Note: Long time, no write. Wow. Anyway, this is my entry for AzikaRue394's MaxMariam Oneshot Contest. I've actually had the idea for a long time, one or two years, but had no way to end it. After reading the requirements I instantly knew. So, I had to enter. Can't resist a punchline. XD This encompasses most of what I believe in the pairing. That being said, I really do like Judy. Honest to God.
On another note, I want to wish everyone else good luck in the contest. And like always I adore feedback to work on in the future. Believe me, there's going to be mistakes in this one. I can just feel it.
Revised May 28, 2015. I got 2nd place in the contest. Spoilers.
Summary: Rick didn't know who long legs was, but she sure did have a knack for getting people into trouble.
Pairing: MaxMariam. Hence the contest. XD
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.
Momma's Boy
To say Rick knew was an understatement.
He didn't just know, he knew. Knew what that dumbfounded expression meant, why his friend was inflated with hope as his gaze swept far across the room, dancing eyes mustering every bit of courage they could hold. It was a bit pitiful, acting this way in public.
Rick would've expected this behaviour from Michael. Maybe Eddy. But not Max. Poor, deluded, drooling Max was far too busy staring off into the distance and the only thing Rick could do was smirk.
"Dude, what's he looking at?" Eddy whispered to Michael, both craning their necks around the women of their table to get a better look.
"Will you boys stop that," Judy scolded, looking at her son cautiously as he stayed in his passive state. "We're here as guests for the reformation of the BBA. I was positive I would be able to take you boys out into public by now, being as you are teenagers. Was I wrong?"
"No ma'am," Eddy replied. "Max is just being a bit weird... No offense."
Judy frowned. "It is a bit strange. I've never seen him this way before."
Rick snorted. Of course they hadn't. This was Max they were talking about. Innocent, little, never laid my eyes on a girl for this long, Max Tate. And without even trying, he was making a complete fool out of himself with those goo-goo eyes and absent minded fork handling of his food. It was almost like Emily had found a way to swap his mind with Michael's out of sheer interest to see how they acted. Apparently pretty stupid.
"Maybe he's looking at a girl?" Michael guessed, becoming more interested at the thought. Cocking an eyebrow, the baseball player leaned back in his chair to look around Judy. "I wonder what his type is?"
Older. Cocky. Long legged. That's what Rick could see from his angle; it left him in a crossroad between laughing so hard his sides would feel as if they were about to split or ruffling the kid's hair because he aimed high. For the stars, really. Momma's boy didn't have a chance with a girl like her.
"My son doesn't have a type," Judy stated, folding a napkin with her iron grip. Her eyes narrowed on Michael as he smiled sheepishly, obviously having forgotten her presence at the table. "If my son had a type, he would've told me."
That had him. Rick laughed, slapping his hand on the table. "What's he supposed to say?" the older boy quipped with a smirk, "Mommy I have a thing for older women?"
Judy's eyebrows shot up at the comment in surprise before curling dangerously low. "Excuse me?" she seethed. Clearly this was news to her, and thankfully, Rick loved bearing this sort of news. Michael and Eddy seemed quite upbeat by this turn of events, goofy smiles plastered on their faces as they searched even more frantically for this dream girl.
Rick felt it was only fair if Max was in on the conversation too, so he opted to hit the kid right smack in the back of the head. Lurching forward, the blond shook his head lightly. "Sorry guys," he apologized, taking a bite out of some steamed vegetables on his plate. "What were we talking about?"
"Your hot girlfriend." Michael wiggled his eyebrows.
Max froze at the comment, giving a sideways glance to Rick for confirmation. Shrugging nonchalantly, Rick leaned back in his chair and started to pick at his teeth with a toothpick. "You don't really have an older woman as a girlfriend, do you honey?" Judy asked passively, hiding her disgust and disappointment behind her inquiring smile.
"No Mom." Max shook his head in confusion. "I don't even have a girlfriend."
"That's what I thought," she retorted triumphantly, her gaze meeting the other three boys in turn with warning. Again narrowing her eyes on Rick, she stood from the table. "I have to go find Mr. Dickinson to discuss the presentation later. Emily can you keep an eye on the boys?"
