A/N: This prompt was one that I wasn't entirely sure what to do with. I had a couple of very vague ideas written down and didn't flesh anything out until the last chapter was finished. It's probably part of the reason I fell behind. I don't know if I'll catch up this weekend or not - it's a busy one for me - but I'm going to keep writing and posting as I finish prompts. Thank you to anyone following along for your patience! :)

Day 12 | Max/Mariam | Rated: K

Fall

Max would never admit that seeing a familiar flash of blue out of the corner of his eye made him do a double-take and stumble up the stairs. He would have fallen right into the seats trying to catch himself, if someone hadn't steadied him at the last second.

"Thank you! That was close!" he laughed, righting himself. When he turned to address the person who'd saved him, his mouth went dry at the sight of her.

He'd been hoping to run into Mariam from the time the tournament was announced, listening carefully for any news of the Saint Shields making a comeback. And now, here she was.

"Don't mention it," Mariam said, sliding back down into her seat. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail like he remembered – his flash of blue – and she still had the most striking eyes he'd ever seen. He'd bet money that they were greener than the rest of her teammates'. And they were so singularly focused on him that it made him blush. "I kinda owed you one."

Max furrowed his brows in confusion. "For what?"

"You save so many girls from collapsing stairs in abandoned buildings that you forget?" Mariam asked skeptically.

"Oh!" Max exclaimed as it all, instantly, came flooding back. The not-so-abandoned forest warehouse, Team Psykick's power injections, Mariam busting their machinery, and the two of them finding a way to make it out in one piece together when the building caved in on itself. "You don't owe me for that, Mariam. I'm just glad you weren't hurt."

"I guess I'll remember that next time you're about to fall flat on your face."

Max felt his cheeks getting hot again.

"I, uh, got distracted," he said, suddenly remembering that they were in a stadium full of people and he was standing in the middle of the stairs, forcing the crowd to walk around him. He slipped into Mariam's row to get out of the way. "I was looking for the guys – they're saving me a seat."

"The battle's about to start," Mariam pointed out as the lights began to dim.

Max nodded. They'd be wondering where he was at. The tournament hadn't properly started yet and today's was an exhibition match, but they'd promised to watch it together to see how their competition had improved in the past couple years. Mariam's presence proved they weren't the only ones with that idea but, as he scanned the audience, he realized something else.

"Where's the rest of your team?"

Mariam sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, her bracelets shining gold in the lights that were left. "Dunga was getting on my nerves earlier, so I came by myself. I'm sure they're here somewhere."

Max shuffled his feet, very aware that he was standing in front of the empty aisle seat to Mariam's right. And that people in the row behind her were craning their necks to see around him. And that he wasn't going to find the rest of his team before the lights went out and it would be a shame for either of them to watch the match alone. So, he sat down.

"Ditching your friends for me?" Mariam asked, a teasing lilt to her voice. "You'd better be careful or they'll think you have a crush."

The next moment the lights went out, saving Max from answering and hiding the fact that his face was probably redder than a tomato. The spotlights flicked on, swirling around the stadium before fixing in the center where DJ Jazzman stood next to a standard dish.

"Hello beyblading fans and welcome to the very first exhibition match of the BBA's Beyblading World Championships!"

The stadium erupted into thunderous applause and Max felt a nostalgic excitement swelling in his chest. It had been a long time since he'd sat in a stadium, waiting for the World Championships to begin. Not only was he eager to compete with the Bladebreakers again and test his mettle against the fiercest competition around, but he got to watch them all compete against one another, too. New friends and old friends.

In some ways, it felt like the first time he'd ever watched a match live. He felt the same fire he'd felt then. The same desire to pick up his blade and find a tough opponent. He glanced over at Mariam; she was leaning forward in her seat, looking just as eager as he felt. He hoped their chance to battle came sooner, rather than later.

"Tonight's match will have you seeing double! We're starting off strong with a pairs battle!" Jazzman cried, sending a buzz of anticipation rippling through the crowd.

The bladers competing in the exhibitions were supposedly a varied group, with some selected from BBA teams and others making special appearances even though they weren't competing this time around. Kenny had spent hours the night before trying to dig up information on who was going to be participating, but it was such a well-kept secret that he hadn't been able to figure it out. A pairs battle would've made him even more curious.

"Our first duo turned the competition on its head with their tag-team finesse in their tournament debut. And after spending the BBA's hiatus with their circus family, they've decided to run away with the World Championships once again! Give it up for Julia and Raul!"

Max applauded along with the crowd as the stadium floor opened up and Raul and Julia appeared. They were beaming and waving to the audience and it was several minutes before the cheers died down enough for Jazzman to introduce the next team.

"Our next pair may be less colorful, but they're no less skilled!"

A flash of light to his left caught Max's eye and he turned to see Sharkrash's bit gleaming in Mariam's hand. She had a white-knuckled grip on her blade and was staring out at the dish with her jaw set. And just like that, something clicked in Max's memory and he knew exactly who was going to be announced.

"Put your hands together for King and Queen!"

The audience was quieter for King and Queen's entrance, but there was still plenty of applause from those who weren't familiar with their dubious history. It was proof of how much the sport had grown in recent years.

Beside Max, Mariam was sitting stiffly. Her fingertips were white where her attack ring was biting into them. Max reached over and laid a gentle hand on her arm. Her head whipped around and he was once again on the receiving end of her piercing gaze.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Now remember: this match is a friendly exhibition! The outcome won't affect the tournament standings, but might leave our competitors with some grudges to battle it out over later." Jazzman raised his hand over his head and King, Queen, Julia, and Raul readied their launchers.

