A/N: Thought about writing something delightfully cliché and romantic for this prompt, but then I realized I could write some All Starz shenanigans. So, this happened instead. I've had it finished for a while, but it really put the 'rough' in rough draft. Edited it when I could find the energy over the past couple days and it's much better lol

Day 16 | Eddy, Michael, Emily | Rated: K+

Bouquet

"Since when does Emily have a secret admirer?" Michael asked, eyeing the bouquet on Judy's desk that had their teammate's name pinned on it. He was slouched in a chair in the Director's office, lazily tossing a baseball into the air and catching it. He looked every inch as bored as Eddy felt.

Somehow, he and Michael always ended up waiting on Judy. He was beginning to suspect it wasn't because she got caught up with work, but because she thought they'd be late if she told them the time they actually had to meet.

"Beats me," Eddy said, stifling a yawn. Giving into curiosity, he got up out of his seat to inspect the flowers further. "There's no note or anything."

"Guess they don't like her that much," Michael quipped. He tossed the baseball back and forth between his hands a couple of times, before resuming his previous rhythm.

"That narrows it down to anybody that's ever worked or beybladed with her," Eddy said, shooting a smirk Michael's way that made them both laugh.

Despite their wait, they were in high spirits. It was partly to do with the whole BEGA headache being behind them. They were fortunate that its reach had never fully affected the PPB facility and their lives could return to normal quicker than some other beybladers'.

But mostly, they were excited because Steve was being discharged from the hospital sometime that afternoon.

The World Championships hadn't been the same without Steve. From the time they were announced, they'd talked about how much of a blast it would be traveling the world together again. None of them had counted on an injury keeping him stuck in New York, waiting on ACL surgery.

He was still waiting when they got back.

Eddy, who'd gotten the play-by-play in real time once his friend stopped moping enough to return his calls, did his best to lift his spirits. And, when BEGA reared its ugly head and Michael, Emily, and Rick flew back to Japan to join the efforts against them, Eddy stayed behind. Somebody had to keep Steve company and make sure the entire American branch of the BBA didn't go up in flames.

It was a tense couple of months between waiting for news and waiting for surgery. In the end, Eddy got to watch Tyson beat Brooklyn in Steve's recovery room.

Now they were all home again, just in time for Steve and his patched up ACL to be allowed out of the hospital.

"Who do you think sent them?"

Michael's question snapped Eddy out of it. He shrugged and took the seat next to Michael again, tugging a brand new team jacket onto his lap. Steve didn't know it yet, but it was what he was wearing for his grand exit. Even if he hadn't come to the World Championships, he was still an All Star.

"Hmm… Ten bucks says Kenny." Eddy shot a look at Michael to see if he agreed. "He'd probably be too shy to include a message."

Michael snorted. "Maybe. Everyone knows he's obsessed with Ming-Ming though." His eyes narrowed in thought, the steady sound of the baseball hitting his palm the only noise in the office. "Maybe they're from Judy. As a thank-you for helping defeat BEGA and making sure she got to keep her job."

There'd been a dicey couple of weeks where it looked like any senior member of the PPB staff might lose their job if they resisted BEGA too loudly. Judy's open support of her son and his friends and the box of parts she took out of inventory for their cause had put her job at risk. The most ballsy thing Eddy had ever seen her do was explaining herself, unflinchingly, to her higher-ups.

"She'd thank Max before she thanked any of us, dude." Though, he had to admit, Emily would be a close second. Rumor had it she was already working on upgrading her new beyblade for the All Starz to use in the next tournament.

"Maybe they're for him, then," Michael suggested, indifferent until another thought hit him. He caught the baseball one last time and pointed to Eddy with the hand that was holding it. "Or maybe they're supposed to be from him and she's trying to set up her two favorite people in the world."

Eddy could feel his face contort into what must have been a really amusing look of horror, because Michael snorted, before beginning to outright laugh at him.

"It's not funny," Eddy protested in spite of the fact that Michael's laughter was contagious enough to make his own lips curl up into a grin. "Dude, Judy would be insufferable."

Michael was saved from having to pull himself together enough to answer when the office door swung open to reveal Emily standing on the other side. She strode in, all business and, hopefully, coming to put an end to their waiting, before stopping in her tracks at the sight of Michael doubled over in laughter.