The red head, who had been watching the ordeal with feint interest, nodded. Pleasing their Coach, Judy walked briskly away from the table, leaving Michael to roll his eyes. "Now that mommy's gone, we can cut to the chase. Where's this girl of yours? She must be something to get your attention like that." Snapping his fingers for emphasis, Michael grinned. Eddy couldn't help but nod in agreement, smiling similarly like his friend.
Max was forced to shake his head in disagreement once again. "Sorry to disappoint guys, there's no girl." The blond abruptly stood up, grabbing his plate of food. "Well, I'm gonna get some more food. For some reason this plate's gone cold already..."
"Can't imagine why that is," Eddy said, nudging Michael in the side. Clearly neither of them believed his statement, and in confusion the blond started to walk toward the buffet. Rick sighed, deciding to follow him to shake some of that denial out of that head of his. Eddy managed to call out to the older boy before he got too far away, "Great idea man, track him down and point out who she is later!"
Like that was going to happen. Catching up to Max wasn't a hard task, he was looking over the food thoughtfully without choosing anything. "What's her name?" Rick asked curtly, crossing his arms he leaned casually against the wall.
Max's eyes shot upward meeting his friend's gaze with bewilderment. "Not you too. I swear, there is no girl. I couldn't even imagine who...?"
"Blue hair, green eyes, tipped some guy's glass while he was drinking at their table?" Rick didn't have much to go on as he had never met her before, or at least, he was pretty sure he hadn't. If he had Max mustn't have been with him. He would've remembered this behaviour. It was priceless. At least on this momma's boy.
Cracking a smile, the blond put his plate down to approach Rick. "I didn't see that," he admitted, rubbing the length of his arm sheepishly. "Listen, I know who you're talking about, but you can't..."
"I decide what I can and can't do," Rick interrupted. "Lucky for you, I might just keep my mouth shut."
Max grinned. "Thanks, Rick."
"There's a but in there," he warned, poking the kid in the chest. "Go talk to her what's-her-name."
"Rick," the blond stammered, alarmed at the demand. He couldn't even fathom the idea of just waltzing up to her like that out of nowhere. Couldn't imagine what he was supposed to say. "I can't. I... I haven't seen her since I was thirteen. I was just a kid then..." Max peered over his shoulder, his eyes landing on the Saint Shields' table with hesitation. Mariam had just brought her glass to her lips, feeling his gaze her emerald eyes flashed to his for the first time. Alarmed, the boy quickly looked away.
"Whatever. Don't do it if you don't want to."
"Really?" Max said relieved, he smiled thankfully at his friend. Rick remained nonchalant, shrugging the praise off with a roll of his shoulders. "Wait..." the blond suddenly frowned, suspicious at his change of heart. "What's the catch?"
Smirking, the older boy walked away with a wave of his hand. "Have fun."
Not even getting the chance to ask what his deal was, Max felt a hand on his upper arm. "Max." The word came out low and drawn out near his ear, the breath tickling his skin as his knees buckled. Opening his mouth to say something, no words could be summoned and the blond was left to smile when he turned around. "It's rude to stare."
"Sorry... I didn't... I wasn't trying to..." Max mentally slapped himself in the forehead. Wincing at how he was sounding, the blond ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Sorry."
Mariam smirked, releasing his upper arm reluctantly. "Say something else."
"Uh... why?"
"Hey, you hit puberty." She laughed, catching Max completely off guard. She ran a finger up his neck to lift his chin slightly toward her, finally letting his blue eyes catch sight of her piercing gaze. "When did that happen? Too bad I missed it."
"Oh, I'm sorry too." The blond smiled awkwardly. "My voice cracking with just the guys around wasn't humiliating enough."
"I would've been easy on you." She flicked him in the chin lightly before grabbing a hold of his sleeve and leading him further away from the buffet table. "Unless it was similar to when Dunga's voice started to change... I couldn't help myself there."
Following obediently, Max laughed. "Who could blame you?"
"How did I know you'd understand?" Mariam cocked an eyebrow at him; he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "You've really grown," the blue haired girl observed, her eyes darted pass him to the crowd of tables that filled the room. "All of you. It's hard to believe how young you were the last time we saw you..."
"I'll take that as a compliment," he said honestly, digging his hands into his tuxedo's pockets. "Back then... I always had this feeling you thought I was just some kid."
