azikarue

[azikarue]

2023 Fic Recap

Little late with the recap this year, but it's still January, right? For now?

Going into 2023, my goals were to 1) update "Bliss", 2) participate in MayBlade, and 3) work on/finish some WIPs. Poor "Bliss" is still waiting for its chance, but two out of three isn't bad!

I'll ramble more at the end of the post, but here's a recap of everything I posted in 2023.

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A Kiss for Luck

Summary: Before his crucial battle against Mystel, Max takes a moment to center himself. He wasn't expecting company. Set in my Saint Shields in G-Rev AU. Pairing: Max/Mariam Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,855 Rated: K+

This fic was the first of six short oneshots I wrote to commemorate Valentine's Day. I did something similar in 2021, where I wrote a handful of Max/Mariam kisses and published them during the week leading up to Valentine's Day. When I was planning my writing for 2023, it felt like something fun to tackle again, and it gave me a lighthearted and relaxed start to the year writing-wise. So, I ignored my entire list of goals and wrote this (plus the next five) based off of six kiss tropes. I chose a different pairing for each.

For this one, I indulged myself doubly by starting with Max/Mariam and by setting it in my Saint Shields in G-Rev AU. Ever since I started pondering this AU, the moment in this fic is one that I knew had to happen. I'm sure the Saint Shields would have a lot to say about BEGA. I'm also sure that Mariam would remember the lessons she learned from Max and would be happy to throw them back in his face when he needs it most. And I love the excuse to visit early Max/Mariam days, even if it's in an AU setting. I write so much about them as adults that it always feels refreshing to write a little closer to their roots. This one holds a special place in my heart.

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A Kiss on a Scar

Summary: Every mark on Tala's body has a story and Julia does her best not to ask questions. She doesn't always succeed. Pairing: Tala/Julia Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,883 Rated: T

When I chose this trope, I knew exactly which ship I would write for it. I was glad to have more practice with these two after writing them for a couple of my MayBlade 2022 chapters. For some reason, I tend to shy away from any member of the Blitzkrieg Boys when I write. I think it's partially because they have such a strong fan base and I'm never sure how my personal image of them will rate. Honestly, I've spent so many years in the fandom focusing on more underrated characters that I'm not even sure I have fully developed ideas for the Blitzkrieg Boys. Tala/Julia feels more niche, though, like it's a safe place for me to play around in.

While writing this, I was a little unsure on characterization. Namely, how much Tala would share without prompting and how much Julia would prompt him. I think there's still some gaps in Tala's character arc between seasons that I need to fill in mentally. He's very open with Tyson when discussing BEGA and Boris. I can only assume that's some combo of righteous anger and maybe therapy? Or just figuring himself out now that he's free from Biovolt's clutches. Julia is a bit of a mystery, too. Mostly, I worry that I'll end up writing her too similarly to other female characters on accident. Reading this fic back, I don't dislike the way I wrote them. And it was a stage in their relationship that I hadn't written before this point, so I enjoyed it a lot!

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A Kiss with Red Lipstick

Summary: Usually Queen has more fun at Enrique's family parties. But she usually doesn't have to go out of her way for his company or spend the night stone cold sober either. Pairing: Enrique/Queen Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,784 Rated: M

This chapter was just me writing for me. I was pleasantly surprised when it got more than a single note when I posted it on Tumblr, because I know this is such a random ship with an, arguably, even more random interpretation. These are the two I write about when I want messy drama and chaos. Red lipstick kisses feel very messy and chaotic, so here we are.

This falls into the same story line as the last Enrique/Queen fic I wrote. It was fun building upon that idea.

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A Kiss at the Beach

Summary: Salima gets caught staring. It lands her in deep water…so to speak. Pairing: Ray/Salima Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,180 Rated: T

I'll never turn down the chance to write some cutesy Ray/Salima. I imagine the two of them traveling around together a lot, living an almost nomadic lifestyle between tournaments or stops home (to White Tiger Hills or Salima's apartment). It's always a treat to indulge in that line of thinking, especially for a sweet moment like this.

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A Kiss to Shut Her Up

Summary: Mariah has a talent for uncomfortable conversations. Rick's working on his strategy for getting out of them. Pairing: Rick/Mariah Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,253 Rated: T

This was one of my favorites when I wrote this series, and I still love it a year later. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I love writing Rick and Mariah's dynamic, especially from Rick's in-denial, grumpy point of view. He's a fun character in general, and I love how Mariah is the perfect person to keep him on his toes. And I had the line about her climbing him like a tree in reserves for what feels like forever, so it was nice to finally give it a home.

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A Kiss for the Winner

Summary: Tyson wins another World Championship and Hilary needs a minute to process his reaction. Pairing: Tyson/Hilary Chapters: 1/1 Words: 1,987 Rated: K+

I remember agonizing over this fic because I didn't want Tyson or Hilary to feel out of character. I've written a fair bit of TyHil since then, so I think that worry has subsided somewhat, but it was VERY REAL when I wrote this. I think the fact that the fic centers around a disagreement added to that anxiety. Arguments can be tricky. I didn't want it to feel like they resolved things too quickly to be believable or that Hilary's feelings were dismissed. In the end, I'm very happy with how it turned out.

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Subtly Sweet

Summary: When Hilary's computer crashed, she hoped work would be a distraction. Instead, she has a run-in with a vending machine and finds an unlikely hero in Tyson. Now if only he wasn't such a royal pain. Pairing: Tyson/Hilary Chapters: 1/1 Words: 4,320 Rated: K

I have this fic to thank for being able to tick my "work on/finish some WIPs" box in 2023. Very grateful to it for the feeling of accomplishment it gave me. 😄

For a fic that was sitting as a WIP for a year, it cleaned up nice! As a WIP, it was mostly dialogue with some vague outlining that I'd started, then left hanging. Sometimes pinpointing the perfect dialogue to take a plot from Point A to Point B can be a struggle, so when I reread my notes, I knew I had to take advantage of a good thing while I had it. The phone call scene wasn't originally included, and I remember doing a healthy amount of tweaking to get it right, but once it was there I couldn't imagine the story without it.

Fun fact: The original spark of an idea for this fic came from a conversation with RedWheeler literal years ago. I can't remember if we were discussing TyHil specific songs, but "Tangled Up In Me" by Skye Sweetnam came up and I couldn't get the thought of Hilary kicking a vending machine out of my head. Also, how is that song 20 years-old already?

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Life in Color

Summary: A collection for MayBlade 2023. Pairing: Multiple Chapters: 31/31 Words: 65,225 Rated: Varies (everything from K to M)

The pièce de résistance of my year. 💎

I, once again, did not finish my MayBlade entries on time. Unlike my first try, I accepted the fact that I would fall behind ahead of time. I think it made me feel much less stressed overall, but it also might have contributed to me falling behind faster than before? It's a double-edged sword. I know that I was in a better place for this round than I was when writing "Just A Moment", though. Life was much more balanced and I gave myself time to rest and recoup in between chapters, as needed, rather than spending all hours writing, editing, and falling asleep on my keyboard.

I'm very proud of this collection. I love challenging myself to write about some of my favorite, underappreciated characters alongside some of the characters more typical to my fics. I think I said this last year, too, but I love to see which chapters people like best and how it can vary between FFN and Tumblr. Sometimes I'm surprised by how things play out. Like, I was very shocked that the first chapter was so well-received on Tumblr, seeing as it focused on the Saint Shields. I'm sure it was because it was Day 1 of the event, but it was nice to know that some of my favorite characters got their time to shine. That was the case for more than one chapter, and I'd write a slew of notes on them all if it wouldn't make this post way too long.

All in all, I saw more engagement on "Life in Color" versus "Just A Moment" and I'm so grateful to anyone who read or interacted with it in some way! 🤍

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As I reflect on 2023, I can acknowledge that I took some positive steps forward in my never-ending quest for balance.

I'm teaching myself every day that it is okay to let go of things without guilt and pick them back up later. I can't be everything or do it all 100% of the time, and that's all right. It doesn't have to be all or nothing, and I can start things without having any idea of when I'll finish them. I can take a break from things that aren't serving me or causing more stress than I can handle. I can choose myself first and follow my whims. I can log off and be present.

In 2024, I don't know what my fanfic uploads will look like. I'd like to update Bliss and work on more WIPs. MayBlade is up in the air. I love participating, but it always turns into a bigger production than I bargain for. I may just need to participate differently, if I choose to do so.

September thru December are notoriously busy months for me, with May and June getting honorable mention. I'm not saying I'll be totally absent those months. Just putting it out there for me, so I know to go easy on myself. If I do nothing but read and take day trips and spend quality time with the people (and animals!) I love during that time, then it will be a year well spent. 🤍

As always, thank you to everyone who has interacted with any of my uploads this year and to the people who cheer me on and feed my fandom fire. I appreciate this little circle of the internet so, so much, and I hope 2024 brings only the best to you all! 🥰

#HAPPY 2024! #crossing my fingers for some fic inspo and motivation this year 🤞🏼 #azrfic recap #azrupdate #azikarue #azikarue394

[azikarue]

I think it's time to admit that I'm not going to be posting my fills for the TyHil Love Countdown on time. 😞 Life is full of things that require my energy and attention right now, and I simply don't have enough time to craft the story I want to craft.

I'll post some more details under a cut for anyone who is genuinely curious, but rest assured: I will still be working on the fills these next few months because I'm truly so excited for them, and I'm going to do my best to support the others participating in the event in the meantime.

Hopefully giving myself the time I need means that my fills will be worth the wait. 🤍

For anybody who craves details:

A few months back I made this post mentioning an idea for a multi-chapter story that I had. When the poll came out for the TyHil Love Countdown, I was secretly hoping the set of prompts we ended up with would win, because I knew I could work them into that very same multi-chapter story I already had swimming around in my brain.

And here we are!

I'm really excited to write this story and share it, but I've never come close to finishing a proper multi-chapter story with one overarching plot before. I told myself that, if I ever wrote a fic like that, I'd write the entirety of the story before I even thought about publishing it. I'm not comfortable with posting on the fly because I know myself and I know I'll want to edit the story as a whole unit before posting it. I overthink too much not to lol And there's always the possibility I'll be the only audience for my fics, so I want to be 100% happy with what I put out there.

Since my life is so nuts right now, I definitely will not be finishing this story in the next two weeks. I might not make any progress at all, idk. But I'm going to try, because I'd love to post it early next year.

Soooo, currently accepting tips on maintaining momentum for multiple chapters. And sorry if anyone was looking forward to TyHil from me sometime soon. I don't think it's in the cards, but I hope you enjoy my upcoming fic, whenever it gets to actually coming. 🙃

#i have an obsession with posting under a cut currently #in my head it feels like giving people who don't want to listen to my rambling permission to sit it out lol #azrupdate #azikarue #azikarue394

[azikarue]

★ TYHIL LOVE COUNTDOWN 2023 PROMPT WALKTHROUGH (PART 2 ) ★

☞ EVENT DETAILS ☆

☞WALKTHROUGH PART 1 ☆

Part 2 of the event walkthrough will focus on the second half of the event which will run from November 17th to 30th.

▶︎ The whole month has been divided into different times of a day, as that was the theme voted for this year. Each time of the day has been given a few themes just so there are more options for the creators for whom the overarching theme of the event feels limiting.

▶︎ Since each part will run through for four days, your entry relative to the part can be posted on any of the dates. Late entries are accepted as well, the timeline exists just to add a structure to the event.

▶︎ You can choose to make your entry about the time of the day, for example, a scene set in the morning or afternoon, or you can choose to focus on alternate themes.

▶︎ Some examples on how the alternate themes can be used :

❑ "Turn Back Time/Sweet Dreams/Against All Odds" - All three of these themes are meant as substitutes for dialogue prompts but can be interpreted metaphorically as well. For example, rather than just being a response to "Good Night", "Sweet Dreams" can also be used to write a fic about a dream sequence. "Turn Back Time" can be interpreted as a Time Travel AU and "Against All Odds" can be interpreted as a star crossed lovers theme.

❏ "Secrets" - This can easily be the setting for a fic where either Tyson or Hilary are keeping secrets from each other, or if you want to dig deeper, you can interpret it as Murder Mystery AU or a Detective/Cop AU.

❏ "Party" - This prompt is also easy to use where it's possible to depict a scene of Tyson and Hilary at a party, but if you're looking for something different, you can use this prompt to write a Celebrity AU.

❑ "Eternal" - This prompt can be used for a wedding themed fic, or anything that features a dramatic romance. My initial reason for picking this word was to showcase anything related to eternal love, so it can also be used for something like a Soulmates AU.

❑ "Free Days" - Feel free to post anything related to TyHil on these two days! This is also a good chance for people who are supporting the event by reading/liking/reblogging the contributions to get out there and show some love/appreciation for their favourite creators by sending them a message, leaving a review, commenting on their posts or making a post about them and thanking them for their efforts during the event!

If you have more questions about the event or the prompt, you can send an ask to @takaoxhiromi or @ashxketchum 📩

#i have NO IDEA what my participation is going to look like for this #but I'm super excited regardless! #TyHil Love Countdown

[azikarue]

A life and writing update rolled into one. 🐈

I had every intention of kicking myself into gear to brainstorm, outline, draft, and begin fine-tuning my TyHil Love Countdown entries in time to have a few strong fills to post during the event in November. I came up with what feels like an ambitious, but fun and fulfilling, idea and was in the outlining phase when something derailed my progress.

Last Sunday, I yanked a stray kitten out of some bushes on the side of the highway. She was shivering, starving, and being eaten alive by parasites inside and out. Thankfully, I was able to get her to the vet promptly, and she's making a speedier recovery than I would have ever thought possible. I love her to pieces, but nursing her back to health and balancing her care with my other pets' care, the adjustments that come with a new pet, and all of life's other minutiae has effectively eaten up my free time.

Today is my first real day with some leeway in my schedule. Naturally, I spent a good chunk of my morning feeling personally victimized by my uterus 😑 and I have some things to get done around the house, but I'm going to attempt to finish my outline (my original plan for last weekend) and hopefully set myself up to write some rough drafts this month so I don't wash out of the event entirely.

