Perspectives

Legal Crap: I don't own Beyblade, or any of the characters. This is a STRAIGHT Beyblade romance fic. So pro yaoi-yuri people, sorry. This takes place after the episode "Out of the Past." I'm not sure what happens at the exhibition match, so this is my what if? take.

"That stupid, pink-haired ditz…" Michael rolled his eyes, as Emily complained how much the girl from the White Tigers had irritated her. She was about to say more, but the older teen stopped her.

"Enough! We don't have to hear about how much you hate Maria, or whatever her name is." Michael said, tossing down the magazine he had been trying to read. "It wouldn't hurt to be the bigger person here." He said, picking up the issue of Sports Illustrated he'd been reading. "My god, she's been like this ever since the run-in with the Bladebreakers and the White Tigers." he thought. Then, he remembered something. Nothing to do with the White Tiger girl, but something else entirely. He'd noticed that on the way to their hotel, when they were talking about their opponent's strategy, she had readily joined in, saying something about data. When they had gotten to Max however, she sort of just clammed up, turning red every so often, and spacing out. "Maybe…"

"Are you listening?" Emily asked the baseball player, as she noticed he was drifting off. Michael sighed.

"Yeah… hey, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Upon seeing her nod, he pressed on. "Um… er…there isn't anyone you like is there?" Her reaction was immediate. Emily began to blush, and struggled to speak for a second.

"Wh..wh… where do you get that idea from?!" she yelled, blushing furiously. Michael grinned.

"Nah, nothing… I just had this mental picture of you and Max making kissy-faces at each other." If it was possible, his grin stretched further. Emily immediately began to cough, and splutter randomly as she tried to speak. "I thought you didn't like anyone!" he said, smirking at her.

"I..I…" Emily tried to speak, than sat down. "Okay, I'll admit, he's definitely cute, and he has the ability to stay freakishly happy after ANYTHING, but that doesn't mean I…" Michael cut her off.

"You know that denial isn't just a river, right?" Michael smiled and began to laugh after she blushed again and stomped indignantly out of the room. Steven walked in.

"Dude, what was that about?" he asked his fellow teammate. Michael smiled and simply went back to reading.

***

"Little… who does he think he is?!" Emily said angrily, as she walked the halls of their hotel. She stopped though, and pondered her conversation with her annoying compatriot. Alright, she had done more that a little staring at the American championship, and she was rather happy when their teams ran into each other. Her mood was quickly spoiled by Mariah, but still…. She stopped period. "Dammit, why can't I get you out of my head?!" An amused voice cut through her thoughts.

"What's wrong? Got someone on your mind?" The person asked, as he stayed out of her line of sight.

"None of your business, you…" her voice cut off as Max walked around the corner and grinned at her.

"What's up? You seem upset." Max noted in a concerned tone. Emily just stared at the blond Bladebreaker.

"My god, how can anyone look so confused yet so cute at the same time?" she asked herself. She then noticed Max's hand waving in front of her face.

"Hellooo? Anyone home?" Max playfully asked, as he looked at the All-Star. "She looks cute when she's flustered. Wait, she's my mom's assistant, I can't think like that!"

"Yes, I'm paying attention…. Why are you wandering the halls anyway?" she asked him, trying to change the subject. Max blinked.

"Oh, I just wanted to clear my head. Tyson was being so noisy in there I couldn't think. Not to mention he cleaned out all the takeout, so I'm pretty-" his stomach growled. "Hungry." He said with a laugh. "Wanna grab something to eat? My treat." he offered. Emily blinked, than laughed.

"I'll take you up on that." She said with a grin, as she walked over to him. He wrapped one arm around her, then walked to the elevator.

***

"Ahh, that was good!" Max exclaimed, as he and Emily walked out of the restaurant. He looked at his companion, who was smiling at him. "What?"

"Nothing…" her speech cut off there, but inside… "Dammit Michael, you really have to put ideas into my head, don't you. Thanks to you, I've had a chance to get an all-new perspective on this guy… But then again, that's not bad." She shivered involuntarily due to the drop in temperature that had occurred while they were eating. Naturally, Max noticed.

"You alright?" he asked his shorter companion. She nodded in affirmation, but said nothing when he drew her towards him, and simply wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. "You should wear some heavier stuff under that lab coat. It's gonna get colder."

"Yeah… hey, how long until the exhibition and the tournament? We're going to compete in the exhibition, and we're going to stick around to watch the tournament."

"Oh, the exhibition is in about a week… the tournament is longer cause of all the qualifiers, so you're looking at 3 weeks to a month." Max answered.

"A month with all our teams together…" Emily said aloud. Max laughed.

"Yeah, it's going to be hard to get along with each other for that long…" Max instantly stopped speaking as Emily sidled up closer to him and pressed her head against his chest.

"I'm glad." she murmured, wrapping her arms around him. Max, although confused as hell, simply brought his own arms around her. He was definitely surprised when she tilted her head up and pressed her lips against his cheek. "Thanks." Max looked stunned, than smiled.

"You're welcome." He mumbled, leaning down and giving her a kiss on the head. She smiled up at him. They stayed in that embrace for a long time.

"Hmm." Emily thought. "I guess confronting how you feel about someone is better in the long run after all."

"Life is good." Max thought. "Life is good."

So, that as my first entry into the realm of Beyblade. How do you like it? Please R@R!