"Oh, I did."
Max's blue eyes softened, falling to his shoes. "Right... Of course."
"That was then," she reminded him smugly, her elbow nudging him in the side to get his attention. The blond decided to meet her gaze without her help this time and he knew just in that second she had something planned. "And I'm sure you had some thoughts about me back then."
Hesitating, Max asked, "Like what?"
"How would I know?" Mariam rolled her eyes. "I'm not in your head, am I?"
"No," he said a little too quickly to be missed. Feeling his ears turn red, he looked away in embarrassment knowing Mariam would just revel in his actions. And she did, snorting in amusement before gripping his wrist with her hand and giving it a squeeze. Max couldn't help himself but apologize again. "Sorry..."
She ignored him. "Maybe I am in your head...?" Taking a step closer to him, the blond stumbled backward, managing to hit his head against the wall. He tended to the minor wound by rubbing the back of his head while Mariam just smirked her way through her plot. "I knew you'd do that." Taking a hold of his tie, the blue haired girl frowned. "So why is everyone so dressed up?"
"Because that's how people are supposed to be dressed." Bewildered, Max managed to drag his eyes away from Mariam to see his unimpressed mother staring down the pair of them. "I guess you didn't get the memo and thought to stay anyway?"
"Seeing as I am a beyblader, I didn't think it would matter how I dressed." Mariam's light demeanour vanished, her emerald gaze hardening. She was dressed in her traditional garments, along with the rest of her team. Max sulked beside her, knowing what was going to happen. It wasn't going to be good. "If you take a look around, half of these people wouldn't be dressed like this if they had the option. I'd hate to be the genius who came up with the idea."
Judy glowered at her blunt attitude. "It was my idea."
"Oh, I had no idea," Mariam replied, barely masking her sarcasm. Max let out a low sigh, catching the blue haired girl's attention as she glanced to him knowingly. "Besides, I haven't had any other complaints, right Max? You don't have a problem with how I'm dressed."
"Mom, it's not a big deal...," Max decided reluctantly. His words sounded off an alarm in Judy's head; she clenched her fists down at her side as she stared in bewilderment at her own son siding with this other woman. Looking at Mariam, the blond haired boy managed to smile lightly regardless of the tense situation. "I hadn't even really noticed."
"Thanks Max," Mariam stated, his name low and drawn out, again making his knees want to buckle and forget all about his Mother's disapproving stare piercing right through him.
"Honey, I think it's time to go back to the table. Now." Judy took a hold of her son's shoulder, snapping him out his reverie. Glancing between the two women, his eyes strayed to Mariam with clear regret as his smile vanished from sight. The blue haired girl couldn't help but roll her eyes once again at his behaviour.
"I'll talk to you later." Mariam lifted his chin once more before walking away.
His blue eyes followed her leaving form much to Judy's dismay. "I know I raised you to be polite," she warned, leading Max away with a hand still on his shoulder, "But when someone talks to you the way she was talking to me, it's alright to speak up. I don't know where she gets off talking to me like that..." His mother's rant filtered out of his ears as he made his way back where he started.
"Judy, Mr. Dickenson was looking for you." Rick approached the two of them, stopping Judy in the midst of her rant. They had yet to retreat back to the PPB All Starz table, but not too far away were the rest of the team, looking on in interest, especially Michael and Eddy who had their eyebrows raised as high as they could go.
"I just spoke with him...," Judy stated with a frown. "Did he say what he wanted?"
"He's the head of the BBA." Rick scowled. "I didn't think it was my place to ask."
Judy accepted this and with a huff went to collect her things from their table and made her way to find Mr. Dickinson. "You didn't think it was your place?" Max questioned skeptically, "Wow. My mom's speeches must be really rubbing off on you."
"You idiot, I lied."
Not fazed by the name calling, Max turned to his older friend in partial surprise. "Why?"
Rick grabbed a hold of the kid's arm and dragged him back toward the buffet table so they were out of earshot of Michael and Eddy, who had been watching Max from afar as he spoke to his dream girl. Silent for some time, the two former tag team partners merely stared each other down before Rick couldn't help himself. Grabbing a hold of his side, he hit the wall as he laughed loudly.