But, even though I've been feeling frazzled, I'm so beyond grateful for the way things have played out with my newest little friend and very excited for the TyHil content I will eventually have the privilege of putting out into the world. 🤍

P.S. Thank you to @too-raph who's been in the thick of it with me the whole way, from digging through bushes to taking care of the poor little thing when I'm stuck at work. You're a lifesaver!

#if you like cats or TyHil this update is for you #otherwise carry on down your dash #azrupdate #azikarue #azikarue394

[azikarue]

★ TYHIL LOVE COUNTDOWN 2023 PROMPT WALKTHROUGH (PART 1) ★

☞ EVENT DETAILS ☆

Part 1 of the walkthrough will focus on the first half of the event which will run from November 1st to 16th.

▶︎ The whole month has been divided into different times of a day, as that was the theme voted for this year. Each time of the day has been given a few themes just so there are more options for the creators for whom the overarching theme of the event feels limiting.

▶︎ Since each part will run through for four days, your entry relative to the part can be posted on any of the dates. Late entries are accepted as well, the timeline exists just to add a structure to the event.

▶︎ You can choose to make your entry about the time of the day, for example, a scene set in the morning or afternoon, or you can choose to focus on alternate themes.

▶︎ Some examples on how the alternate themes can be used :

❑ "New Beginnings" - This is a pretty open ended theme and can be used for any AU, Mafia AU or Royalty AU where Tyson and Hilary have an encounter for the first time.

❑ "Routine" - This is something that can slip in any AUs that revolve around professions or sports. Music and Dance AUs were two of the AUs suggested during the survey and this prompt will make a good fit for both.

❏ "Rise and Shine" or "Take it Easy" - Since two of the responders on the survey had asked for dialogue prompts, these two options have been added to cater to that request. Apart from using it as a dialogue, even a scene about Tyson and Hilary waking up together or spending a relaxing day together will fit the bill.

❏ "School or "Coffee" - These can be interpreted as individual words, or as a setting for a High School AU and Coffee Shop AU as these were both requested during the survey.

❏ "Bright" - Apart from being used as a word, as a theme this can be used to describe a happy scene or for art/edits, a bright looking piece can be created for this prompt.

If you have more questions about the event or the prompt, you can send an ask to @takaoxhiromi or @ashxketchum 📩

#TyHil Love Countdown #oh this is neat! #a useful tool for brainstorming esp if you get stuck on a prompt #I like seeing the thought behind some of the prompts too

[azikarue]

Reflecting under the cut. 🌼

I started out this year's MayBlade event feeling off. Like my writing wasn't up to snuff or I was trying too hard. Now that I've finished all of 'Life in Color', I can truly say that I love these fills just as much as last year, if not more!

At first it bugged me that life made me slow my pace so much. Despite what I said at the beginning of the event about counting it a success if I finished earlier than last year, I was really hoping to finish around July/August. 😅 BUT I think slowing down helped me to appreciate what I was writing - and all that I'd written so far - appropriately. There's not as much time to stop and smell the roses when I'm trying to churn out so many oneshots so quickly. It was nice having some time to cherish each chapter for what it was, without the pressure of rushing to finish the next one.

I truly love taking the prompts and trying to make something I'm excited to write out of them. I love writing about new characters or fleshing out little gaps before, during, or after canon events. And I love hearing that somebody out there, even just one person, gets enjoyment out of the inconsequential fics I write about niche characters or ships or ideas in a fandom that's over twenty years old.

So, thank you, to anyone that's been along for the ride. It's always a longer one than I anticipate, but I'm happy with my work and I guess that's all that matters in the end.

As for what's next, I'm currently brainstorming for this year's TyHil Love Countdown. Knowing me, I'll fall behind, but I'm excited for what I've got cooking so far.

After that, whether it's this year or next year, I do want to update 'Bliss' and work on some WIPs. Part of me feels like it'll be better for me not to participate in MayBlade next year so I can budget more of my time towards other projects. And part of me feels like I'll see the prompts and the fandom's excitement and not be able to help myself.

Either way, I'm excited to see what ideas come to life next. 🤍

#azrupdate #under a cut because I talk too much #but what else is new? #azikarue #azikarue394

[azikarue]

Life in Color : Index

A collection for MayBlade 2023.

Like last year, this is mostly for personal reference or anybody who might want all the 'Life in Color' chapters wrapped up neatly in one post. This time around, I'm including each chapter's characters/ship, ratings, summary, beginning lines, and links (both tumblr and FFN).

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Day 1: The Past

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Saint Shields Rating: K Summary: In preparation for their Mission, the Saint Shields have each been assigned a member of the Bladebreakers to target. Mariam's doesn't come without consequence.

How it Starts: “Thinkin’ about Blondie?”

Mariam groaned, inwardly cursing her luck, and whipped around to glare at Dunga.

Something about him rubbed her the wrong way, and it wasn’t the smug tone in his voice when he’d asked about Max Tate just now. No, she’d pegged him for a pain in the neck from the first time the Saint Shields team had gathered. It had been almost a year now, and he’d yet to prove her wrong.

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Day 2: School

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Tyson/Hilary Rating: K+ Summary: Tyson helps Hilary decorate Miss Kincaid's classroom and realizes they've come a long way since eighth grade.

How it Starts: “I know you’re going with a spring theme, Hilary, but isn’t the canopy of cherry blossoms a bit much?”

Tyson realized his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth. He didn’t need to hear Hilary’s annoyed sigh or to see that he’d asked right as they crossed the halfway point of their time-consuming task. No, he’d known Hilary long enough to know he messed up without any physical evidence to prove it.

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Day 3: Pets

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Rick/Mariah Rating: M (for language) Summary: Mariah brings a cat in off the street. Rick tells her, in no uncertain terms, how he feels about it.

How it Starts: “No. Absolutely the fuck not.”

“Don’t be so heartless, Rick!” Mariah exclaimed. She had the nerve to sound affronted. Like it was downright blasphemy for Rick to refuse some critter she found in the gutter entry to his apartment. Her face screwed up into a glare that, somehow, came across as half pout, too. “It’s pouring down rain!”

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Day 4: Sci-Fi

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Kenny and Tyson Rating: K Summary: Tyson tries his best to dodge Kenny's movie invitation.

How it Starts: Tyson was trying not to let what he knew about Kenny’s taste in pop culture sway his decision. It wasn’t easy when the list included Ming-Ming and any piece of media with a talking robot or more than one species of alien.

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Day 5: Crane

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Claude Rating: K+ Summary: Claude makes it through his first World Championship Tournament with plenty of regrets and even more paper cranes.

How it Starts: Claude started it for something to do. Injured on purpose and forced to play it up for the foreseeable future, he needed something to focus on to keep his mind from racing down dangerous, self-destructive avenues – ones lined with guilt and regret.

He’d been feeling the pull on and off since they beat the Majestics. The desire to peel back the curtain and examine how he truly felt about the direction Barthez was leading the team.

The paper cranes helped.

❖

Day 6: Restrain

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Ray/Salima Rating: T Summary: Salima suffers the after-effects of dark memories and too much caffeine. Luckily, Ray is there to wake her.

How it Starts: Salima was running for her life through the jungle. Terror had hold of her insides, squeezing them tight as a vice, making every panted breath hurt like knives in her lungs. Her legs ached from running and jumping over the underbrush, but she couldn’t stop.

If she stopped, it would catch her.

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Day 7: Duty

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Hiro Rating: K Summary: Hiro has his reasons for siding with Tyson's enemies.

How it Starts: Regardless of what people might think, Hiro didn’t make the decision to join BEGA lightly.

From the outside, it looked like BEGA rose up to usurp the BBA overnight. In reality, it had been a long time coming.

❖

Day 8: Glitter

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Daichi/Ming-Ming Rating: K Summary: Daichi finds out there's more to Ming-Ming than glitter and frills.

How it Starts: “Atta boy, Strata Dragoon!” Daichi cried as his beyblade landed one last powerful blow.

The force of the hit sent Ming-Ming’s blade flying into the forest, where it embedded in one of the trees with a sickening crunch. A flock of birds fled in a mass of flapping wings and fallen feathers, after which the clearing was strangely quiet.

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Day 9: Ice Cream

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Max-centric, featuring Ray and the All Starz Rating: K Summary: Max's third World Championship Tournament isn't the experience he was expecting. Bumping into someone who feels the same does wonders for his outlook.

How it Starts: “Wait, what’s the Italian word for gelato, then?”

“Michael, gelato is an Italian word,” Emily groaned, looking at him like she couldn’t believe anybody could be so stupid. “What’s wrong with you?”

Eddy burst into laughter, causing several pedestrians to turn and stare. If one or two of them snapped a picture, he didn’t notice, too busy slapping Michael on the back as his teammate sputtered out a defense for himself.

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Day 10: Maid

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Rick/Mariah Rating: M (for language + canoodling) Summary: Rick and Mariah have vastly different priorities when it comes to their days off. Rick does his best to persuade Mariah to his way of thinking.

How it Starts: It was one of those spring days that made most people want to get off of their ass and do something productive.

Rick could tell as soon as he woke up to sunlight streaming into his bedroom and the curtains dancing in the breeze. It wasn’t hot enough for the city air to smell like straight garbage yet, and it was pleasantly cool for what promised to be a sunny day.

But as far as he was concerned, it was the perfect day to have zero obligations and Mariah in his bed, if she was up for it.

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Day 11: Music

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Julia and Spencer, side of Tala/Julia Rating: K+ Summary: Julia wakes up early and goes looking for Tala. Instead, she finds Spencer and learns what it means to be a part of his family.

How it Starts: There was nothing worse than waking up because you had to pee. Nothing would convince Julia otherwise as she reluctantly slipped out from under Tala’s covers to tiptoe to the bathroom.

At least she didn’t have to worry about waking him. He was a notoriously light sleeper and she knew he woke up every time she so much as rolled over at night. But, since he wasn’t in bed and it was still pitch black outside, that meant it was probably between five and six and he was out training with Bryan.

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Day 12: Fall

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Max/Mariam Rating: K Summary: Mariam saves Max from falling flat on his face before the World Championship's exhibition match, but it's not enough to stop him from falling in a different way.

How it Starts: 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.

❖

Day 13: Royalty

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Daichi and Tyson Rating: K Summary: Daichi feels tossed aside when news breaks of the Bladebreakers' return. Surprisingly, Tyson is the one to talk him through it.

How it Starts: “The Bladebreakers are back! In a recent statement, the BBA announced the return of the fan-favorite team for the upcoming World Championship Tournament. Tyson Granger, Kai Hiwatari, Ray Kon, and Max Tate are considered beyblading royalty by the millions of viewers that tune into the tournament, and it’s predicted that their reunion will make this year’s Championship a record-breaking success.”

Daichi growled and crumbled up the newspaper. His name wasn’t mentioned once in the whole lousy article. Even the picture, plastered in the center of the sports section’s front page, was of the original four Bladebreakers. It looked like it was taken after their very first World Championship win.

“So much for being World Champion,” he grumbled and threw the newspaper across the room with a grunt.

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Day 14: Sorcery

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Ryu Granger, Tyson, Bladebreakers Rating: T Summary: When Ryu learns from Tyson that Max is leaving practice early for the fourth time, he knows something's up. His attempt to prove it is slightly... unconventional.

How it Starts: It put a smile on Ryu’s face to hear his grandson outside jiving with his friends. It had been too long since he’d stood in the kitchen and listened to the whole team bicker and battle and bond.

Ever since the gang had touched down in Japan, they’d been training morning, noon, and night in preparation for the upcoming World Championships. They barely even stopped for meals – Tyson and Daichi were remarkably chill about it.

That, and the fact that every single one of them were way taller than he remembered, made it feel like they were growing up right before his eyes.

❖

Day 15: Battle

FFN | tumblr

Characters: Tyson/Hilary (Ray/Salima and Max/Mariam implied) Rating: K+ Summary: While their friends battle it out, Hilary fights to make sure Tyson behaves.

How it Starts: “Draciel!”

At Max’s shout, Draciel rose from his beyblade to block the oncoming attack from Ray and Salima’s blades. It was a magnificent sight, swimming in the hazy summer air, but standing firm against the tandem attack. When its opponents ricocheted back, Sharkrash came out from behind Draciel, moving so fast that it was skimming along the top of the sand, to deliver another blow while they were vulnerable.

❖

Day 16: Bouquet

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Characters: Eddy, Michael, Emily Rating: K+ Summary: To pass the time until Steve is discharged from the hospital, Eddy and Michael debate who ordered flowers for Emily.

How it Starts: “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.

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Day 17: Hero

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Characters: Moses (Crusher) and Monica Rating: K Summary: When packing Monica's school bag, Moses finds something that brings him to tears.

How it Starts: “Monica, hurry up! You don’t want to be late.”

“I’ll be down in a minute!”

Moses smiled to himself. Hearing his sister’s voice ring strong and true through the house was something he hoped he never took for granted ever again. With one last glance up the stairs, he returned to the kitchen to finish preparing her lunch.

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Day 18: Unpopular Character

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Characters: Alan and Max Rating: T Summary: Alan hasn't seen Max in years when he comes walking into the coffee shop. Fortunately, Alan's break gives them plenty of time to catch up.

How it Starts: Alan recognized his voice as soon as he ordered. It didn’t matter that he was the whole way in the back, hanging up his apron so no customers would bug him on his break, or that it had been years since they’d spoken – he’d know Max’s voice anywhere.

Somehow, it was still a shock to round the corner behind the counter and see him standing on the other side.

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Day 19: Tree

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Characters: Tyson/Hilary Rating: K+ Summary: When a storm causes damage to an old tree in Tyson's yard, one with a particularly sentimental value, Hilary steps in to act as his support.

How it Starts: Hilary knew something was off from the moment she set foot in Tyson’s front yard. The normally uplifting atmosphere had an undercurrent of tension that made everything feel way too quiet for a sunny, spring afternoon. And, when it came to Tyson, quiet wasn’t usually a good sign.

With a deep breath, Hilary followed the path to the front door, glancing surreptitiously around on her way. Nothing was visibly amiss, and she was beginning to think that maybe her intuition was wrong for once, until she walked into the dojo and Hiro said:

“Oh, good, Hilary’s here. Maybe she can talk some sense into him.”

