stammer.
"Wh-what? I, oh... Never mind. The point is if anyone asks, we're just friends, got it?"
"Okay," Shiki said, giving her a nod. "I think I get it."
"Good. But around Majestic, you gotta pretend you're my boyfriend."
"But you just said—"
"I know what I said." Rebecca took a deep breath, wondering how she got in this mess. Then again, if Shiki hadn't jumped in, she wouldn't have gotten as far as she was now with Majestic. "Just, when I get this video with her, just pretend you're my boyfriend. You don't have to do anything special, just stand there and look pretty."
"You think I'm pretty?" Shiki asked, reaching up to touch his cheek, right over his bandage.
Rebecca didn't bother holding back, dropping her head on the table before groaning in defeat. "You're hopeless! It's just a saying!"
"So, you don't think I'm pretty?"
He didn't sound disappointed, merely curious. Rebecca glanced up, knowing her forehead might be red from hitting the table a little too hard. "I think I want to use the bathroom and eat, then we can figure everything out later, okay?"
Shiki grinned, nodding as he stood. "I can do that."
"Good," Rebecca muttered, already exhausted despite it being noon. She stood, gesturing for Shiki to lead the way. "I'll see you in a minute," she said, parting to head towards the restrooms. "Don't let Happy eat my food!"
"Alright." Shiki glanced over his shoulder as he snickered. "If he does, I'll just eat him as revenge."
While Rebecca doubted Happy would appreciate that humor, it made her laugh. She nodded, giving him a shake of her head as she ducked into the restrooms. She made her way to the nearest stall, thinking to herself before she entered.
'What mess have I gotten myself into now?'
Here's my first attempt at Edens Zero fanfiction! I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoyed reading it. Majestic Flint is an OC. This one-shot was written when there was only 1 chapter out for Edens Zero, so I don't know much about their world just yet. I posted it on Tumblr and AO3 a while back, but once fanfiction allowed it as a category, I decided to post it here too.
Let me know what you thought! :) I'm excited to see where Rebecca, Shiki, and Happy take us with Edens Zero! Thanks for reading, and have a great day/night!
*This will stay as a one-shot.