The blond looked around haphazardly to see if anyone else had noticed Rick go insane. "Are you okay?"
Wiping a tear away, the older boy turned to Max. "You didn't even know she was just playing with you, did you? You're just wrapped around her little finger, floundering like a fish out of water."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Long legs."
Blushing, Max stammered as he searched for the words to say. "She has a name...," he said weakly after some time, "Mariam."
"That's nice. You might as well forget it after that pitiful display," Rick stated as he leaned against the wall. Max, not understanding, looked to him for further explaining. "I mean... how much older is she than you, a year or two?"
"Three... actually," the blond said sheepishly.
Rick whistled at the news. "Well, that just makes things worse. Add that difference to the fact that you just chose your mommy over her, at least that's what it looked like from where I was sitting." Max wanted to disagree, his frustrated gaze met the floor, feeling disappointed with himself. "Girls like her aren't associated with momma's boys, which you still are apparently. When mommy says it's time to go after all, we have to wave bye-bye to the nice girls."
"Shut-up," Max shot back lowly. Rick just smirked, bouncing off the wall and smacking the blond in the back of the head for the second time that night.
"That's why I lied."
"To tell me I just messed up or to smack me in the head?"
"To smack some sense into you," Rick corrected, ruffling the kid's hair. "You can still fix this. And you're going to by walking straight up to long legs and saying something only you could say. Grovel. Do whatever. Because if you don't, some other guy is going to waltz right up to her who isn't a momma's boy and sweep her off her feet."
Max stared at him incredulously. "You clearly don't know anything about Mariam. She doesn't get swept off her feet... Half the stuff you just said wouldn't work on her. She'd think I was pathetic."
"She probably already does," Rick added, "All I'm trying to do is get you over there. I don't want to deal with a mopey Max tomorrow when he realizes what a chance he just gave up." Putting a hand on the blond's shoulder, Rick shook him. "Older woman. Three years. Get it?"
"That's not why I like her," Max defended, shrugging away with a blush.
"And I don't want you to give me a list of lovey-dovey reasons. What I want you to do, and you're going to do it by the way, is walk over to her. If you don't I'll release Michael and Eddy; you know what type of damage they do."
"Mariam can handle herself. They're not her type."
"Right, forgot. Wishy-washy blond boys are." Rick was getting frustrated with his friend's stubbornness; his patience never had a high threshold to begin with, and he was on the verge of lifting the kid up and carrying him over to long legs himself. "Just think what she'll think of you after meeting them. How low can her opinion go, do you think?"
Max let out a deep breath, sparing the girl in question a quick glance as she casually leaned against a table, nursing her glass as she watched the crowd of people. "I'll go...," he decided, her presence was enough to encourage him to approach her one more time. Even through embarrassment.
At the news, Rick pushed him firmly on his way. Max's shoes squeaked on the surface loudly, causing a few people to dart questioning looks his way. Unfortunately for him, Mariam happened to be one of them as a smile formed from around her glass. Holding his head up relatively high, Max soon closed the gaping distance between the pair when he reached the table.
"Mommy let you go?" Mariam smirked, placing her glass on the table.
"About that..." He scratched his head, pushing his bangs back and messing up his blond locks. "I'm really sorry about what my mom said; I don't know why she was acting like that."
Knowingly, the blue haired girl laughed. "Oh, I know exactly why she was acting like that. I can hold my own, you know." Max immediately nodded in agreement. Sighing, she continued, "You don't have to apologize. I understand completely."
Max's eyebrows furrowed at the sound of her voice. "You think I'm a momma's boy too, don't you?"
"Don't sound so accusing," Mariam retorted. She lifted herself carefully onto the table, watching as Max fidgeted, trying to hide the fact he was looking around for the sight of his mother. "You're worried this very moment I'm going to upset her, so don't act all surprised people call you a momma's boy. She ingrained it in your head from a young age, I get it."
"I'm not worried you're going to upset her, Mariam," the blond disagreed, shaking his head furiously as he took a step forward. "I don't even care if I make her upset."
"Right."
A pout overcame his features, softening his expression considerably as he kicked the floor. "I don't want to be a momma's boy," he murmured, eyes focused on the laminate flooring. "I want to be..."