❖

Day 20: Scars

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Characters: Salima and Goki Rating: K+ Summary: Salima struggles to find solace after the cyber bitbeast incident.

How it Starts: Sometimes Salima spent her nights awake.

It was easier explaining it to Goki when they were somewhere new and exciting. Those times, he’d buy that she was thrown off by the timezone or the different constellations swimming in the sky above their heads. He’d lay awake with her on occasion, sketching the scenery and planning their travels, always tactful enough not to mention her clipped, one-word responses.

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Day 21: Rest

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Characters: Tyson, Bladebreakers Rating: K+ Summary: Tyson leans on his friends in the aftermath of his battle against Brooklyn.

How it Starts: Tyson’s legs felt like jelly as he hobbled down the hall. With every step his surroundings winked in and out of focus, sometimes changing inexplicably, like he’d blacked out for chunks of the journey. It was possible; he didn’t remember any of the car ride home. If Max and Ray hadn’t been holding him up, he probably would have pitched forward onto the ground before he even made it past the dojo’s gates.

Turns out that nothing brought out the bone-deep exhaustion in a guy like a beybattle that somehow transcended space and time, against an opponent with the power to annihilate entire cities.

❖

Day 22: Cover Art

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Characters: Ming-Ming Rating: T Summary: Ming-Ming's first days with BEGA aren't at all what she was expecting. Turns out, not even pro beybladers can avoid the necessary evils of show business.

How it Starts: Ming-Ming thought that everyone must feel this way in the beginning.

When your life changed so much in a short period of time, it was natural to feel some discomfort alongside the excitement. After all, stylists and photoshoots and glitz were about as far as you could get from biking half an hour to a rinky-dink restaurant job. Of course it felt like her stomach was curling in on itself. That was normal. This was all normal.

❖

Day 23: Glass

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Characters: Max/Mariam Rating: K+ Summary: Max and Mariam explore some tide pools and find something unexpected.

How it Starts: “There’s no one else out here, Mariam.”

Mariam tensed. Somebody else might not have noticed, but Max could see the sudden stiffness in her shoulders and the way her fingertips pressed white into her crossed arms. He’d become an expert in dissecting her every movement over the course of the tournament. It was how he was able to beat her in the semifinals and also the reason why his stomach became a sea of butterflies every time she looked his way.

❖

Day 24: Memories

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Characters: Zeo and Gordo Rating: T Summary: Zeo's used to Gordo's visits. What he's not used to, is living life as the sentient shadow of someone who's long gone. Or: if Gordo helped invent Zeo, it's only fitting that he help him reinvent himself, too.

How it Starts: It was a Saturday afternoon and Zeo could hear a motorcycle rumbling up his driveway.

“Just like clockwork,” he muttered to himself. He closed the book on his lap with a heavy thud and carried it to the edge of the balcony to wait.

The gates at the outskirts of the property were barely visible through the lush trees lining the drive, but he could see the metal move through the foliage as they swung shut. Only a handful of people knew the code to those gates. And only one of them had become a regular weekend visitor, even though he had to have better people to spend his time with. Real people, made out of flesh and blood instead of nuts and bolts.

❖

Day 25: Flame

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Characters: Ray/Salima Rating: T Summary: Ray holds Salima close by a bonfire.

How it Starts: Ray watched as Steve and Goki teamed up to launch what appeared to be half of a fallen tree into the already massive bonfire. Behind them, Michael and Eddy whooped as a spray of sparks erupted into the air when it connected, making several bladers from other teams leap back for their own safety.

Snuggled up with Salima’s legs in his lap on a low, flat rock, a safe distance from the flames, Ray couldn’t bring himself to care. He was much too distracted by the way her laughter reverberated through both of their bodies and warmed him from the inside out. Not for the first time that night, he wanted to cup her cheek, pull her in, and see how it tasted straight from her lips.

❖

Day 26: Pirate

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Characters: King and Queen Rating: K+ Summary: King and Queen raid their parts stash for the first time in a long time. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

How it Starts: “It’s a shame you have a moral compass now; we could be making a killing off of these parts.”

King rolled his eyes at his sister’s rueful remark. He shot a look her way, but she wasn’t paying attention, too busy running her fingers along a tray of attack rings like they were precious jewels. King recognized them at once as her personal collection of favorites from their parts-hunting days, all carefully packed in a custom case. They were one of the last things they’d placed in the storage unit before closing it up. King hadn’t thought he’d see them again so soon.

Though, he hadn’t thought a company like BEGA would come along and lock away all beyblading parts and components behind a membership, either.

❖

Day 27: Beyblade

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Characters: Emily, Mariah, Rick, and Michael Rating: T Summary: Emily knows that they're finished if they don't win the next battle against BEGA. She also knows that the odds of Kai coming back are dismal, which means they're going to need somebody else to master the Hard Metal System.

How it Starts: The melodic trill of crickets was more grating than relaxing tonight, Emily realized with a frown. She had too many other things fighting for purchase in her mind, making tension run icy hot from her temples down into the set of her shoulders. She took a deep breath, forced herself to loosen the hold her fingers had on the case she was carrying, and soldiered on toward the river.

The footsteps behind her sped up to match her pace.

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Day 28: Sunset

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Characters: Mariah and Lee Rating: K Summary: After running into Ray and his new team, Lee disappears. Mariah takes it upon herself to track him down.

How it Starts: “Where’s Lee? His dinner’s getting cold.”

Mariah glanced back and forth between Gary and Kevin, waiting for one of them to answer her. Gary shrugged, more concerned with finishing his own meal, and Kevin scowled. He was still pouting about Bruce ratting him out for wandering off to terrorize their competition earlier. Mariah’s grip on Lee’s plate tightened.

❖

Day 29: Double

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Characters: Johnny, Enrique, and Emily Rating: T Summary: Enrique challenges Johnny to a doubles tennis match which, naturally, requires him to find a partner. Emily just wanted to practice in peace.

How it Starts: “What’s the matter, Johnny? Scared you’ll lose?”

Johnny sneered. If there was one way to get his blood boiling, it was to insult his honor and claim he was afraid. Especially when your name was Enrique and you had a giggling blonde – wearing a hotel tennis uniform with her polo unbuttoned all the way – hanging off of your arm.

“Yeah, right,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes at the way her arms tightened around one of Enrique’s, brushing her cleavage against his elbow. “You’ve never beaten me at tennis. What makes you think that’ll change now?”

❖

Day 30: The Future

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Characters: Max/Mariam Rating: T Summary: Sometimes the future holds things even better than you can imagine. Mariam wouldn't have guessed that hers held a fixer-upper in Japan or Max Tate.

How it Starts: “Thinkin’ about Blondie?”

The disgust was obvious in Dunga’s voice even before Mariam turned around and saw the scowl on his face. He looked grumpier than usual, which might have had something to do with the fact that he’d been conscripted to help her and Max move. Never mind that she’d been making sure he got the heaviest boxes all day, waiting to see how long it took him to notice.

Mariam smirked. “We’re married now – I can think about him all I want,” she said, drawing out her words as Dunga’s face screwed up even more.

❖

Day 31: Free Day

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Part 1 Characters: Max/Mariam Rating: M (for implications) Summary: Max and Mariam meet in secret. He has something pressing on his mind and wants to clear the air. Mariam has other ideas. How it Starts: “You know, Max, asking me to meet you in front of my teammates makes me think you’re missing the point of keeping this a secret.”

Part 2 Characters: Rick/Mariah Rating: M (for language and implications) Summary: Rick's not scared of heights; he's scared of a Ferris wheel that went up overnight that more than likely has a few bolts missing. Mariah helps him relax. How it Starts: Rick didn’t make a lot of decisions in life that he regretted. It was entirely on principle. Regret was a waste of perfectly good time – he preferred to shrug shit off and move on with his life instead of agonizing over every imperfection. He’d do it this time, too, if he ever got off this fucking Ferris wheel alive.

Part 3 Characters: Max/Mariam Rating: M (for implications and undressing) Summary: Max struggles to settle into the hotel room with Mariam doing everything in her power to be a distraction. How it Starts: Max didn’t know the suite had a see-through bathroom when he booked it.

❖

THE END

#tbh one reason I love having these all in one post is to reblog them onto my main bc I'm proud of them #my own biggest fan #I appreciate the handful of people who tossed these last few chapters a like - I enjoyed bringing them to life even if they're posted late #beyblade #mayblade 2023 #azikarue #azikarue394 #azrfic

[azikarue]

Life in Color : Chapter 31 : Free Day

Did something a little different for this chapter and took requests for my Kiss Fic Bingo card. So here's three gratuitous kisses to wrap up Life in Color: two Max/Mariam and one Rick/Mariah, as requested by @redwheeler and @too-raph. Thank you both for always humoring me. ♥

**Disclaimer that all characters are adults in these fills, despite the first one taking place during a tournament. I want that to be very clear, given the M rating my paranoia made me slap on them. ❖ Max/Mariam | FFN Rating: M (for slight implications) | FFN Link *for @redwheeler's 'kissing in dark corners' request* ❖ “You know, Max, asking me to meet you in front of my teammates makes me think you’re missing the point of keeping this a secret.”

Max stopped in his tracks, wincing as his sneakers squeaked on the pool deck. Normally he beat Mariam to their rendezvous, but all the excitement of advancing to the semifinals kept his friends up way later than normal. Kenny had still been awake when he left, crunching numbers with Dizzi. At least he’d believed Max when he said he needed a walk to wind down.

“I don’t think they heard me, Mariam,” he said, looking around for her. The hotel’s pool was technically closed at nighttime. The lights under the water were the only thing keeping the room from total darkness; they cast everything in an ethereal blue-green glow. “I could barely hear myself over the crowd.”

After weeks of round robin competition, the BBA had decided to announce its semifinalists as soon as the last battle finished. It was unorthodox, but publicizing it ahead of time had caused an undeniable spike in ticket sales for that particular day. When DJ Jazzman shouted the standings, it felt like the fans broke the sound barrier with their cheers; Max’s ears were still ringing.

The press conference revealing which teams would face off for a chance at the finals was scheduled for the following day. Kenny said it was trending to be the most-watched BBA press conference of all time. It was safe to say that, in the years following the near-destruction of the BBA at the hands of BEGA, they’d gotten smarter with their marketing.

That wasn’t the only thing that changed, Max thought when Mariam slipped out from behind a pillar to give him a look that made his stomach flutter. As the time passed, his relationship with Mariam had evolved into something more than a tentative friendship. It meant a lot to him, even if neither of them were ready to share it with anybody else yet.

“So,” Mariam drawled, taking a handful of steps across the tile as Max watched with a widening smile, “Is this the ‘I won’t go easy on you’ speech? Or were you hoping I’d want to go skinny-dipping?”

Max sputtered. He could feel his cheeks heating up as a smirk spread across Mariam’s face. She was messing with him. Of course she was. It didn’t make his blush fade any faster.

“I – uh – probably closer to the first option,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Hmm…” Mariam tilted her head the tiniest bit, exposing one of her earrings. She’d been teasing him about the skinny-dipping, but he felt strangely naked under her inquisitive gaze. “I think we’ve had this conversation before, Max.”

He remembered. It was the night the Saint Shields arrived in Japan for the start of the tournament. Mariam had been grumpy and jet-lagged, but had agreed to meet Max at the bridge anyway. That was when they’d decided to keep their budding relationship a secret and, also, not to let their feelings for one another affect how hard they’d fight when their teams inevitably met in battle.

Max had no intention of breaking either promise, but when the Saint Shields and Bladebreakers both advanced to the semifinals, he was hit with the overwhelming urge to speak with Mariam. There was every possibility that the rest of the World Championships would play out without needing to battle each other, but Max’s gut told him otherwise. Their relationship was new, and part of him was afraid Mariam would pull away from him in light of the standings. Now that they were face-to-face, in private, it felt kind of silly.

“I just need you to know that the semifinals don’t change anything for me,” he said earnestly, closing the distance between them and taking her hand in his, “no matter how things play out. We can be rivals in the dish and still have this.” He squeezed her hand. Silly or not, his cards were on the table.

Mariam’s eyes met his, always greener than he remembered. “I didn’t dump you when you beat me in the round robin,” she reminded him. “So unless you’re suddenly a sore loser, I think you’re being a little dramatic.”

“It’s different, this time.” Max felt his cheeks heating up again, a dead giveaway that he wasn’t just talking about their battle.

Since the start of the tournament, there had been a marked shift in their dynamic. All the time spent together in secret, getting to know Mariam in dark corners all over the world, had forged a strong bond and made him feel things he knew would scare her away if he dared to put a name to them.

During their last battle, Max had felt flayed alive, like all of his emotions and desires were out there for the world to see. Mariam had fought with just as much feeling and he’d nearly been overwhelmed by everything that Sharkrash helped her express. It was like they were speaking through their beyblades.

He’d dodged more than one suspicious glance from his teammates when all was said and done and he came out victorious. And he and Mariam were closer since, trusting each other with more. More that they could lose if things went south.

Back in the present, Mariam was studying him thoughtfully. Not for the first time, he felt like she could see right through him. She stroked the back of his knuckles, an uncharacteristically gentle gesture that made him feel less off-kilter and seemed to help gather her thoughts.

“If we face each other in the next round, it won’t change anything, Max,” she said, staring him down with a fierce look that reminded him of being back on the battlefield. “Sharkrash and I won’t quit until we have nothing left to give. You and Draciel had better do the same.”

Relief flooded Max’s veins. “We will,” he promised with a nod, unable to keep the smile off his face now that his worry was melting away. “It’ll be an even better battle than last time. We’ve been training hard.”

“I know,” Mariam said. Another smirk curled onto her lips, this one paired with a coy look in her eye that made him realize exactly how warm it was by the pool. “I’ve been watching.”

Max’s heart sped up, falling out of tempo with the gentle sloshing of the water. She looked so pretty in the rippling light. He kept his eyes glued to her as she slipped her hand out of his and began tracing the muscles in his arm leisurely, like there wasn’t anything in the world that was more pressing.

“Can I ask you something, Max?” She took a distracting step into his personal space that rendered him unable to do anything other than nod in response. She didn’t seem to mind and asked, undeterred, “Is that the only reason you wanted to meet me tonight?”

