The Adventures of Rocky and Cancer Bubble
Author's Note: Set after Shooting Star Rockman and prior to Shooting Star Rockman Tribe. Shout-outs to the Nanhai no.1 (南海一號) restaurant, where I was holed up while brainstorming this, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, for giving me the final push needed to finish this, by suddenly playing the theme song from the Shooting Star Rockman games. Enjoy the story and R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of the Shooting Star Rockman series.
Pairings: Developing Subaru x Tsukasa, one-sided (canon) War-Rock x Subaru.
Summary:
Hoshikawa Subaru and Futaba Tsukasa go on their first date together. A jealous force accrues to tear them apart.
"A date?"
"Mm. I'll be in the bathroom. Keep watch while I get ready."
"Ah, um, all right…"
Ever since the FM king Cepheus erased Futaba Tsukasa's recollection of his time with the evil, sadistic alien Gemini, Hoshikawa Subaru had been helping him make new memories. Without Gemini's malignant influence exaggerating Tsukasa's personality, he reverted to the docile child he'd once been. In the process, he and Subaru grew closer, until one day, Tsukasa asked him on a date out of the blue in the school planetarium.
Subaru didn't feel put off at all; on the contrary, compared to his mom's embarrassing attempts to hook him up with Shirogane Luna and Hibiki Misora, where he heated up faster than a skillet on the stove, he felt completely at ease around Tsukasa and expressed no urge to deflect or blush.
Ironic. Other boys would love to be in his position, sandwiched between the rich class president and chart-topping superstar. On the plus side, Luna being in fierce denial at him being Rockman meant he didn't have to deal with another jealous Luna versus Harp Note showdown.
With Subaru prepping in the john, his AM-ian partner floated by his telescope. War-Rock crossed his arms and mulled the impending disaster.
A rap on the door snapped War-Rock out of contemplation, and Cancer Bubble toddled into Subaru's room, a feather duster in one pincer, and a laundry hamper in the second. He scuttled high and low, tidying bits and bobs and strewn clothes.
"What do you want, Cancer?"
"Subaru Mama asked me to clean up, buku," the FM-ian replied in the singsong Doraemon voice of his former EM wave-compatible host, Hasami Chiyokichi.
From War-Rock's point of view, Subaru's mother's fondness for her darling Canbag-chan was a source of major inconvenience. That their enemy-turned-ally did not seem unwilling to perform chores for her increased the FM-ian's annoyance factor exponentially.
"Shouldn't you be booking concerts? Go bother Harp instead."
"Can't, buku. Misora-chi's manager kicked me off the national tour. I'll climb back up the ladder soon, though, buku!"
"The sooner the better!"
"And you, War-Rock, why the long face, buku?"
"Subaru is going on a date with that Tsukasa kid."
"So, they're being lovey-dovey?"
"Lovey-dovey? What's that?"
Deeply ingrained in human society despite having spent most of his life on Earth trying to destroy it, Cancer touted an indisputable advantage. War-Rock, by comparison, didn't have a clue.
"Something's fishy in Kodama Town. Cepheus might not have fully purged Gemini. I don't trust Tsukasa!"
His suspicions that traces of Gemini may yet persist in Tsukasa and pose a threat to Subaru would not be unfounded, if not for his glaring misunderstanding of human interaction.
Cancer grasped the truth instantly, but what the heck, he pretty much finished uncluttering the Hoshikawa abode anyway. "Fishy? That's my specialty! Shall we formulate a plan, buku?"
War-Rock gestured affirmatively. He wasn't about to let Gemini dim the luster from Subaru's beautiful eyes. "We're staging an intervention!"
…
It's so bright! Subaru complained to himself, raising a wrist guard to block the sun's rays. The waitress had seated them in a booth diagonal to a poorly shuttered skylight.
"Wanna switch?" Tsukasa noticed Subaru's discomfort. "I can sit there if the sun's agitating you."