"Can whichever one of you idiots has the brain cell right now tell me what in the world is so funny?" she asked, eyes rolling behind her glasses before locking onto Eddy as the obvious choice.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked because Michael was too busy wiping tears out of the corners of his eyes to answer.

"Not really," she answered bluntly. Then, like they hadn't been waiting exactly where and when they were supposed to be, she asked, "Are you two ready? Steve's mom called and said they're getting ready to fill out the discharge paperwork."

"We've been ready," Michael said, standing up and shoving his hands – and the baseball – into his jacket pockets. "You're the one that told us to wait here."

Eddy followed suit, standing and tossing Steve's jacket over his shoulder.

Emily didn't respond, except with another eye roll, and plucked the flowers up from Judy's desk. She discarded the piece of paper with her name on it, before crossing back to the door and motioning for Eddy and Michael to leave first.

"Who sent you the flowers?" Eddy asked, waggling his eyebrows as he sauntered past her and out into the hallway. If she was going to waltz in and collect them like they were kids waiting in the principal's office, he was going to poke some fun.

"Nobody," she answered, looking at him like he was crazy.

"Why did they have your name on them, then?" Michael shot back. He waited with Eddy while Emily closed and locked the office behind them. Naturally, Judy entrusted her with a key.

"Probably so the courier knew who ordered them."

Emily shot them each another look and started towards the elevator. Eddy and Michael shrugged at each other and followed her. It wasn't as entertaining as their theories, but it would have to do.

"Who are they for?" Eddy asked, automatically adjusting his speed so he didn't outpace his friends with his longer strides.

"Steve," she answered as she called the elevator. "Who else?"

"Steve?" Michael asked. The disbelief in his voice mirrored Eddy's own thoughts. When the elevator door opened, their dumbfounded expressions could be seen reflected grotesquely in the metal walls inside. "Why would Steve want flowers?"

Emily huffed. "It's just a nice gesture."

That was code for: It was Judy's idea, don't ask questions.

"Nah, a nice gesture would be a pizza or something," Eddy said as the three of them piled into the elevator. He was closest, so he pressed the button for the lobby. "Hospital food probably sucks."

"Ha – damn right!" Michael agreed. He high-fived Eddy over Emily's head as the elevator closed and began its descent.

Emily glowered, but didn't respond.

"So… what?" Eddy asked. "Are we just gonna rock up, hand Steve a bouquet of flowers and his jacket, then leave?"

"Judy said we'd see how Steve feels and play it by ear." Emily checked her watch, probably making sure they were adhering to Judy's real timetable. Or wanting to get away from him and Michael as soon as possible. "She didn't plan anything concrete, but—"

"Great!" Eddy interrupted as the doors slid open. "Pizza it is, then."

"I think Judy was probably picturing an actual restaurant," Emily said as the three of them breezed through security and set off across the lobby. She didn't sound too keen on the idea of sitting somewhere fancy either; Eddy figured she was only arguing for Judy's sake.

"You can get pizza at an 'actual restaurant'." Michael chimed in.

"Yes, but—"

"I'll pick the pizza," Eddy said, spinning around to walk backwards as he led their group towards the front doors. At some point he'd forgotten to slow down for them. "Steve likes anything greasy and foldable. And he's not gonna want to sit somewhere where he can't put his elbows on the table after being stuck in the hospital."

He'd just turned back around when Steve's jacket was yanked out of his hold.

"Hey!"

"If you're picking the pizza, I'm giving him the jacket." Michael threw it over his shoulder, mimicking the way Eddy had been holding it. "It's my duty as team captain."

"Whatever, man," Eddy chuckled.

"And Emily can give him the flowers," Michael added as an afterthought.

"Why am I stuck giving Steve the flowers?" Emily asked with a scowl, her carefully professional facade slipping for just a second. "They weren't my idea."

Eddy held the door open for his teammates and made eye contact with Michael briefly as he passed. There was a car waiting for them at the curb – Judy was already in the front seat next to the driver – but they took a moment to face Emily together on the sidewalk.

"Because your name was on them," Eddy answered with a shrug, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

Emily huffed and pushed past them. Michael and Eddy followed her, snickering all the way to the car that would carry them to the hospital to reunite their team once and for all.

A/N: That picture of the All Starz visiting Steve from the special G-Rev ending was my entire inspiration for this chapter. If no one could tell. Always thought the flowers were a nice gesture, but poor Steve can't even hold them because he needs both hands for his crutches lol

Thanks for reading!