Something about the way she asked gave him goosebumps. Or maybe it was the fact that she’d switched it up and was dragging her nails across his skin instead of her fingertips.

“I don’t need a reason to want to see you, Mariam,” he answered truthfully. If it were up to him, he’d spend every waking minute with her. By the time their next battle was over, it was entirely possible that every single beyblader and spectator would know it, too.

“Good.”

Then her hand was on his chest, steering him off to the side until his back hit the wall. He knew without looking that they were hidden from anybody who’d happen to wander past the pool doors. If it was getting a little harder to breathe, it was probably the chlorine.

“Mariam—”

“Don’t want you to get caught fraternizing with the enemy,” she said in a low voice, standing so close that one of her feet was between his and he could feel every single word ghosting over his lips. “Might make the press conference even more of a riot than usual.”

Max’s only answer was to cup her jaw and kiss her, catching her off guard for once. He smiled against her mouth when she made an indignant noise in the back of her throat, then gave in and let her coax his lips apart with her tongue, in place of an apology.

Mariam seemed to take his early bid for dominance personally. Her hands wove into his hair, nails dragging along his scalp and making chills run down his spine. One of her thighs muscled its way between his and he couldn’t hold back a groan; it was a fight to keep his hips from arching off of the wall.

Then she was pulling her mouth off of his, leaving him gasping for air, to kiss her way along his jaw and down his neck, nipping here and there as she went. She tugged his hair, pulling his head to the side to make it easier for herself, and nuzzled into his neck to kiss his pulse point.

“Mariam.” Her bangs were tickling him, so he brushed them out of her face.

The sweet gesture must have won her over, because her lips met his again, once, twice, and three times in tender, teasing kisses that gave him more butterflies than the taste of her tongue had earlier.

Then, before he knew it, she was taking a step back. Despite the balmy temperature in the room, he felt a sudden chill in the newfound space between them.

“Mariam?” This time it was a question.

“I’ve been gone too long,” she said, frowning as she smoothed out his clothing and combed her fingers through his hair. He stayed perfectly still, heart thundering in his chest, and let her put him to rights. “They’re going to be looking for me.”

Max nodded reluctantly. It was late when he left and it was later now. The press conference was at ten the next morning. If he had any hope of being awake in time to have breakfast first, he should say goodbye.

“Do you want me to walk you up?” he asked, even though he knew the answer.

Mariam shot him a look and said, “There you go again, missing the point of meeting in secret.” When she was satisfied he didn’t look like she’d just kissed him senseless, she backed away even more.

“We’re good, right?” Max asked as she peeked over her shoulder in the direction of the doors. It was a funny thing to ask when they’d just finished making out, but he wanted to be doubly sure that her hasty retreat didn’t have anything to do with their conversation beforehand.

Mariam snorted and looked back at him one more time; he didn’t think he was imagining the fondness glittering in her eyes. “See you tomorrow, Max.” And then she was gone. ❖ Rick/Mariah | FFN Rating: M (for language and slight implications) *for @too-raph's 'kissing on a Ferris wheel' request* ❖ Rick didn’t make a lot of decisions in life that he regretted. It was entirely on principle. Regret was a waste of perfectly good time – he preferred to shrug shit off and move on with his life instead of agonizing over every imperfection. He’d do it this time, too, if he ever got off this fucking Ferris wheel alive.

“Are you okay, Rick?”

He looked down – a bad idea – at Mariah. She had a quizzical look on her face and thousands of lights from other rides were swimming behind her. On the ground. Where all the sensible, ant-sized people were. She might not have seen any issue with sitting in a metal death trap over a hundred feet tall that a bunch of workers assembled overnight, but Rick was very much not okay with it.

“Fucking fabulous,” he answered with a scowl, stomach churning as they rounded the crest of the ferris wheel and started back down the other side. The only consolation was that it was nighttime, so no one should be able to see how tightly Rick’s jaw was clenched or the death grip he had on the back and side of their carriage. “How many times does this stupid thing go around again?”

He’d tried counting from the ground while they stood in line, but even looking up at it made him feel like he was going to fall back onto his ass.

“Oh, Rick,” Mariah sighed, cushioning her head against his tense bicep, “you’re so impatient. Can’t you just sit back and enjoy the moment?”

The problem with sitting back was that it made the carriage sway ominously. No fucking thank you.

Any sense of ease Rick enjoyed in the few seconds they spent close enough to the ground that he wouldn’t die if the ride malfunctioned completely evaporated as the Ferris wheel kept going and they started ascending again. How often did they inspect these things? He could swear he heard creaking above the grating sound of carnival music. How much noise was normal?

His heart skipped a beat when Mariah scooted across the seat to snuggle into his side. Why the hell was she moving? His grip on the carriage tightened even more as it moved with her – his fingerprints were going to be permanently embedded in the metal. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose. He’d never hear the end of it if he puked all over her.

He just about jumped out of his skin, eyes snapping open, when one of her hands came to rest on his thigh. They were at the halfway point, on their way down, but the resulting swing of their carriage made his heart thunder against his chest. Rick shot her a glare.

Mariah giggled, probably figuring he was mad about her catching him off guard. “You need to relax, Rick,” she said and began to rub his leg teasingly slow. Her golden eyes were looking up at him flirtatiously, darting down to his lips every few seconds.

Normally he was fucking wild about her taking charge, but right now the thought of taking a single finger off of the Ferris wheel to touch her made him feel like he was going to pass the fuck out.

“Mariah…” he warned.

The Ferris wheel was carrying them back up again. The hand on his leg moved to his chest and she must have misinterpreted his racing heart because she leaned up and kissed him squarely on the lips.

Rick thought about reciprocating, taking his mind off of his predicament with the taste of her mouth, but no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t get the wires to connect in his brain. His body wouldn’t cooperate, frozen in place with fear and refusing to let his desire for Mariah override his survival instincts.

It didn’t take her long to realize he was staying stock still. She pulled back and sat down with a thump.

Rick groaned. He hadn’t realized she was off the fucking seat. What was she – insane? He pried his eyes open. Mariah was staring at him with a thoughtful frown and her arms crossed over her chest.

“Rick…” He didn’t like the way she was looking at him. There was suspicion shining in her eyes with the carnival lights and he got the feeling she was piecing things together. Which would be fucking embarrassing. He was debating whether it was more embarrassing than sitting stiff as a corpse while she tried to make out with him when she asked, “Are you afraid of heights?”

“No!” he answered reflexively. But then the Ferris wheel slowed to a stop, leaving them swinging at the apex, and he could feel the color drain from his face. “Fuck.”

“You should have said something!” Mariah scolded.

“It’s just this damn contraption!” he shot back, doing his level best not to look anywhere but Mariah’s face. The only other option was closing his eyes again because anything else would be looking down. “It feels like it could collapse at any second.”

As if on cue, a gust of wind kicked up, rocking their carriage back and forth. Rick ground his teeth together.

“I’m sure they have safety procedures in place,” Mariah said, appearing totally unruffled about the whole situation. “If there was something wrong with it, they wouldn’t open the ride.”

Rick might have been inclined to believe that if the Ferris wheel was a permanent fixture, but a week ago the stretch of land occupied by the fair had been completely empty. Things assembled that quickly tended to fall apart even faster.

“It’s dark out,” he muttered, pausing to hold his breath while the Ferris wheel started and stopped once more to let people off. “This whole thing could be fucking condemned and no one would know.”

Mariah shot him a skeptical look – he wasn’t convincing her anytime soon, but he didn’t give a shit as long as he got off the Ferris wheel with some fraction of his dignity intact and without having a heart attack.

The closer they got to the ground, the more Rick realized he looked like a complete psychopath clinging to the carriage like his life depended on it. He didn’t need anyone in line or the ride operator seeing him freaking out. He made a marked effort to loosen his grip and relax his posture, but all of his progress was lost when the wheel made a particularly squeaky stop.

“Rick, give me your hand,” Mariah all but ordered, twisting around and reaching back to try and prise his fingers open.

He scowled at her, but there was less heat behind it than he normally mustered; they were at an awkward middle height where there was nothing but ground below them and he could see the tops of other rides in the sky behind her head. With a gulp he hoped she didn’t notice, he let go of the carriage and let Mariah drape his arm around her shoulders.

“There.” She tucked her face against his neck – a feat that might not have been possible if he wasn’t hunkered down in the seat, making sure his center of gravity was securely in the carriage – and sighed. “Isn’t this better?”

If by better she meant he could wipe his sweaty hand on her shirt instead of praying it wouldn’t make him lose his grip on the carriage, he guessed it was. He was about to say something to that affect when she fluttered her eyelashes against his skin and tilted her jaw to press a slow, hot kiss to his neck. As she pulled back, only by a fraction of an inch, her tongue darted out playfully to wet his skin.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

The Ferris wheel coasted around another few feet and Rick’s stomach flip-flopped, but this time he couldn’t tell if it was anxiety or the way Mariah gently blew on the wet patch of skin, making goosebumps erupt all over his arms. His brain was misfiring, getting all its signals confused.

“Mariah—”

She cut him off by digging her fingernails into his thigh hard enough that he’d probably have delicate half-moon indents left behind. The thought made something headier than nausea settle in his stomach and the feeling of her mouth latching onto his neck made him restless in a good way.

He closed his eyes and took a breath to center himself. When he opened them again, they were one level closer to the ground and he hadn’t even noticed they’d moved. It probably had something to do with the way she was sucking a bruise onto his neck or the fistful of her shirt he was holding.

“Fuck.”

“Almost there,” she whispered as they began their final descent and nipped once at his earlobe, successfully taking his mind off of the way the Ferris wheel groaned to a final halt.

Rick could feel the disapproving look the ride operator was shooting their way as Mariah untangled herself from his hold. He made sure to smirk at the kid on his way out, trailing after Mariah on unsteady legs that he could no longer attribute solely to the adrenaline.

Maybe he didn’t hate that godforsaken chunk of metal, after all. ❖ Max/Mariam | FFN Rating: M (for implications and undressing) *for @redwheeler's 'kissing in the shower' request* ❖ Max didn’t know the suite had a see-through bathroom when he booked it.

He’d said as much to Mariam the second the door coasted shut behind him and he looked up to see a glass cube, housing the usual amenities, jutting into the middle of their hotel room. Mariam fixed him with a suspicious look, one eyebrow raised and a gleam in her green eyes he should have recognized meant trouble.

“Whatever you say,” she teased and unzipped her suitcase.

Max followed suit. Since they were staying for nearly two weeks, living out of their luggage would be impractical, but there wasn’t a lot to unpack. He bumped into Mariam as they both plugged in chargers and again when they were hanging up clothes. Each time she gave him a knowing look, like she thought he was doing it on purpose, and rewarded him with a chaste kiss. And, with each passing minute, the excitement buzzing under his skin got closer and closer to bubbling over.

The promise of two weeks alone with Mariam made him feel like he was a teenager again, getting butterflies every time she even glanced his way.

Eventually he finished with his luggage and went hunting for the remote to the thermostat. He was in the middle of trying to find the impossible happy medium on a hotel’s temperature gauge, when he heard the shower kick on. He probably gave himself whiplash with how fast he turned around, remote in his hand all but forgotten.

“What are you doing?”

Mariam’s eyes flicked over to him again and she shot him a smirk from the other side of the glass. She took her time answering, carefully spreading their toiletries out across the counter before poking her head out of the door. “I’m going to get a shower – we’ve been traveling all day,” she said.

Steam was beginning to fog up the walls of the bathroom and Max’s brain felt similarly inhibited.

“Is that okay?”

“Uh, y-yes… yeah,” he stuttered. “Take as long as you want.” The words slipped out without him meaning to say them, and he felt his cheeks flush red under Mariam’s piercing gaze. “I’ll be out here.” The implication that he’d be standing in the room, staring at her like a peeping Tom, only made him redder.

Mariam’s answer was a coy smile. When she closed the door behind her, the lock didn’t click.

Max let out a breath and tossed the AC remote onto the bedside table so he could run his hands through his hair. He had literally showered with Mariam before, so he had no clue why the thought of catching a glimpse of her doing so made him feel so flustered. He was shaking his head at his own ridiculousness when movement from behind the glass caught his eye. It was embarrassing how quickly he zeroed in on the bathroom.

Through the clouded glass, he could make out the shape of Mariam undressing. Her arms crossed as she pulled one of his old BBA hoodies over her head and tossed it to the floor. He could see the foggy shapes of her legs bend as she stepped out of her leggings, then her underwear. Her bra came last and, though he didn’t have a clear view by any means, Max felt liquid heat drizzle down to coil in his gut.

She was doing it on purpose. She had to be, he thought, as she shook her hair free of its ponytail and stepped under the spray of the shower. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to hear her sigh from the whole way out here, over the sound of the water and the thundering of his heart in his ears.

When Mariam dipped her head back under the spray, his eyes followed the blurry line of her body from the graceful arc of her neck the whole way down her legs. And, when she wrung out her hair, splattering water on the glass that washed away small splotches of steam, he couldn’t help but stare at the pinpricks of perfect, pale skin that were revealed.

He wanted to kiss her. Touch her. Skim his hands through the streams of water trickling down her body.

He was probably allowed to, considering this was their honeymoon.

In a rush, he tugged his shirt off and struggled out of the rest of his clothes on the short walk to the bathroom door. He rested his forehead against it for a second, feeling the heat from Mariam’s shower through the glass in an attempt to ground himself, before turning the handle and letting himself inside.

A blanket of steam ensconced him, adding to the heady environment and making his flush spread over his ears and down his neck. Despite the heat, he shivered in anticipation when Mariam’s eyes locked on his.

“Took you long enough,” she said with a smirk that made him either want to kiss her senseless or fall to his knees.

Max stepped forward. Despite being surrounded by glass, he felt like the world outside didn’t exist. Existence was only the sound of running water, steam heavy in his lungs, and his wife beckoning him into her embrace with eager hands.

He went willingly, unable to ignore her pull if he’d wanted to, and moaned as she pressed her body against his, somehow hotter against his front than the scalding water at his back. And then she was kissing him, running her hands up over his shoulders and tangling them in his hair.