"Let me stop you there," Mariam interrupted, a smile tugging at her lips. "If you say my boy, I swear..."
Max's eyes bounded to meet her gaze, sparking at the thought. "I guess you are in my head."
Crossing her legs, the blue haired girl shrugged. "What makes you think you have to prove anything to me, anyway? I don't care how close you are to your mommy. I really don't. You on the other hand..."
"I already told you, I..."
"Prove it."
"Fine, I will," Max stated firmly. For a moment he didn't do anything but look around the room, causing Mariam to quirk an eyebrow in amusement having thought she won. The blond suddenly started to uncuff his sleeves and undo the buttons of his tuxedo's jacket before he could throw it to the floor dramatically. He followed the action by messing up his hair further and finally loosening his tie so the knot barely remained around his neck. "I didn't want to dress up in the first place."
"What a rebel." Mariam rolled her eyes, smirking at his antics. Max seemed genuinely confused as to why she didn't seem impressed. "You can take that back. Well, except the humiliation."
Frowning, he tilted his head to the side. "Did you have something in mind?" The moment Max saw her eyes spark; he knew he shouldn't have asked. Sliding off the table, she stepped right up to him with a challenge in her demeanour. Mariam positioned her hands on her hips, a smirk lying on her lips.
"Kiss me."
"What? Here? Now?" Fumbling as if he hadn't seen it coming, Max took a cautious step backward with wide eyes. Mariam didn't even have to make a move to make the boy nervous; embarrassment had overcome his features. Palm sweating, throat tightening, and voice cracking embarrassment. "Well... that wasn't how I expected our first kiss would be."
"And you think about our first kiss often?" the blue haired girl wondered teasingly, lifting a finger under his chin to direct Max's gaze toward her. His eyes struggled to avoid her penetrating stare and the blond reluctantly gave in, his attention turning directly to her.
"No," Max answered with finality, proving he was a horrible liar. "Not even on the beach or anything like that."
"Mmhmm," Mariam murmured, "I don't think you realize the opportunity I'm giving you here. You can mess up your hair all you want and you'll end up just fixing it later. A kiss on the other hand, with a girl like me, and don't give me that look, I'm not an idiot." The blond sighed lowly, his features lightening. Continuing with a wink, she added, "A kiss with me will be ingrained on her mind forever. It's a guarantee. Who's going to call you a momma's boy then?"
"Your boy then...?" Max whispered back. Receiving another light flick on the chin, she rolled her shoulders back in a shrug smoothly. Determined to lose his unwanted nickname, he wrapped his trembling fingers around one of her hands, tangling themselves against her soft skin. "You're right... you really are."
"I know," Mariam replied dryly, "Are you going to kiss me or what?"
"I'll kiss you...," the blond said hesitantly, glancing around again. "On stage, in the middle of the crowd, in front of Dunga... it doesn't really matter to me. I'll kiss you."
"Let's forget about that last one." The blue haired girl laughed, removing her hand from his confines. Max's eyebrows furrowed, confusion washing over his face before she began to trace a finger down his jaw line, causing his knees to want to buckle under the pressure again. No words would reach his mouth, leaving him half lidded and feeling unintelligent, at least in her presence. "So... what happened on that beach again?"
Max lowered his eyes momentarily, bringing his face closer to hers and narrowing the distance between their noses. And almost like she knew he was about to get cold feet, Mariam brought her hands to his neck, coaxing him closer before crashing her lips firmly against his. Surprise hit him first, before a feeling of relaxation buzzed through his body, telling his legs to hold on for the time being so he didn't look an idiot. Not right now. For Max, time went by too fast; pulling away, the blue haired girl ran a hand through his messy blond locks, partly fixing them to ease the trouble the poor boy would get in.
"Is... that how you thought our first kiss would be...?" The question alone made Mariam want to kiss him again. He was in dreamland, half lidded and hopeful, with those big, round eyes of his. She ran her thumb over the side of his cheek, keeping him distracted as her eyes darted around him toward the onlookers. Several reactions to their display were scattered across the room, each vanishing in turn as her stare met their gazes. All except one.
Mariam pressed her lips teasingly against his, keeping Max in his state of bliss for just a few more seconds. "I'll know when your mother gets here."