Note: Well, we're officially up to five months in a row. And I think I've updated more this year than I have in the past two years? Oh well, what matters is that there's regular updates now. If there's ever an issue, I'll post on my profile about a delay, but for now we're golden.

Many thanks to Dead-bY-n0w, AzikaRue394, and Kenrai for their reviews! As always very much appreciated. And extra thanks to AzikaRue394 for all the late night talks to sort out exactly what I want to do with this chapter and future chapters and just with MaxMariam in general.

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or M&M's.

M&M's

"Breakfast of champions."

Max yawned, resting his head against the vending machine in the entranceway of the hospital. Truth be told, he didn't know exactly what time it was. Outside he could see sunlight just beginning to break outside, everything quiet and at rest. He had practically dragged Mariam to the emergency room late last night, having never seen anyone throw up so much in his or her life over the past few days and his concern got the better of him. Annoyed with his persistence, she made him stay put in the waiting room over an hour ago and here he was, staring at the most pitiful display of options a vending machine ever had.

He flipped his dollar bill over in his hands, smoothing it out the best he could. Max lifted his head off the machine and frowned. Inside he was able to choose from M&M's, cheese and crackers, or a package of assorted nuts he was sure the company went bankrupt from about 10 years ago. Not wanting to push his luck, he went with the chocolate.

Feeding his cash into the machine, Max watched the spirals holding his candy unwind. After a second of hesitance, the M&M's dropped to the chute and the blond bent down to pick them up. It was then that the doors behind him opened up and Mariam rushed past him, not even acknowledging Max, she continued briskly until she was outside.

"Hey!" Max called hurrying after her. Still not stopping, Max broke into a quick jog to catch up, rushing just past Mariam so she would finally see him. "Remember me, your husband?"

Mariam finally came to a standstill, her attention to Max with a sudden glare. The blond held his hands up in defense, M&M's pack flipping limply in his hand. He noticed his wife seemed off, tense and guarded and the expression past her glare was unnerved. Concerned, Max lowered his hands and gestured to a nearby bench. He placed an arm behind her back, noting just how stiff she was, and guided her towards it.

"Is everything okay? What did they say?" Max spoke softly, his blue eyes studying all of her features for some clue. They took a seat on the small wooden bench facing away from the hospital, Max's arm still wrapped around her back and holding her tightly. "Is it bad?"

Mariam slowly tilted her head toward him, her green eyes wet with approaching tears. This was not something Max saw often and his heart lurched and he held her against him even tighter. She opened her mouth and her voice creaked, visibly overcome by what had happened. Max was kicking himself for letting her go in alone.

"I'm pregnant."

Those two simple words shook Max's brain. He stared at her, completely dumfounded and of no use for a long time. Mariam wiped at her eyes, scowling at her emotions as if they were a burden, as Max tried to collect himself. His packet of M&M's dropped from his free hand to the grass, completely forgotten; he retracted his other arm to angle himself to Mariam, his mouth open and trying to form some comprehensive words.

"How...?" It was all Max could come up with, the only word that could push through his thoughts. He knew it was stupid, and the look Mariam suddenly gave him told him she also thought it was stupid.

"Really, Max?"

He sheepishly looked away from her leveled gaze, his mind still reeling. "I mean... like now?" He cringed again at his next question; he sure was on a roll.

"Yes, now." Mariam covered her face in her hands, breathing out a deep sigh. "You're really not helping, Max."

"I know, I'm sorry," he apologized. Max was at such a loss, he rubbed her back, not knowing what else to do. "I mean, like... how far along are you?" Nothing felt real.

"About a month," Mariam said softly. She cupped her hands together as she lowered them from her face, resting them eventually on her lap with unease. She looked to her husband, his face drawn together with such focus, his brain working away as if solving a puzzle.

"About a month," Max repeated in awe. He stared at Mariam, their eyes meeting in their shared silence and it was suddenly as if everything made sense for Max. He seemed almost relieved before his expression brightened further, a grin forming on his lips. It was like an epiphany. "You're pregnant."

Mariam couldn't help but smile at this, wiping at a stray tear that made its way down her cheek. "I am." She added, "Good job."

"Thanks," Max said out of habit, then cringed at the context. Mariam snorted, soft laughter fitting between them. Max wrapped his arm back fully around his wife. "Well, you know what I meant."

Mariam didn't say anything, still uneasy at the news. Her hands fidgeted together in her lap, her mind going about a thousand miles a minute. Max was holding her against him, rubbing her arm and trying to be soothing. She could feel the excitement coming off him in waves, and here she was a mess of emotions and fears and questions. Her hands eventually retreated to her face, hiding her eyes as she felt another rush of just wanting to cry.

"This is so stupid..." It was muffled, but Max heard. "I'm supposed to be happy."

Max smiled softly before placing a kiss on the top of her head. "No one can tell you how to feel, Mariam." She groaned a bit from behind her hands, and Max nudged her closer to him, wrapping his other arm around her. "You want to talk about it?"

Mariam conceded, dropping her hands from her face again to wrap around Max tightly. She buried her face in his shoulder, the soft fabric of his sweatshirt drying her tears. "I can't do this, Max. I can't." The blond strained to hear his wife, but hummed in acknowledgement to her statement, his hand rubbing her back. "I'm going to be the worst mom... I can barely take care of myself..."

Max listened to her mumble off her list of fears, nodding even when they became practically silent as they were whispered into his shoulder blade. "I'm scared too," he murmured, catching her attention. She peeked out at him, her eyes red and he could practically feel how ashamed she was from expressing herself in public. He kissed her reassuringly again on the top of her head. "But I think we could do this, we can handle anything if we're together, if you want to try?"

"It's not that I don't want..." Mariam lifted herself from his shoulder, biting her lip. She sighed in frustration, using her hand to wipe at tears in dismay. "It's not that. It's that I'm so terrified and this was unexpected and... God, I hate hormones."

"You're going to be an amazing mother."

"Max..."

"You will, I know it." He pressed his lips softly against her cheek, making her smile. Mariam locked her arms tightly around him and Max took the opportunity to bury his head in the crook of her neck. "We're going to get through all the scary parts together." Mariam nodded in agreement and so Max cheekily added, "Even telling my Mom."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Do you think we could keep things quiet for now...?" She was hesitant. "I mean, I'd love to tell your Mom, but I just need more..."

"Time?" Max guessed. Mariam nodded. She already hated her emotions and here they were all over the place, but Max was helping and the situation was slowly becoming more viable. "Absolutely. We can wait as long as you want. I told you, we're in this together."

"Alright. You're right." Mariam let out another deep breath. "Can we go home? We got a lot to talk about."

The pair slowly let go of each other, standing up from the bench and stretching as daylight finally seemed to take over, the morning sun illuminating everything in lovely shades. Max could tell Mariam was still embarrassed, so he kept his arm around her as he led her back toward their car.

They spent the day wrapped up with blankets in bed, talking about the future and their fears and their wishes and slowly Mariam seemed to realize the world wasn't ending. She curled up against Max, drifting to sleep as his head rested on top of hers. Their breathing in time, Mariam grabbed his hand and entwined their fingers together and he instantly gave her a reassuring squeeze.

But just as quickly, Max let go and started to search his pockets. Mariam, confused, looked up at her husband, a quizzical expression found on his face. "I bought M&M's today," he reasoned sheepishly, patting his pockets down. Mariam smirked at him when he sighed in defeat. "Weird. Wonder what happened to them?"

He settled back into bed and Mariam snuggled back into him. His hand fitted right back into hers where it belonged. "I love you."