A/N: Okay, so I haven't written any OneShots for a little while, but this is my attempt for Azika's Max and Mariam OneShot contest. I was a little sceptical about it at first and I even had to re-write the last little section, but I'm finally satisfied with what I've got. Of course, after reading all the other entries I will never be satisfied with what I've got -_-"
Disclaimer: Enough said.
Four Kisses Max and Mariam Almost Shared and One They Did
The first time Max tried to kiss Mariam she had punched him in the gut and would have kneed in a good chunk of his face if someone hadn't just turned around to stare at them. Though she didn't like causing Max pain, she couldn't help it. It wasn't like they were seeing each other and besides, wasn't there a rule for no kisses on the first date? As they had had no dates at all, that rule must most definitely still be in play, she figured.
As Max gasped for breath, Mariam couldn't help but feel just a bit sorry for him. True, he should have known better, but he was a just a kid, looking for something to prove to himself. She'd heard it on the radio in a diner the Saint Shields had eaten at a while ago, now, but the words were still fresh in her mind.
"Boys have strange minds. They're always looking for something inside themselves to prove to their friends. One of the first things they will try and show off is their first kiss or their first girlfriend, whichever comes first."
However, Mariam knew that this wasn't the kind of person Max was. Max was a decent kid, one that actually had half a brain worth saving. She could see, sometimes, when she battled against someone, the look in their eyes that told her that they wanted to make-out with her just to shove it in the faces of their friends. Max wasn't like that. While he did look at her occasionally with the look of pure want, he had never showed it in the way that we wanted to show it off to his friends. That just wasn't how Max rolled.
This often frustrated Mariam, just trying to think about it too much. She would sometimes spend hours by herself just thinking of the way Max muddled her brain, and it was probably due to this reason she had knocked the breath out of said boy when he had tried to kiss her.
She refused to kiss a boy that confused her so much.
The next time Max tried to kiss Mariam, he figured it went decidedly better. At least she didn't punch him in the gut this time.
However, there were draw backs everything, and that was how Max found himself trooping home late one afternoon sopping wet after spending it out with some friends. The Blade Breakers and the Saint Shields had spent the day down by the river where he first met Tyson. They had enjoyed some friendly battles, playful banter and enough food to keep them filled for a lifetime.
Of course, Max had been anticipating this day for several weeks. After his last attempted smooch with Mariam, Max had spent a few hours analyzing the situation. What had he done wrong? He had tried to kiss Mariam. The solution? Don't try and kiss her?
But of course, Max couldn't just not try and kiss her. He wanted to, just to see the look on her face. He wanted to tease her in the way that once she tasted him he hoped she would want more. Of course, Max wouldn't give her more until he felt like it or she punched him again.
So he just tried. He swooped down like a hawk catching its prey and she had dipped below the surface of the river that a few of them had gone swimming in. The result was Max falling into the water face first and making a fool out of himself in front of all his friends.
But he wasn't about to give up. If anything had stuck with him throughout his Beyblading career it was that you couldn't give up on your goals. He wasn't about to give up on Mariam. She'd come around.
Eventually.
Wasn't the saying 'third time's the charm'? Luck didn't seem to be one of Max's strong points and he decided that whoever came up with that quote really hadn't tried kissing Mariam. At this rate they were going to be in their eighties before Max got his kiss from her.
This time he had taken her out on a date. Seeing as the previous two antics had gotten him nowhere, he figured that maybe doing things a little bit more traditional would work out for them. He had booked a table at one of the local restaurants; nothing too fancy but not some place that would make Mariam think he was getting cheap.
Things started off slowly. They didn't talk a lot, just sat there and stared at the menus. It wasn't till they were gone and they had nothing to hide behind that things really began to get awkward.
"Can I ask you something?" Max asked, leaning out over the table to be closer to her. She leaned in closer too, approving his question. "Would you date me, Mariam?"
Her laugh was light and soft, a tinkling sound that didn't seem to go with her tough facade. "I guess. Why?"
"Because we're not dating, Mariam," Max replied with a sigh. "This is one date. Every time I try to kiss you I either make a fool out of myself or get hurt."
"Max, that was only two times. You'll have plenty more chances in the future," the blue-haired 'Blader replied cheekily as she sipped from the ginger ale she had ordered.
"Can I kiss you now?" he asked hopefully, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement.
"You can try," was his reply and he leaned closer. She began to close the gap between them before poking him squarely in the nose. It caught him off guard and his hands lost their grip on the end of the table, allowing him to topple forward into the pizza that the waiter had just deposited on the table.
"Am I cursed to never kiss you?" the blonde grumbled as he wiped cheese from his face. Mariam merely laughed in response before pulling a green pepper from his hair and tossing it into the plant behind her.
Mariam was proud of herself. She was becoming less violent when it came down to Max, though she still had to show him who the boss was. The subtle glares, the winks and the smirks, she knew she was driving him close to insanity. Then she would swoop in and give him what he had been waiting for all along.
Except Max always had a way to somewhat ruin her plans.
Take that afternoon for instance. Mariam had decided to take Max up on his offer to go to the mall with him. Just a fun outing, she told herself. Nothing more. It wasn't like they were going to do much besides walk around and do nothing. However, she knew she was kidding herself. Max was always coming up with new schemes to land himself a kiss with Mariam.
They were sitting a table in the food court close to the Starbucks, sipping on coffee. Not the special orders, just plain old regular coffee.
And then he tried to kiss her.
It was actually quite similar to his first attempt; just throw caution to the wind and hope it works. Mariam panicked. She never panicked, but she did this time. She wasn't ready and she didn't have a plan. In the midst of her horrified brain malfunction she managed to tip over her coffee cup and spill the hot liquid all over her companion. It snapped Max back into the real world and he hurried off to bathroom to clean up, clearly embarrassed.
Mariam leaned back in her chair and sighed in relief. That had been close. Too close. She had to keep her head on straight. If she let it slip then Max would get the upper hand. She couldn't have that. It wasn't part of her master plan. If she became reckless she'd lose everything she worked so hard to pull together.
She couldn't let that happen, she decided as she sipped some of Max's coffee. She had to stay on top.
"That was not how I expected our first kiss to be!"
Max was angry. No. He was furious. How could he have been so careless as to let Mariam have complete control over their first kiss? He had been too absorbed and too focussed on her lips pressed to his. It wasn't until it was over that Max realized what had happened.
But he hadn't really minded. After all, a kiss was a kiss.
Mariam was gone now, swept away with the fast departing sunlight as night approached. Max dragged his feet homeward bound, wondering what the kiss meant. Did it mean she liked him? Were they just friends now? Had they passed a significant milestone in their weird relationship?
Maybe he was just thinking too hard about the whole ordeal. Maybe it meant absolutely nothing. Knowing Mariam, that was probably the case.
However, as he retreated towards home he couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face.
A/N: So I'm not too happy with the ending, but I wasn't sure how else to end it. Anyway, feedback would be nice before I rest my poor head from thinking and writing too much. I hate it when real-life takes over.