Burst Finish My Heart: Free de la Hoya x OC | A Beyblade Fanfiction

Chapter 34: Worry

"You know that you can't hide from the team forever," Ferox said pointedly, and she slumped on the forest floor, looking unusually comfortable on hard ground.

"..."

Free hated how right Ferox was to say that, but he did not want to admit it. He fell back on an old habit and avoided eye contact with Ferox, hoping it would mean that he did not have to reply; in hindsight, it was probably a rude thing to do to his partner.

Ferox noticed the evasive behavior, but she decided not to press further. She could not force Free to reply; she would just have to wait for him. Free was a slow kind of guy, and he needed time to become at ease.

So Ferox pulled out the one snack she had: a banana. Feeling famished, Ferox quickly peeled it, and she shoved the whole thing into her mouth in one bite. With a mouth full like a chipmunk's, she started chewing. As she ate, Ferox discarded the peel in a Ziploc bag, which she stowed away in her pouch.

Free stared at her.

At his secondary school, many boys found bananas humorous and would foolishly attempt to see how much they could take in one bite. But Free had never met somebody that could effortlessly eat a banana in a single bite, and he never imagined seeing Ferox, of all people, so casually doing just that. 

"Hm, that's the first time I've seen somebody eat a banana like that," Free said, more amused than he thought he would be. He had always been too consumed by Beyblade to concern himself with indecent musings, but Ferox had set off something in him.

Now you talk, Ferox thought. She knew where he was heading with that, so she said sarcastically, "I have no gag reflex. Made me popular with boys."

Free's cheeks turned a bit pink.

"Anyway, are you going to answer what I said earlier?" Ferox said. In hopes of loosening Free up more, she additionally joked, "It's not like I'll bite you, banana head."

Free was amazed at how many times Ferox had caught him off-guard today. At the same time, it strangely worked, and Free finally admitted, "I don't want to acknowledge that you're right."

"How come?" Ferox said calmly. Her lack of blame eased his nerves.

"...I don't like how it makes me feel," Free said. He disliked confessing that, but he thought that Ferox deserved his honesty. "People aren't my thing. I get tired easily from social interactions, but as captain, I should be more responsible and involved in the team."

He's so conflicted about this leadership thing, Ferox thought, trying to figure out what to say. She said, patting his shoulder, "You don't have to change yourself drastically. Just having their top blader show up more in the cafeteria and at training can be inspiring for the team."

"You'll do most of the talking, okay?" Free said quietly.

"No worries," Ferox said, giving him a soft kiss.

The more she got to know Free, the more she realized that he was not necessarily looking down on the team, but he had difficulty expressing himself. He loved BC Sol a great deal, and he was not sure how to convey it except by training hard and performing well individually in the league.

"Thanks," Free sighed.

"Training starts again soon," Ferox said, giving Free a warm smile. "Let's not be late." Ferox stood up and stretched her arms, and Free followed his girlfriend towards BC Sol's gym.

"Today, you'll be battling each other to determine your squad placement. Only Free's spot has been set. Chris and I will be observing, and we'll make the final call," Trad announced solemnly.