Max took hold of her waistline and kissed her back. He felt her shiver with the same anticipation rushing through his veins and sharpening his senses. He moved one hand to cradle her face, changing the angle of the kiss just slightly so he could kiss her deeper.

She sighed, the air surprisingly cool in the hot room, and arched into him when he slipped the hand on her waist to the small of her back. This. He wanted this forever.

“I love you,” he muttered against her lips, just to feel them smile.

“I love you, too, Max,” she whispered breathlessly and pinned him up against the glass.

#beyblade #maxmar #rickiah #these aren't even rated M for anything crazy but I always rate to be safe 🙈 #I'm so sleepy and at the point where idk if I like any of these so TIME TO POST #it's tradition #azrfic #azikarue #azikarue394 #kiss fic bingo #mayblade 2023 #azrequests #idk if I'll ever take requests again but I should probably have a tag for them

[azikarue]

TyHil Love Countdown 2023's theme will be:

"A Day in the Life of Tyson & Hilary"

Thank you to everyone who participated in the voting, and sent in ideas through the survey! A few basic pointers to keep in mind for the event:

❍ To participate, you just have to post any TyHil related content during November based on the prompt and themes above or any other idea of your own.

❍ You can post as many entries for each of the prompts, for example, from the 01st to the 4th of November, you can post three entries based on "Dawn", "New Beginnings" and "Routine". Vice versa, you can choose to post an entry based on any one of the given prompts as well.

❍ If November is a busy month for you, then you can take the challenge on during any other month. The simple purpose of this event is to generate TyHil content consistently over a period of time, so as long as you accomplish that you’re good to go! 

❍ The main focus of your entry should be TyHil, but it can feature other characters/ships/ocs. 

❍ The challenge is meant to celebrate TyHil as a couple, so of course it would be ideal if your entry is romantically themed, but if you’re not a TyHil shipper and still want to participate by shedding light on their platonic dynamic, you’re more than welcome to do so! (*as long as any other ships do not take the spotlight in the submission) 

❍ Remember to tag your works with at least one of these tags: #tyhil #takao x hiromi #tyson x hilary #takaromi #tyhil love countdown . 

❍ In case of any triggering or explicit content, make sure you put the necessary warnings in the tags or descriptions so that everyone can enjoy your contribution safely. 

❍ A detailed list of FAQ and Rules will be posted on 20th September, in case you have any more questions, send a message to this blog or to the mod : @ashxketchum .

#TyHil Love Countdown #time to start brainstorming! 🥰 #debating with myself on whether to use an existing idea for this or go with something completely new #absolutely in love with how early these prompts are out btw

[azikarue]

But, Your Honor, if my cat is purring in my lap, how am I supposed to write?

#in her defense it's better than laying on the keyboard which is her usual tactic #if the baby wants attention who am I to tell her no? #P.S. working on kiss 3 of 3 for the Free Day #azrupdate #azikarue #azikarue394

[azikarue]

Life in Color : Chapter 30 : The Future

Max/Mariam | FFN Rating: T | FFN Link ❖ “Thinkin’ about Blondie?”

The disgust was obvious in Dunga’s voice even before Mariam turned around and saw the scowl on his face. He looked grumpier than usual, which might have had something to do with the fact that he’d been conscripted to help her and Max move. Never mind that she’d been making sure he got the heaviest boxes all day, waiting to see how long it took him to notice.

Mariam smirked. “We’re married now – I can think about him all I want,” she said, drawing out her words as Dunga’s face screwed up even more.

“Gross,” he spat vehemently. “Keep your sick fantasies to yourself, Mariam.”

“Oh, relax.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t get all worked up.”

“You should probably take your own advice, Sis.” Joseph appeared and gently set his box down in the pile of things that were meant for the kitchen. He brushed the dust off of his hands and said, “Think too hard about Max and you might start on those grandkids Mom and Dad want sooner than you bargained for.”

“For your information,” Mariam said, doing her level best to ignore Joseph’s shit-eating grin and the fact that it got wider when he realized he’d annoyed her, “I was thinking about what project to start first around here.” Joseph’s eyes sparkled in a way that meant trouble, so she shut him down before the words could even leave his mouth. “A nursery isn’t on the list!” she said and smacked him upside the head for good measure.

They’d been plenty busy lately without adding starting a family into the mix.

Mariam and Max had begun looking for a house in Japan over a year ago, right in the midst of planning their wedding. Mariam immediately regretted not letting Max jump the gun and start as soon as he graduated and moved back with his dad; house-hunting was way more difficult than she’d anticipated. She had no idea what she wanted, aside from privacy and something that wasn’t smack-dab in the middle of the city, and being asked dozens of questions every day by their realtor only added to the overwhelm she felt from making decisions about the wedding.

They toured a dozen properties and, with each one, there was something not quite right. When they came to see this house, which she suspected was a last-ditch effort by their realtor to find anything halfway suitable, something clicked.

It was far from perfect. Having stood vacant for some years, the garden was overgrown and the house itself had fallen into disrepair. The doors stuck, the appliances needed upgrading, and everything was covered in a thick coating of dust. But it was quiet, it was spacious, and their nearest neighbors were on the other side of a thicket of trees.

It felt like home.

“You should start with the back porch,” Dunga crowed, interrupting her thoughts. “I almost fell through the boards back there earlier.”

“Are you offering to help?” Max asked. He was smiling – hadn’t stopped since they’d gotten the keys – and carrying one half of a mattress through the door. Ozuma came through shortly after with the other side and they leaned it carefully against the wall. “I can get the supplies delivered any time.”

“With Dunga’s help, we won’t even need to bother unpacking the tools.” Mariam glanced around the one room they’d scrubbed completely spotless. It was filling up quick with a bunch of stuff they wouldn’t be able to unpack until they’d finished thoroughly cleaning the rest of the house. “He can pound the nails in with his thick skull.”

“Hey!”

“The truck’s almost empty out there,” Ozuma interrupted, nodding towards the front door. “You want us to go back to your dad’s for another load after this or stay and help clean?”

Max gave the room the same once over that Mariam had moments before. They didn’t have much furniture, and what they did have was temporary, taken from Max’s room at his dad’s or donated by friends and family. The rest of their boxes were from Max’s apartment in New York or Mariam’s bedroom in her village, but there wasn’t a lot that had been worth dragging from country to country. One more trip would easily move all their worldly possessions from Taro’s basement to their new home and then they could return the truck they’d rented.

On the other hand, their kitchen appliances were set to be delivered the next day. It was earlier than expected, which would have been a good thing if they didn’t still need to clean years worth of dust out of the spaces the old ones had left behind. And everywhere else in the house.

“While all of you stand around thinking about it, I’m gonna go get another box,” Dunga grumbled, lumbering off to do just that.

“Make it two while you’re at it,” Mariam called after him. “We didn’t invite you for your company.”

Dunga looked back just to flip her off and Joseph snickered. Mariam might have gone after Dunga to teach him a lesson if Max hadn’t chosen that moment to get her attention with a hand, gentle and low, on her back.

“You had a good system going yesterday,” he said, referring to the way she’d scrubbed the room they were standing in from top to bottom while he’d gone around the house unsticking the windows so they could air the place out. “We can tackle the kitchen together if Joseph and Ozuma don’t mind finishing up out here with Dunga?” He phrased it like a question and directed it their way.

Ozuma simply nodded, a hint of a smirk on his face as he followed Dunga.

Joseph wasn’t so quiet. “Make sure you leave the door open,” he teased, “or you really will need to add a nursery to the list.” Then he was gone, too, before Mariam could reprimand him or Max’s blush could fully bloom.

While her teammates unloaded the truck, Mariam began the task of cleaning the kitchen with her husband. She sat on his shoulders to clear the ceiling of cobwebs. Then they started on the cabinets, climbing onto the counter tops and wiping away all the dust and a couple of dead spiders. They scrubbed the walls, counters, sink, and lower cabinets, dumping multiple buckets of filthy water in between.

At some point during the process, Joseph popped his head in and let them know they were taking the truck to Taro’s for the rest of their stuff. He made sure to tell them the mattress better be right where he remembered when he returned. Mariam had thrown a dirty rag at him that stayed on the floor until they pried open the doors to the porch and swept all the fallen dust out for the wind to steal.

By the time the others got back, Mariam was polishing the wooden cabinets until they gleamed and Max was finishing up with the mopping. Mariam was on such a roll with cleaning that she moved on to the dining room next, while the guys unpacked the truck.

She learned that she preferred cleaning to unloading. It felt like she was making real progress as she washed away years’ worth of grime, instead of cluttering up the place. There was something addicting about seeing the true bones of their home revealed and falling more in love with it as she went.

She took a break once, to say goodbye to Ozuma, Dunga, and Joseph when they finished and left, then went right back to cleaning. Max alternated between helping her and sorting their belongings so there would be a path for the delivery the next day.

The sun was setting by the time they finally called it quits for the night.

Mariam was sore and sweaty and starving, but it was worth it to see the entire ground floor spic and span and, thanks to Max, a good chunk of boxes moved to the appropriate rooms. She was wandering between them now, picturing what it would look like with everything unpacked and full and theirs. It felt surreal.

A pair of freckly arms circled her waist from behind, interrupting her daydreams.

Mariam sighed and fell back against Max’s chest, tipping her head onto his shoulder. Her hands came to rest on his arms, tracing the hard line of muscle there as he squeezed her tight.

Max nuzzled his nose behind her ear and sighed, making goosebumps spread over Mariam’s skin.

“Max,” she drawled, squeezing his forearms, “that tickles. And I’m all sweaty.” She added the last bit as an afterthought, but she was suddenly aware of how the short hairs at her nape were clinging to her.

The only answer he gave her was a series of kisses over the side of her face, lips dancing up over her jaw and cheek. She could tell the eternal smile was back on his face when his mouth lingered on her temple. Even when she couldn’t see it, it was contagious.

“I’ll take more of that after I shower off,” she promised through her smile.

Max chuckled. It reverberated through both of their bodies and Mariam felt even more at home.

“Dinner first,” he said, disentangling himself from her and taking her by the hand. “Come on.” He gave her a tug. “And watch the floorboards.”

His warning made more sense when he led her out onto the porch and around to the back of the house. She could see the corner that Dunga had mentioned earlier where the wood was sagging and discolored. On the other side of the porch, Max had spread out a blanket and laid out a couple of cushions. He’d dragged one of their boxes outside to act as a table, too – there were two to-go containers on top of it that she recognized as coming from Kenny’s parent’s place.

“They’re probably cold by now,” he said apologetically. He sat down on the blanket and Mariam collapsed next to him with a grateful sigh. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until now. “My plan was to reheat them, until I realized we didn’t actually have a way to do that.”

He looked so sheepish that Mariam couldn’t help but laugh and lean over to give him a solid kiss on the cheek.

“I’m hungry enough to eat anything,” she said, stomach growling as she reached for her noodles.

“It was a long day.”

She felt Max’s eyes on her as she took her first bite. The noodles were lukewarm, but right now she would swear she’d never tasted anything so delicious in her life. He must have been satisfied with her reaction because he had a dreamy look on his face when she glanced back over. She raised an eyebrow in question.

“But it was a good day.”

Mariam suddenly felt warm all over. “It was,” she agreed, setting her bowl down.

Night was falling. Out in their jungle of a backyard, fireflies were blinking in mesmerizing succession. There were so many of them that the trees looked like they were sparkling with stars. The real stars were glittering in the sliver of sky above the treeline. There weren’t as many of them as back home, but there were so many more than in New York where the sky was an inky black canvas no matter what.

The surreal feeling was back. Mariam’s heart felt twice its normal size and had become unexpectedly lodged in her throat.

Max’s hand closed around hers, lacing their fingers together and squeezing. “I keep feeling like this is a dream,” he confessed in a whisper.

Mariam watched the fireflies flicker in his eyes and that was exactly what the sky at home looked like. Safety and adventure – security and possibilities – all at once. She hadn’t always understood that the two could go hand in hand, but seeing the scene in Max’s eyes, it all made sense. She let out a shaky breath, dinner all but forgotten.

“I don’t really know how to explain it.” Max stroked her wedding band with his thumb. The Saint Shield earring in his ear caught the moonlight, mimicking the firefly show. “It just hit me like a ton of bricks and I’m so happy.” She could see the emotion glistening in his eyes and it made the knot in her throat tighten. “I love you and this home – this future – we’re building together. So much, Mariam.”

“You’re such a sap,” she teased, voice sounding a little watery even to her own ears. Then she leaned in and kissed him hard and slow.

She swore she could taste the sweetness of his words on his tongue as he kissed her back, drawing her onto his half of the blanket, and into his lap, like he’d been waiting to do it all day. One of his hands settled on her hip, thumb nestling into the crease of her thigh like a puzzle piece slotting into place. The other came to rest on her waist, comfortable and exciting all at once.

Mariam cradled his face and pulled back for a breath. “But me too,” she mumbled against his lips, seeking out his hazy blue eyes. “To all of it.”

When he sighed in response, Mariam kissed him again.

Whatever had hit Max, it was safe to say it’d hit her too.

#beyblade #maxmar #another self-indulgent one full of ideas I haven't been able to get out of my head recently #'target audience: me' is my new favorite genre #wanted this to have a couple throwbacks to 'The Past' so had fun with that #one more chapter to go 🎇 #azrfic #azikarue #azikarue394 #mayblade 2023

[azikarue]

Life in Color : Chapter 29 : Double

Johnny, Enrique, Emily | FFN Rating: T | FFN Link ❖ “What’s the matter, Johnny? Scared you’ll lose?”

Johnny sneered. If there was one way to get his blood boiling, it was to insult his honor and claim he was afraid. Especially when your name was Enrique and you had a giggling blonde – wearing a hotel tennis uniform with her polo unbuttoned all the way – hanging off of your arm.

“Yeah, right,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes at the way her arms tightened around one of Enrique’s, brushing her cleavage against his elbow. “You’ve never beaten me at tennis. What makes you think that’ll change now?”

“Summer’s one of the tennis instructors here at the hotel,” Enrique bragged, meeting Summer’s eyes with a look of exaggerated infatuation that made her melt into him even more. Johnny rolled his eyes – he’d seen the same song and dance a million times. “With her on my team, I can’t lose!”