"No, I'm good."
Tsukasa had invited Subaru to a restaurant which, according to Kizamaro, was well known for its seafood. Given Subaru was out of his element and accustomed to meals from the food dispenser at home or the local burger joint, he deferred to Tsukasa's judgment ordering both their lunches.
"Here! I bought you this." The green-haired sprite shoved him a bag across the table.
"A present? Thank you, Tsukasa-kun!"
"You were kind enough to allow me take you out. Thought I'd spoil you a little."
Excited, Subaru uncovered a toy car, mint in box.
"It's a retro Mecard action figure I found at an antiques fair! They sold them during the Twenty-Tens!"
"Wow! The Twenty-Tens?"
The taller was happy his friend was happy. "Hey, Subaru-kun? Mind if I see your Star Carrier?"
Inside, War-Rock growled. Dubious behaviour, twelve o'clock.
Blissfully distracted by his gift, Subaru obliged.
Star Carriers were a lot less clunky than Transers.
"Whoo! Just as Gonta-kun said! Your D-Pet does look like a bear!"
Disguised as a digital canine, obediently accompanying his master, War-Rock angrily shimmied his hindquarters onscreen.
Rolling with it, Subaru countered, "Don't laugh! I tried my best creating Rocky!"
"Gotcha."
Tsukasa played with the sharpest of Subaru's hair spikes, mystified by what force of nature or miracle gel kept it upright, taking care not to collapse it.
They continued talking, Rocky sporadically perking his ears at perceived warning signs, till their appetizers arrived.
Crab sticks. How quaint.
As Subaru inched towards introducing an exotic flavour to his taste buds, Cancer Bubble, already nearby and dressed in a grey overcoat and fedora like the jaded protagonist of an ancient overseas black-and-white movie, disrobed, leaving him in a white one-piece tracksuit.
"Everybody out of the way, buku! Boomerang Cutter!" The extraterrestrial detached his appendages, hurling them through the eating establishment.
The spinning blades avoided hitting people, but spared no expense otherwise, snipping furnishings, smashing plates, toppling awnings, and timbering patio umbrellas.
"Cancer Bubble? Why is he attacking us?" Subaru instinctively reached for his Star Carrier to transform into Rockman. "EM Wave Change! Hoshikawa Subaru, On Ai –!"
Rocky's adamant barking stopped him.
Right. In his current frame of consciousness, Tsukasa wasn't in on his secret identity. Thankfully, his classmate was too preoccupied dodging the fleeing clientele to hear him shout his henshin phrase.
Rehinging his throwing weapons, the blue-eyed crustacean held up his claws, wheedling a tsunami from nowhere. "Tidal Wave!"
It struck them head-on. Total wipeout.
After the surf receded, Subaru crawled free of the wreckage, coughing, drenched, and indignant.
"Cancer! What is the meaning of this?"
Only upon glimpsing Subaru's fury did the arthropod realize the gravity of his mistake. "Crashing your date…It was all War-Rock's idea!"
"War-Rock!" Subaru flipped. This was the type of harassment he expected from Goyoda, hounding him while he saved the world as Rockman.
"Subaru, I, uh –!"
His paralyzing gaze zipped the AM-ian's jaw.
A soaked Tsukasa hobbled onto drying land. He fought the giggles.
"W-what's so funny, Tsukasa-kun?" Subaru haphazardly pocketed his mobile, putting his and War-Rock's spat on hold.
Cancer's assault had achieved an unintended effect. Subaru's spikes now lay flat, the first Tsukasa ever saw them as such.
"You're dazzling with your hair down."
Subaru scrambled to fix his 'do.
Tsukasa handed Subaru his Visualizer and pendant, which got knocked loose during the splash. "Not bad, as far as first dates go."
His fingers lingered.
Subaru went red.
Rocky yipped despondently.
The crab stood on the sidelines, blinking and confused.