The stadium counted down as one: "3… 2… 1… Let it rip!"

All four beyblades landed in the dish and the battle began.

Right away Max noticed that both teams were using attack patterns he recognized from previous battles. Kenny and Dizzi would note if there was a difference in power output, but it looked like they were taking special care not to reveal any new tricks too early in the competition. It made sense.

Max had every intention of keeping his eyes on the battle regardless. It turned out to be harder than he anticipated with Mariam beside him and he spent as much time watching her reaction to the battle as he did watching the battle itself. And just looking at her in general (she had four new piercings in the ear he could see and a crease appeared between her eyebrows every time Queen went on the offensive).

"Who do you think will win?" he asked after the battle had gone on for a few minutes.

King and Queen landed a powerful barrage attack that made half the audience cheer and the other half boo. Mariam frowned.

"I know who I want to win."

"Julia and Raul are some of the best tag-team bladers out there," Max said, quickly losing his train of thought when Mariam turned away from the battle, for the first time, to look at him while he spoke. She was even prettier than he remembered.

She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

He blushed and looked stubbornly in the direction of the battle, willing any more unbidden thoughts away. "They've taken on tougher opponents than King and Queen and won. I'm sure they can do it again."

Mariam didn't answer. When F-Dynasty called out their bitbeasts, King and Queen followed suit, and Max watched the reflections of them in her eyes.

He couldn't blame Mariam for harboring a grudge against Queen after the way their last battle had panned out. Max wasn't a vengeful person, but he didn't regret shredding Queen's blade once she'd torn Mariam's to smithereens, either. That might have had something to do with the illegal part she was using that backfired. It might have also had something to do with Mariam.

Now that he was going to see her almost daily for the duration of the tournament, he might be forced to unpack that possibility soon.

Max tuned back into the battle just in time to watch King and Queen set up a move to target F-Dynasty while they were separated in the dish. If he'd been watching, he would have recognized when Queen transferred energy into King's beyblade with her own. Before anyone knew what was happening, Uriel was knocking Torch Pegasus out of the dish.

But Queen had made a mistake in hanging back, watching King make his move and leaving herself wide open – Julia sent Thunder Pegasus straight for Gabriel and soon it was just King and Julia left in the game.

"Looks like it's anyone's battle," Mariam observed as the two blades circled each other.

"It can't go on much longer," Max said, leaning over so Mariam could hear him over the increasing volume of the crowd. "Neither of them have a lot of energy left."

Right after he said it, the beyblades collided for one final, winner-take-all attack. There was an explosion of light and a loud crack that must have been the dish itself splitting. When the dust settled, Torch Pegasus was spinning proudly in the middle of it.

"And F-Dynasty takes it!"

The applause and cheers were deafening this time as the entire stadium leapt to their feet to celebrate, not only Julia's victory, but the official start to their first World Championship Tournament since the BEGA fiasco. Max cheered along, eyes glued to the satisfied smirk on Mariam's face.

His fingers were itching for his ripcord by the time everything died down and the spectators began filing out. He wanted to ask Mariam for a battle, but bit his tongue. The guys were probably already looking for him. It would have to wait.

"C'mon, Max," Mariam said, as the people in their row began trying to squeeze past.

They stood up to make their way out of the stadium. It wasn't long before Max turned to say something to Mariam and found that they'd lost each other in the flow of the crowd climbing the stairs to the exit. Or maybe she'd just disappeared on him. It wouldn't be the first time.

Max sighed and continued up, a weird sense of melancholy settling over him. It was great to see Mariam again, but he wished they'd had more time to talk about things other than the battle. Lost in his thoughts, he was almost the whole way to the top of the stairs when he heard someone calling his name.

"Hey, Max!" A hand holding a familiar baseball cap waved above the crowd and, soon enough, Tyson appeared on the stair above him. People nearby were pointing and talking excitedly, but he didn't seem to notice. "Where were you, buddy? We saved you a seat."

"I'm sorry," Max said sheepishly. He hoped the flush he could feel on his cheeks could be attributed to the tight press of the crowd. "I couldn't find you guys."

"We were right where we said we'd be," Hilary said, appearing at Tyson's side. She had a hold of Kenny's suspenders so he didn't get lost to the masses and he was clutching Dizzi in both arms in case someone bumped into him.

"Maybe he's turning antisocial like Kai," Daichi said, elbowing his way through what looked to be a couple holding hands. "He didn't sit with us either."

"Do you guys think we should get out of the way?" Ray asked, bringing up the rear.

Right at that moment, a large group pushed their way past, forcing them all up against the railing dividing the stairs down the center. Max grabbed a hold of it to steady himself, then immediately spun around to apologize when he realized someone's hand was already there. He nearly lost his footing again when he saw whose it was.

"Mariam!"

"Better watch where you're going this time, Max," she said, grabbing his hand and returning it to the railing as his friends watched in stunned silence. "Wouldn't want you to fall before we get the chance to have our rematch."

Then she walked away before any of them could ask about the rest of the Saint Shields. Tyson was complaining about it and Kenny was explaining to Daichi who she was. Max was watching her go until he could no longer see her electric blue ponytail cutting a path through the crowd.

It was possible, he thought as his team finished their ascent, that he'd already fallen.

A/N: Stole the basis for this idea from my notes - shocker. Wanted to write about Mariam catching Max, and Max repeating her line from when he caught her in the dub. It's generic enough that it works. And also generic enough that I had to check what she said because I couldn't remember off the top of my head lol

How it evolved into this, I'll never know. I'm not 100% sure I love it? But I've been assured it's fine so I'm posting and moving on with my life for now.

Thanks for reading!