“Ha! Please.”

Johnny seriously hoped Enrique wasn’t that delusional. He could tell just by looking at Summer that she wasn’t employed for her talent. Every resort with a tennis court kept a handful of mediocre instructors on staff to make patrons feel like they were learning something while they ogled. She might have been able to beat Enrique one-on-one, but there was no way she’d win against Johnny, even if she and Enrique worked together.

“I told you he’d be too chicken,” Enrique said in a stage whisper against Summer’s ear, making her giggle and Johnny scowl. “He’d never find somebody to partner with him in a doubles match anyway.” He made to steer Summer away.

“Don’t walk away from me, Enrique!” Johnny snarled, stopping his teammate in his tracks. If he wasn’t so insulted by the notion that Enrique and one of his bimbos would be any type of match for him on the tennis courts, Johnny might have realized Enrique was bluffing before he turned back around with a smug grin.

“Is the mighty Johnny accepting our challenge, after all?” Enrique asked, raising one eyebrow.

Johnny wanted to punch him in the face. He tightened his grip on his racket. “It’s not much of a challenge,” he spat, “but I’ve got some time to kill, so why not?”

“Who’s your partner?” Summer’s voice was melodic and forcibly high-pitched.

Johnny fought the urge to roll his eyes and scanned his surroundings.

Robert would be his first choice. He was a little bit good at everything, and it wouldn’t take much to help Johnny wipe the floor with Enrique and his little fling. He could just make out his purple hair some distance away, sitting at a table under an umbrella. Unfortunately, he had his laptop in front of him and a cellphone glued to his ear. Business call. Traitor.

Oliver was closer, thumbing through a magazine on the other side of the fence. Before he could even consider asking, Oliver glanced up and said, “Not a chance.”

Johnny should’ve guessed that, but he shot a glare in his direction anyway.

“If you can’t find a partner, you can always forfeit,” Enrique suggested.

“I’m not going to forfeit!”

“We won’t tell anybody, right?” Enrique tickled Summer in the side, making her squirm away in a fit of giggles.

While they were distracted, Johnny looked desperately around. There was no way he was backing down. At this point, if he didn’t get to take some of his frustration out on the tennis ball, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t go after Enrique instead, just to sate his temper.

But there was nobody to partner with. Old men and women and their own pretty-faced instructors were taking up most of the courts. The majority of their fellow beybladers were at the pool; he’d seen them there on his way out. He was about ready to say ‘screw it’ and tell them he didn’t need a partner for the likes of them, when someone caught his eye.

The girl from the All Starz – Emily – was outside the fence, surveying the courts with a frown. She had a Lacoste tennis dress on and a custom racket tucked under her arm. Johnny ran in circles where people bought custom rackets just because they could, but she didn’t strike him as the flashy type. Then he remembered her old launcher.

Enrique and his instructor friend were going down.

“Laugh while you can!” Johnny called to Enrique while he chased Summer around the court. He could see the confusion in his eyes and met it with a smug smile, before walking over to the fence.

Emily noticed his approach, watching him with a curious expression as he headed straight towards her.

“Hey, you!” he called as he crossed the last few meters of the court. No one would ever accuse Johnny of being as smooth as Enrique, but he got his point across. Even if Oliver tutted from somewhere off to the left, appalled by his manners. “You know how to play, right?”

Close up, Johnny could see the definition in her arms and her wheels turning as her eyes narrowed.

“Of course I do,” she said, looking him up and down before shooting a look past him, just in time to see Enrique playfully spank Summer with his racket. Her frown deepened. “Do me a favor and tell Enrique and his date to clear off if they aren’t going to play. I want to get some practice in.”

Johnny liked her attitude already.

“They challenged me to a doubles match,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “If you help me send them packing, I’ll share the court and we can both practice.”

The wheels were turning again as Emily considered his offer. In the background, Enrique was flirting with Summer (“You know, summer’s my favorite season.”) and one of Emily’s eyes twitched behind her glasses.

“All right,” she acquiesced. “Anything to shut them up.”

Emily made her way to the nearest gate and joined Johnny on the court. Together, they approached their opponents.

“So you found a partner after all, huh?” Enrique asked, draping his arm easily around Summer’s tan shoulders. Her face was flushed from exertion and her chest was heaving. Johnny smirked. If she couldn’t even flounce around the court without breaking a sweat, then their match was going to be a cakewalk.

“You remember Emily.” He nodded to the redhead beside him. Truth be told, he didn’t know how memorable Emily would be for someone like Enrique, who tended to pay the most attention to conventionally attractive girls with more boobs than brains. Enrique greeted her with a charismatic smile nonetheless.

“Emily! It’s good to see you.”

“I’m sure,” Emily said, unamused. She took a step forward that, somehow, felt more menacing on the tennis court than it would have elsewhere. There was no doubt that Emily was in her element. She looked at Enrique and Summer as if she was sizing them up and said, “Here’s how it’s gonna go. Johnny and I are going to beat you at tennis. Then, you’re going to take your little sideshow off the court so we can practice in peace. Got it?”

Johnny bit the inside of his cheek to keep from cackling at the way Enrique’s face fell when he realized Emily was immune to his charms. Summer’s pouty lips fell open into the shape of an ‘O’, eyes catching on Emily’s racket and widening. The distant fluttering of Oliver’s magazine pages stopped abruptly.

Enrique recovered quickly, a grin curling onto his face. “Sounds good to me,” he said, sliding his arm down to Summer’s waist. “I can think of plenty of ways to have fun on or off the court.” He winked at Summer. She blushed and swatted playfully at his chest.

Johnny felt like he might hurl.

The feeling passed quickly enough when Summer and Enrique lost the racket spin minutes later.

“Darn!” Summer exclaimed when she lifted her hand from the base of her racket to reveal the ‘W’ Johnny had called instead of an ‘M’. “Guess you win this one.” Her hazel eyes flicked from Johnny to Emily, waiting for their decision.

“I’ll serve,” Emily said, snatching up a tennis ball.

Part of Johnny was pissed at her for choosing without consulting him, but the rest of him agreed that it was better to start strong and get the match over with, so he didn’t argue. Instead, he scowled and asked, “What side of the court do you two want?”

“This one suits us just fine,” Enrique said, getting into position on his half of their side.

Summer nodded in agreement and took up the other half. Johnny could tell by how she was standing that she knew more about tennis than the average person you met on the street, but there was no way a mediocre knowledge meant to impress a bunch of amateurs would be enough in this match. He smirked and dropped to the balls of his feet, ready for action.

Emily backed up and, with minimal warning, tossed the ball into the air and slammed her racket into it with so much force that it sailed right between Enrique and Summer before either of them could even think to dive for it. It hit the ground with a satisfying smack, cleanly inside the lines, and bounced away.

Johnny couldn’t hold back his laughter this time as Emily smoothed down her dress and waited for one of their opponents to retrieve the ball. “Fifteen love,” he choked out, committing Enrique’s shocked expression and Summer’s awe to memory. Maybe this would be less of a hassle than he’d figured it for.

After Enrique and Summer picked their jaws up off the ground, the game continued in much the same rhythm. Even though she boasted the title of ‘instructor’, Summer wasn’t on the same level as Johnny and Emily. She did better than Enrique, who hit more balls into the net than Johnny had previously thought possible, but she still only scored a handful of lucky points throughout the entire match.

When she was flushed red against her crisp, white uniform, and Enrique’s hair was such a mess from the humidity that no amount of smoothing it back out of his face could make it fall attractively, they threw in the towel.

“You know, I’m usually pretty good at this,” Summer said, prettier now that she’d sweat most of her makeup off. She shook Johnny’s hand, then Emily’s, a bright smile on her face.

“Yeah, well, you lost us the match,” Enrique pouted. He didn’t offer his hand for a shake – a shame, because Johnny wanted to gloat – and tossed his racket to the side dejectedly. He didn’t reach for Summer’s waist, a sure sign that he was bored of her now. Instead, he traipsed off to complain to Oliver. Loser.

To Summer’s credit, she didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes were fiery and locked on Emily with the same awe from earlier.

“That was an amazing serve! You had us on the run from the get-go! If I wasn’t half an hour late for my lunch break, I’d ask you to show me how it’s done, but I’m starving,” she said, resting both her hands on her stomach as she backed towards the gate. “Maybe another time?”

Emily shrugged. “If you want.”

Summer waved goodbye and disappeared in the direction of the resort.

Johnny and Emily stood on the edge of the now-empty court, drinking deeply from their water bottles. Johnny watched as Oliver slammed his magazine shut and walked briskly back to the hotel, desperate to get away from Enrique and his complaints that followed right after. He snickered.

At some point, he���d track Enrique down and rub his loss in his face. For now, he was going to reap the benefits.

“Hey, Emily?”

“Yes?” She met his gaze with an inquiring one of her own, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“Up for a real challenge?” he asked, brandishing his racket with a smirk.

There those wheels went again as Emily considered his offer. Toying with Enrique was great, but nothing could compare to an opponent who really knew what they were doing. He hoped she shared that mentality, because there were a lot of tournament stops to go, and if he could play tennis in his downtime, it would make the close quarters with his teammates much more bearable.

“Your serve won’t work against me,” he taunted, “so that better not be the best that you’ve got.”

Emily snorted. “Just you wait, Johnny,” she answered and began to spin her racket. “You ain’t seen nothing, yet.”

#Beyblade #pretending I know the first thing about tennis for 2000 words #Johnny plays tennis one time so now it's part of his character to me #it was the perfect excuse for him and Emily to interact #I love relationships between bladers from different teams and I always want more of it #that being said I'm sure I've seen it mentioned somewhere before that these two could bond over tennis so not that original of an idea #but I had fun! #mayblade 2023 #azrfic #azikarue #azikarue394

[azikarue]

In general, I take FFN stats with a grain of salt, but I find it really interesting that the chapter of "Life in Color" with the most views (after the opening chapter) is Restrain. Which is a Ray/Salima chapter. Which normally aren't popular chapters.

Grateful, bewildered, and begging whoever has been reading that chapter multiple times in the past few months to shoot me a message sometime so I can thank you properly. 🤍

IN OTHER NEWS I have three chapters of "Life in Color" to go. All three are started. Hope to have them finished before long. Gonna try to put my nose to the grindstone, but I also am working extra this week so it'll be a toss-up.

I'm not sure what I'll do with myself afterwards. I'm due for a "Bliss" update, but I do have some other projects that have been begging for my attention. And then there's the TyHil Love Countdown coming up in November. Which is a ways away, but time passes in the blink of an eye these days.

Either way, excited for these next three chapters and whatever I write after. 💞

#I love Restrain so glad somebody else out there is enjoying it too lol #maybe a few somebodies? #the world may never know #azrupdate #azikarue #azikarue394

[azikarue]

Life in Color : Chapter 28 : Sunset

Mariah, Lee | FFN Rating: K | FFN Link ❖ “Where’s Lee? His dinner’s getting cold.”

Mariah glanced back and forth between Gary and Kevin, waiting for one of them to answer her. Gary shrugged, more concerned with finishing his own meal, and Kevin scowled. He was still pouting about Bruce ratting him out for wandering off to terrorize their competition earlier. Mariah’s grip on Lee’s plate tightened.

“If neither of you are going to help me, I’ll go find him myself,” she said, slamming the plate down with a huff. “And his food better be waiting for him when we get back.”

Turning on her heel, Mariah left the boys behind in their tiny hotel room to go find her brother. Unlike when Kevin went missing, she knew Lee wouldn’t have gone far. She wandered down the hallway, hearing snippets of muffled conversations and radio programs from behind closed doors, and let herself into the back stairwell.

She remembered the hotel had a dingy courtyard tucked away behind it. The man who’d checked them in made sure to mention it when he found out they were en route to the World Championships, because it had a beydish in one corner. If Lee was, as Mariah expected, reeling more from their run-in with Ray than he wanted to admit to their teammates, he’d be practicing.

Her nightgown flounced around her ankles as she made her way downstairs and outside. From the second she stepped into the courtyard, she could hear the whirring of a beyblade. She’d recognize Galeon’s spin anywhere. It sounded out of place in the city with walls of brick and smog and noise all around. It didn’t like to be caged.

“What are you doing out here, Mariah?” Lee glanced over his shoulder. The eye she could see was gleaming through the exaggerated shadows cast by the setting sun. Galeon’s spin never wavered. “You should be inside resting up for the tournament.”

Mariah thought that was a little presumptuous, considering he was clearly doing the exact opposite. The entire rhythm of their evening had shifted the second they’d run into the Bladebreakers. And Ray. A pit opened up in her stomach when she thought about him and she knew Lee was the same. Neither of them were destined for rest.

She took a deep breath and crossed the courtyard. There was a sturdy-looking bench facing the beyblade dish, so she sat down on it. Lee’s eyes were fixed on Galeon again, but she could tell he was keeping tabs on her movements.

“When I finished getting ready for bed, you were gone without eating your dinner,” Mariah said, studying the tautness of Lee’s shoulders with a frown. “Come inside, Lee. You don’t want to be hungry and tired on our flight tomorrow.”

“I’m not hungry,” Lee growled and Galeon’s bit chip glowed ominously.

Mariah could feel bright, hot anger thrumming in the air, perfectly in time with Galeon’s rotation. She’d felt it in the alleyway, too, as Lee stared down Ray and his new teammates, calm and collected on the outside, but raging on the inside. And she’d felt it coursing through her own veins, forcing down a bevy of other emotions like envy and heartache and worry.

The worry was for Lee. In addition to his own hurt, she knew he took it upon himself to bear the rest of the White Tiger’s grudges and the weight of their grandfather’s expectations, too. The last thing she wanted was to see him crumble under it all.

“Please, Lee.” Her hands were in her lap, clutching fistfuls of her nightgown. “You’ll need your strength.”

Lee turned to face her with his entire body, feet apart and fists clenched. Galeon accelerated in the dish behind him and a cloud of dust kicked up.

“I have more than enough strength for the likes of traitors,” he said darkly, brows knit together above his stormy gaze. “Don’t worry about me.”

“But I have to,” she thought as Lee’s attention turned back to the stadium. He called upon Galeon. The lion rose from its beyblade with a fierce roar, the great, dark shape of it eclipsing the sun and painting golden hour black. “You don’t bother to worry about yourself.”

If Lee could be stubborn, so could she. Mariah stayed put as he ran through drill after drill. He put Galeon through its paces, practicing all of his teammates’ attack patterns as nighttime fell. Soon, the only light in the courtyard came from the city lights beyond the brick walls and the flickering light beside the stairwell door.

Mariah’s eyelids were beginning to droop.

Lee plucked Galeon from the center of the beydish. He was breathing heavier now, tumultuous emotions outlasting his own stamina, and he still readied himself for another launch.

Mariah wanted to tell him not to torture himself, to save some strength for the tournament, but she knew her pleas would fall upon deaf ears. There were no words that could stop Lee from mourning the loss of someone he’d once loved like a brother. Lee wouldn’t rest until he’d proved to Ray that he’d been wrong for leaving.

Mariah didn’t want to prove Ray wrong as much as she wanted things to go back to how they were before he left, but that was impossible. A now-familiar melancholy forced her to blink back tears. If only she’d brought Galux down with her – then she could be practicing with Lee.

With a tired sigh, she tucked her legs underneath her and scooted over so she could lay down on the bench, curled up on her side. In the moonlight, with her head pillowed on her hands, she watched Lee launch Galeon one more time. Then her eyes slid closed.

The next thing Mariah was conscious of, was the feeling of strong arms holding her and the smell of sweat. She wrinkled her nose and peeked through her eyelashes. Lee was carrying her down the dim hotel hallway. Even from this angle, she could see the exhaustion etched into his features.

She closed her eyes again. If he knew she was awake, she was afraid he’d send her back to the room by herself and go run some more drills. So she feigned sleep until he stopped, presumably outside their room. Instead of trying to wake her, he kicked the door gently. After a moment, it opened from the inside.

“Hey, Lee,” Gary greeted quietly. “Is she asleep?”

Lee’s only answer was an affirmative grunt as he brushed past Gary to lay Mariah on the bed. She could hear soft snoring coming from the other side of the room and was grateful that Kevin wasn’t awake to start an argument while Lee was vulnerable.

“She made you a plate,” Gary said. He sounded tired, as if he’d been waiting up for them. “We saved it for you.”

“Thanks,” Lee muttered as he tucked Mariah in. He also sounded tired. Mariah was tempted to give herself away by grabbing his arm and demanding he go straight to sleep, but then he was going to shower off and her mattress was so perfect for sinking into that she never got up the gumption.

Gary sighed and collapsed into the bed he was sharing with Kevin as the shower began to run. Mariah listened until his rhythmic breathing turned to snores and the sound of running water lulled her to sleep again.

She slept soundly, only waking up one other time before daybreak when Lee slid into bed next to her. Some nights, he tossed and turned, but tonight he was still. She could tell when he began to fall asleep, because the mattress dipped even more as he relaxed. When she was sure he wouldn’t notice, she opened her eyes a crack and squinted over to the table. His dinner plate was sitting there empty. Mariah smiled to herself and drifted off until morning.

#beyblade #I love Lee and I love Mariah and I love them being the cutest siblings #azrfic #azikarue #azikarue394 #mayblade 2023

[azikarue]

❖ REQUESTS CLOSED! ❖

Thank you to those who showed interest and helped me decide on my free day shenanigans. ♥

❖ LAST CALL FOR THIS! ❖

I'll be closing requests in approximately 24 hours.

Current requests and an updated bingo card are below the cut. If anybody would like to request a ship and a kiss location, I have two slots left!

❖ REQUESTS SO FAR ❖

Max/Mariam - kissing in the shower Max/Mariam - kissing in dark corners Rick/Mariah - kissing on a ferris wheel

I'm reserving "kissing in a car" for a tentative future project, so crossed it off, too.

I decided that I don't want to write the same prompt twice, but feel free to request a Beyblade ship of mine for any of the remaining squares. 😊

I'm currently editing the next chapter of "Life in Color" to post sometime this week, and I was thinking about what to write for the Free Day. Still have no clue, so I figured I'd try this route and see if anybody bites. Chapter 27 is posted!

A few months ago I reblogged this post by @creativepromptsforwriting. On a whim, I tossed all the prompts into a bingo card generator for fun, figuring it would be a nice random way to pick what to write if I do kiss fics for Valentine's Day next year.

Today I had the thought that it might be fun to use a few of them for my Free Day and figured I'd see if anyone wanted to request a specific ship for a prompt. Call it a thank-you for all the support as I take my time completing the prompt list. 🥰

So, if anybody wants, send me a ship (one I ship plz) and a kiss location from my bingo card (below the cut) and I'll write it for my Free Day. 🤍 I think I'll cap it somewhere around five requests, but we'll see how we go. Length of the fill will honestly probably depend on how many I receive but they won't be longer than the typical "Life in Color" chapter.

Thank youuuu~

❖ So far I have requests for: kissing in the shower, kissing on a ferris wheel, and kissing in dark corners. I'm not opposed to multiple fills for the same prompt, but I'd prefer different prompts if you're stuck between two. 😊 ❖

#looking for these to be a fun palate cleanser after months of working on more serious fills for MayBlade #azrupdate #kiss fic bingo

[azikarue]

Life In Color : Chapter 27 : Beyblade

Emily, Mariah, Rick, Michael | FFN Rating: T | FFN Link ❖ The melodic trill of crickets was more grating than relaxing tonight, Emily realized with a frown. She had too many other things fighting for purchase in her mind, making tension run icy hot from her temples down into the set of her shoulders. She took a deep breath, forced herself to loosen the hold her fingers had on the case she was carrying, and soldiered on toward the river.

The footsteps behind her sped up to match her pace.

At the beginning of their journey, once they’d snuck through the minefield of snoring beybladers and out of the dojo, Mariah had attempted to start a conversation. Now it seemed that some of Emily’s seriousness had rubbed off on her; she hadn’t uttered a single word in the past few minutes. She would have felt bad for killing Mariah’s thunder if it weren’t for the gravity of the situation.

The future of beyblading was dangerously close to belonging to BEGA because, no matter what Tyson thought, there was no guarantee Kai was going to come back and battle.

Emily didn’t want to be the naysayer, but it was time somebody started exhibiting some common sense. They were three battles in and hanging onto their last shred of hope by a thread. If nobody else could master the Hard Metal System in the next twenty-four hours, there was every possibility they would never have a fifth blader and would lose the Justice Five Tournament.

As that thought burned itself into the back of her brain, Emily arrived at the crest of the hill leading down to the riverbank. Mariah came to a stop by her side. At the bottom of the grassy slope lay the river, slithering like a snake as light glistened on the surface like starry scales. Out here, away from the dojo and in the cool of the night, it would almost feel like everything was normal if it weren’t for the weight of the case in her hand.

“Well, well, well – look who finally turned up,” Rick said, staring up the hill with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Yeah,” Michael chimed in. Rick didn’t have his boombox, but there was no power on earth that could keep Michael from bringing his lucky baseball; he was tossing it into his glove with an air of impatience. “You certainly kept us waiting long enough.”

Emily rolled her eyes and started down the incline. “It didn’t kill you,” she said when she reached the bottom.

“Boys can be so impatient,” Mariah sighed, joining the group. “I told Lee that’s probably why he hasn’t been able to master the new beyblade yet. He wants it to spin like Galeon right away, gets mad when it doesn’t, and sends it flying out of control.” She shook her head ruefully.

“Speaking of Lee, when you said you were bringing someone else, he’s more who I had in mind.”

Leave it to Rick to be brutally honest. Emily admired that trait most days, but the way Mariah’s eyes snapped over to fix him with a warning look didn’t bode well.

“No offense,” Rick added, cocking one eyebrow when he sensed the mood shift and caught the look on her face.

“Rick’s got a point, though,” Michael said. “Statistically, Lee’s got the best chance of beating Garland or Brooklyn out of anyone else on the White Tiger team. If you don’t count Ray.”

“If we were going by team statistics, Michael, you wouldn’t be here,” Emily said firmly. “It was Max and Rick that represented the All Starz in the World Championships.”

Michael opened his mouth like he wanted to argue, gripping his baseball so hard that his fingertips were white. Rick snorted, an arrogant smirk on his lips. Michael shot him a glare and threw his ball into his glove with twice his normal force, but didn’t comment.

In reality, Emily’s data did point to Lee as an obvious choice to wield the Metal System effectively. She was on her way to wake him up when she ran into Mariah first. Her friend was eager to know where she was going and why and if she could help. Emily found herself changing her mind and inviting her along before she fully realized what she was doing.

However, the more she thought about it after, the better it sounded.

Mariah didn’t battle much in the tournament, which meant Emily’s data was woefully incomplete, but there was no doubting she was one of the best beybladers in the league. She was spirited and skilled and wasn’t as inclined to trip over her ego as the boys were. Emily thought she might end up being perfect for the Hard Metal System.

“So are we gonna take that puppy for a spin or what?” Rick was eyeing Emily’s case eagerly. “Or did we come all this way to wish on a star that Kai comes crawling back?”

Mariah tutted. “Impatient.”

“I prefer ‘realistic’,” Rick shot back. “If you think Kai’s gonna show his face after that thrashing from Brooklyn, you’re delusional. While we’ve been wasting our time waiting on him, BEGA’s put themselves in position to win the tournament!”

“Just because one of us isn’t man enough to own up to his mistakes for the sake of his friends, doesn’t mean Kai won’t,” Mariah argued with a narrow gaze. “Is that any way to talk about someone who stood up for you when your team was being booed?”

Rick was a whole foot taller than Mariah, but she wasn’t in the least bit intimidated by him. Emily liked that about her, even if she’d been hoping Mariah would act as a buffer for Rick and Michael’s inevitable bickering instead of perpetuating her own argument. She sighed and tucked the case under her arm so she had both hands free to clean her glasses.

A vein throbbed in Rick’s temple at Mariah’s insult. “If Kai cared that much, he wouldn’t have tried to join BEGA in the first place.”

“It’s not the first time Kai’s switched sides—”

“Surprise, surprise!”

“—but it wouldn’t be the first time he came to his senses and did the right thing either!” Mariah finished unflinchingly. “Although,” she added a sheepish afterthought, “I would’ve preferred to have Galux back before he returned Black Dranzer to BIOVOLT.”

Emily snorted. No kidding. She’d chewed all her nails down to nothing wondering if she’d ever see Trygator again. But dredging up Kai’s past shortcomings wasn’t getting them any closer to having a fifth beyblader on their team. As Rick detailed, with colorful language, how Mariah’s argument wasn’t winning her case, Emily walked over to the grass.

She set the carrying case down on the hillside and retrieved the Metal System prototype from inside. It was a generic, well-balanced beyblade that she’d whipped up last minute after helping Kenny build Dranzer. The Bladebreakers did seem sure that Kai would be back, but Emily definitely didn’t know him well enough to take that gamble.

“Hey, Michael, want to give this a shot?”

Michael, who had been watching Rick and Mariah bicker with interest, met her gaze with a spark in his eye. “Oh, yeah!” he said, tossing his baseball glove aside.

“Why does he get to go first?” Rick asked in outrage, suddenly willing to cut the argument short.

Emily ignored him – she didn’t answer obvious questions when she had better things to do – and instructed Michael to hand over Trygle. Carefully and efficiently, she transferred its bit to the new beyblade. It flashed when it clicked into place, ready for action.

“You’re going to want to launch away from the bridge, in case you lose control,” she told Michael as she handed over the beyblade with its launcher. “I’m not about to foot the bill for a new one. And do your best to steer clear of the water; that blade’s kind of irreplaceable.”

“No pressure, though,” Michael said sarcastically. He loaded the launcher warily.

“Don’t screw this up,” Rick interjected, a smirk appearing on his face as Michael’s expression grew irritated.

“Rick, you and Mariah can be his opponents.”

Rick snorted and reached into his pocket for his beyblade. “He won’t keep it spinning long enough to get close to Rock Bison,” he said while Mariah pulled Galux from her hair.

“We’ll see about that,” Michael said, his bravado resurfacing. He adopted a launching stance; feet apart, arms raised, ripcord gripped in his right hand.

Mariah and Rick followed suit, looking like odd mirrors of one another launching with opposite hands. Emily watched all three of them stare each other down, remaining stock still even as the nighttime breeze combed through their hair and clothing. After a moment, she realized they were waiting on her to count them down.

“Three… Two… One…”

“Let it rip!” they cried in unison.

Trygle exploded off of it’s launcher, sending Michael stumbling back. It looked like it might be over for him before it began, until he cursed under his breath and steadied himself. Impressively, his blade steadied with him.

“Trygle!” he called out, pointing straight ahead at where Rick and Mariah’s blades were spinning side by side. “Take ‘em out!”

With a burst of speed, Trygle charged Rock Bison and Galux. Clouds of dust flanked it like wings as it surged forward, maintaining a straight course. Michael had obviously taken the lessons the others learned whilst training with the Metal System to heart. Emily was impressed.

Unfortunately a head-on attack wasn’t going to cut it against the likes of Rick and Mariah, whose beyblades dodged in opposite directions just in time to avoid a devastating impact. Trygle flew right between them, making them wobble in its slipstream, but leaving them unaffected otherwise.

“C’mon, Trygle!” Michael’s hands balled into fists as he fought for control. He managed to get Trygle to slow down enough to turn around in a wide arc. Unfortunately, it leaned too far into the turn and its attack ring cut into the ground. “Aw, shit!” Michael spat as it dug a spiral into the dirt, before grinding to a halt in the center.

“Way to go!” Rick guffawed. “That’ll make BEGA run for the hills.”

“Shut up, Rick!” Michael snapped as he stomped over to pull Trygle from the groove it had carved for itself. “Like you could do any better!”

“Isn’t that why we’re training?” Mariah interrupted before the argument could really get going. She held out her hand and caught Galux deftly, without looking. “Not even Tyson mastered his new beyblade in one try.”

“I’m not waiting around all night for Michael to master that thing.” Rick recalled Rock Bison and walked over to Michael in a handful of long strides. “Hand it over. We’re taking it in turns.”

Michael frowned and looked to Emily for confirmation.

Emily sighed. “That’s probably the best way to do it since I only have one beyblade,” she answered apologetically. With parts being as hard to come by as they were, she was lucky they had enough material for her to scrape into a sixth blade in the first place. “Sorry, Michael.”

“Whatever,” Michael pouted and took Trygle’s bit chip out before handing the beyblade over to Rick.

Rick smirked smugly and the two of them readied their beyblades for battle.

“Whatever happened to ladies first?” Mariah asked as she watched the boys finish their preparations. Emily recognized it as an attempt to rile Rick up instead of the complaint it might have been mistaken for. She had a feeling this would be an interesting battle.

“Michael did go first,” Rick snarked.

“Hey!”

Emily sighed, mentally lamenting that this, of all moments, could be their final hope.

“Are you guys ready, yet?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and preparing herself to compare Rick and Michael’s trial runs. “Need I remind you that, even if one of you masters the Hard Metal System tonight, there’s only twenty-four hours before you’ll be facing one of the strongest beybladers BEGA has?”

“Yeah, yeah – keep your shirt on.” Rick rolled his eyes, but hunkered down for his launch nonetheless.

Across from him, Mariah and Michael got ready, too. Emily noticed Michael was launching left-handed this time and made a mental note to work the difference in power output into her calculations. Once they were all settled, she counted down and watched them launch.

The force of Rick’s launch sent him skidding back a few inches, but he managed to keep his footing better than Michael. Michael seemed to take that as a personal slight; when Rock Bison thundered toward him, he sent Trygle out to meet him head-on. Mariah followed suit and all three beyblades collided in a shower of sparks.

“Keep trying all you want,” Rick shouted over the sound of metal grinding, “but you’re no match for me and Rock Bison!”

“We’ll see about that!”

“Yeah, Rick – could your ego be any bigger?”

Emily bet it could be, especially if he mastered the Hard Metal System before either of the other two. So far he was doing a good job of battling with it like it was his normal beyblade. He landed a couple strong attacks that sent Michael and Mariah reeling. Emily was debating whether he was getting the hang of it or if it was the fact that his chosen attacks didn’t require much finesse when he got a dangerous gleam in his eye.

“All right, Rock Bison,” Rick cried, raising his arm and splaying his fingers out against the canopy of stars, “Drop Rock Attack!”

“Rick, be careful!” Emily called as rubble packed in around his beyblade. Drop Rock was a risky move when he hadn’t even proved he could handle the basics. “Don’t get cocky!”

“I know what I’m doing!”

The rocks around Rick’s beyblade morphed into a solid block of stone and hurtled toward his opponents. Michael and Mariah both poised themselves to evade the attack, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

With a few inches to go, Rock Bison’s movement stuttered and a mighty explosion broke the stone back down into dozens of smaller rocks that flew out in every direction like bullets. Emily shielded herself as best she could. Mariah and Michael dove out of the way. Rick swore. And all three beyblades went flying in opposite directions and landed completely still in the dust.

“If that’s knowing what you’re doing, I’d hate to see you completely clueless,” Michael grumbled as he got to his feet and tried to beat the dirt out of his clothes with his hat.

“I warned you,” Emily scolded, rushing over to make sure the beyblade was okay. “An attack like that when you haven’t learned to control the Metal System could’ve destroyed the blade!” Thankfully, it didn’t seem any worse for wear. She let out a sigh of relief.

“If you hadn’t distracted me, that attack would’ve landed fine!”

“Right, Rick.” Mariah looked wholly unimpressed with dirt smudged on her face and clothes. “We’ll be sure to tell the whole stadium to be quiet while you battle in the next round.”

Rick glowered at her and Michael snickered, returning his baseball cap to his head.

“Mariah’s turn,” Emily announced and handed Rick back his bit chip. “Maybe a girl on the team is what we need, after all.”

“Doubt it,” Rick mumbled as he put Rock Bison back together.

Emily pretended she didn’t hear him and got ready for their third attempt of the night. “Same rules,” she told Mariah, handing over the beyblade. “Launch away from the bridge, avoid the water, and don’t try anything fancy” –she shot Rick a look– “before you can battle without losing control.”

Mariah nodded resolutely and they all began the countdown together.

“Three… Two… One… Let it rip!”

Like the other two, the kickback hit Mariah hard. She fell back on her butt, catching herself with the heels of her hands. She seemed to have prepared for such an eventuality, because her eyes remained fixed on Galux the whole time and its path never wavered.

“Whoa, nice one!” Michael said. “Even steadier than Rick’s launch.”

“Shut up,” Rick grumbled, but even he looked impressed.

Mariah didn’t reply, too busy maintaining her concentration. Her sharp eyes never strayed from Galux as it glided around, dealing glancing blows to each of the boys’ blades in turn. The attacks spurred Rick and Michael into action and they set their blades on a course directly for hers.

Mariah got to her feet slowly, keeping her gaze steady, and watched their approach. When they got too close to correct their trajectory, she called out to Galux and it darted obediently out of the way, before pulling a tricky reversal and claiming the center of the battlefield once more.

Emily could feel the moment they all collectively held their breath, eager to see if Mariah would slip up after a maneuver like that. When her beyblade spun true, Michael let out an impressed whistle and he and Rick took up the offensive again.

And again, Galux dodged at the last second, then sprung back. If she kept going like this, Emily would nominate Mariah as their fifth team member and focus the training on her. With such little time to prepare, it made sense to pass the torch to whoever had the most control during their trial run.

She was about to say it out loud when something went wrong. After a third dodge, Mariah let out a gleeful cheer and her concentration slipped just enough that Galux didn’t pull off the reversal.

“Oh no – Galux!” Mariah cried out in alarm as the beyblade headed straight for the river.

Time moved in slow motion as they all rushed for the blade, trying to keep Mariah’s bitbeast and all of Emily’s hard work from being washed downstream.

Emily was closest so, using every ounce of skill from her toughest tennis matches, she dove for it. Relief flooded her veins when her fist closed around the beyblade right before it fell in the river. She hit the ground with a grunt. The bruises and dirt would be worth it. She could only hope to be able to say the same about their late night training session when this was all over.

“I’m so sorry!” Mariah skidded to a halt at her side, spraying her with more dirt. “I was so excited, but then it wouldn’t come back and I panicked. Blading with that thing is like trying to tame a wild animal!”

Emily let Mariah help her up, mostly because she didn’t want to risk dropping the beyblade when they were standing so close to the water. Once they were a safe distance away and standing in a circle with the boys, she uncurled her fingers and found, to her relief, that the beyblade was unscathed.

“No harm done this time.” She tucked it into her pocket so she could wipe off her glasses on a clean corner of her shirt, then fished it out again. “I guess we’re back to you, Michael.”

She did her best to keep the disappointment she was feeling out of her tone. She knew it would be an uphill battle. Knew firsthand from the hours she’d spent in secret trying and failing to master the beyblade on her own before admitting that maybe someone else would be better suited. Their failure still stung. Worst of all, it left her feeling like she could have done better for them, somehow.

“Don’t you want a turn?” Mariah asked with a gentle, if not tentative, smile.

In contrast, Rick was frowning, staring off into the middle distance. And Michael was hiding his expression with the brim of his hat, hands in his pockets. It seemed like they were feeling the same defeat that Emily was.

“I’ve tried plenty,” Emily admitted, the words sour on her tongue. “Taking the data into consideration, the three of you have much better chances of learning to use the Hard Metal System by our deadline. That’s where we should focus our efforts.”

Rick’s eyebrows drew closer together and Michael’s expression darkened. For the first time since creating the Hard Metal System, Emily was feeling hopeless.

Mariah looked around at all of them, a combination of confusion and exasperation on her face. “I thought the whole point of this was that the numbers don’t matter,” she said. “Tyson and the others didn’t master the Metal System because they were statistically better than us!”

“It didn’t hurt their odds,” Michael pointed out, sounding none-too-pleased about it.

“If they were that good, we wouldn’t be stuck between a rock and a hard place right now,” Rick grouched, using his attitude as a defense mechanism. “One more loss and the future of beyblading is shot.”

“The data doesn’t lie. Ray, Max, and Daichi are three of the best we’ve got.” Emily had known in the back of her mind, from the moment the challenge was issued, who would fight by Tyson’s side. Maybe trying to twist fate and add someone else to the mix was always doomed to fail, but it was the best option she could think of. “If Kai wasn’t defunct, he’d be the next logical choice. We don’t have the luxury, so it has to be one of you.” It wouldn’t be her.

“I’ve had about enough of this!” Mariah stomped her foot.

Emily, Rick, and Michael turned, in unison, to look at her like she’d lost it.

“If data was all that mattered, we wouldn’t be challenging BEGA at all,” Mariah said once she had all of their attention. Her hands were on her hips and her cheeks were flushed under the dirt, but her eyes were fiery. “It’s not the data that’s at risk – it’s the spirit of the game! It’s the love of beyblading that’s enough to make you want to practice and grow stronger and have fun doing it! That’s how battles are won and that’s how Tyson, Ray, Max, and Daichi mastered the Hard Metal System!”

She looked at each of them, one by one, breathing heavily.

“I don’t care what the data says and I don’t care if you’re feeling discouraged. It doesn’t matter how much time is left – we’re going to keep trying until we can’t anymore, because we all love beyblading too much not to. Or did you all forget that part?”

Maybe, Emily thought, she had forgotten. In the midst of all the failed attempts to master the Hard Metal System and the hours spent on the sidelines as others fought nerve wracking battles that determined the fate of beyblading and her own future… Maybe she’d forgotten that a strong beyblade wielded by a strong beyblader was only half of the equation.

But she remembered now.

She remembered being seven years-old and telling her parents she wanted to beyblade and play tennis when she was older and being told that, sooner or later, she’d have to choose one. She remembered being so determined not to pick, that she kept up with both – plus her studies, so her parents wouldn’t make her drop one of her extracurricular activities – until one day someone approached her about an opportunity with the PPB. She remembered Judy honing in on her analytic potential, but acquiescing when Emily refused to sacrifice training time because she wanted to play so badly that it made her hands itch for her launcher or racket when she didn’t.

Emily was fortunate to be where she was thanks, in no small part, to her love of beyblading. She wanted that to always be enough to ensure a future with the sport. The thought of other children never having the opportunities she had because BEGA wanted to replace the love of the game with a hefty paycheck was unthinkable.

“I knew I brought you along for a reason,” she said and reached into her pocket for Trygator. Its bit chip gleamed. “Thanks Mariah.”

She met her friend’s surprised gaze and watched it melt into a warm smile.

“Any time! We all need a reminder once in a while,” Mariah said with a wink.

“As heartfelt as this is, are you gonna take your turn or not?” Rick didn’t flinch when they all looked his way and any of the darkness in his stare was replaced with a familiar confidence. “Because it’ll be my turn that much faster if you wanna skip.”

“That’s only if I don’t master it on my next turn, Rick,” Michael interjected, turning his baseball cap around. “I’m feeling lucky.”

“No one’s that lucky,” Rick quipped with a cocksure smirk. “Least of all you.”

“I might be,” Emily said, a feeling of determination swelling inside of her. “I helped design the Hard Metal System, after all. I know it better than any of you.” When she looked around at the others, they were all grinning. “If any of us are going to master it and fight with Tyson in the final round, it’s going to be me.”

“That settles it, then,” Rick said as he loaded Rock Bison onto its launcher. “Don’t expect us to go easy on you.”

Emily took a moment to hand Mariah back Galux’s bit chip before fixing Rick with a challenging look. “You’re gonna need every ounce of power to even come close to beating me,” she said smugly. “So do yourself a favor and give it your best shot.”

“Don’t worry, I plan on it.”

Michael and Mariah flanked Rick on either side. They were each formidable opponents on their own; together, Emily knew she’d have her work cut out for her. Instead of feeling apprehension or dread, she just felt excited. This was what beyblading was all about, she thought as she clicked Trygator’s bit into the Hard Metal blade. And it was a feeling that, win or lose, BEGA could never take away.

Emily inhaled deeply and took her stance at the same time as the other three.

“Remember to aim away from the bridge,” Michael advised, a mischievous smirk on his lips.

“And watch out for the water,” Mariah chimed in cheerfully. “That beyblade’s irreplaceable, you know!”

“And no fancy moves before you master the basics.” Rick’s fingers flexed on his launcher and his lips curled up into a grin.

Emily chuckled and led them in the countdown one more time.

“Three… Two… One… Let it rip!”

#beyblade #this turned out way longer than anticipated #therefore the wait for it did too #but we always get there in the end #I think it has to be obvious to the others that Tyson is hoping Kai will come back and battle BEGA with them #I also think that not everybody would have as much faith as Tyson does that everything will work out okay #and they're determined to do their part #I had fun with this one #azikarue #azikarue394 #azrfic #mayblade 2023

[azikarue]

❖ REQUESTS CLOSED! ❖

Thank you to those who showed interest and helped me decide on my free day shenanigans. ♥

I'm currently editing the next chapter of "Life in Color" to post sometime this week, and I was thinking about what to write for the Free Day. Still have no clue, so I figured I'd try this route and see if anybody bites. Chapter 27 is posted!

A few months ago I reblogged this post by @creativepromptsforwriting. On a whim, I tossed all the prompts into a bingo card generator for fun, figuring it would be a nice random way to pick what to write if I do kiss fics for Valentine's Day next year.

Today I had the thought that it might be fun to use a few of them for my Free Day and figured I'd see if anyone wanted to request a specific ship for a prompt. Call it a thank-you for all the support as I take my time completing the prompt list. 🥰

So, if anybody wants, send me a ship (one I ship plz) and a kiss location from my bingo card (below the cut) and I'll write it for my Free Day. 🤍 I think I'll cap it somewhere around five requests, but we'll see how we go. Length of the fill will honestly probably depend on how many I receive but they won't be longer than the typical "Life in Color" chapter.

Thank youuuu~

❖ So far I have requests for: kissing in the shower, kissing on a ferris wheel, and kissing in dark corners. I'm not opposed to multiple fills for the same prompt, but I'd prefer different prompts if you're stuck between two. 😊 ❖

#if I don't get any requests I'll just pick by myself lol #I've never taken requests here before so not sure what to expect #azrupdate #azikarue #azikarue394 #kiss fic bingo