HALLE-FREAKING-LUJAH! FINALLY FINISHED! I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sooooooooooooorrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyy this is way overdue! I'd hoped to get it done much sooner but my motivation decided to go on strike again.

Luxaheart, this one is for you, as promised. Hope you like it!

April 1st

It felt like only yesterday that the BBA hosted its first non-blading related contest and boy did the fans love it. Daichi had returned at the end of March having been away in another country. Nobody really knew where'd he'd gone or why but hey, discounting Tyson's pranks, it had been a quiet few months without the feisty redhead.

But now he was back and Ray knew there'd be hell right around the corner. Tyson had not looked amused when he returned from the airport with Gramps and Hiro to collect the team's tiny spitfire. Well…he wasn't so tiny anymore. Daichi was now the same height Kai had been during his days as a Blitzkrieg Boy. And damn he'd turned out quite handsome too.

Hilary had the bright idea for a beach party as a means of welcoming Daichi back. As expected, Kai was really not for her suggestion in the slightest. Tyson, usually the first one to jump at any chance to visit the beach, wasn't very enthusiastic, his mind seemingly elsewhere. Hilary was having none of anybody's protest, saying it would be good for the team to bond over a day out.

Bright and early, or rather, dark and early on the morning of April 1st, Ray set about baking some buns for the hotdogs and burgers. Those would be made fresh too, but later. Once the dough was all mixed up, it was left to prove on the side, covered by a tea towel. Ray spent that time by relaxing in the living room with a nice cup of coffee and toast smeared with homemade watermelon curd.

While the raven haired chef was kicking back, Daichi silently snuck into the kitchen to pull his first prank of the day. He'd planned one for everyone. His task done, Daichi swiped an apple from the fruit bowl and crept back upstairs somehow without Ray's keen hearing detecting the slightest whisper of a footstep.

Roughly 45 minutes later, Tyson stealthily made his way downstairs and into the living room. Spikes of raven black hair were poking up above the backrest of Ray's favourite armchair, bringing a warm smile to Tyson's face. Judging by the sound of soft, even breathing, Ray had fallen asleep.

Peeking around the chair with caution, Tyson saw that his secret lover had indeed nodded off to lala land. Resisting the urge to snap a photo for blackmail, Tyson carefully leaned in to plant a chaste kiss to Ray's cheek, rousing him from his slumber.

"Someone's got a large pair of brass ones to be kissing me with the others nearby."

"Well they're all off in bed and we have the living room all to ourselves. Besides, the only one stealthy enough to catch us is Kai. And I'm pretty sure he's going to try to play sick and escape the hell of Hilary's mad scheme."

Ray couldn't argue there. Grandpa Granger was getting heavy footed in his old age and Hiro could always be heard coming a mile away unless he really wanted to mess with someone. Unless Daichi had matured during his time away, Ray would bet his every dime that the redhead would make sure they knew he was coming.

Tyson was allowed a quick smooch before Ray had to go and prepare the bread dough. Before that however, his lover needed feeding. Once Tyson had his breakfast, Ray got to work. Making sure his hands were squeaky clean, Ray dried them with a clean towel tucked into the string of his apron.

An ungodly howl of terror from the kitchen distracted Tyson from his food and most likely woke everyone else. Thinking something bad might've happened, Tyson raced into the kitchen only to find Ray crouched on the table glaring daggers at the bowl containing the dough. He was breathing quite heavily too so something had definitely spooked him.

"Ray? Dude what's going on? Have you somehow concocted a monster in that bowl?"

Questioned teammate didn't answer, leaving Tyson with no other choice but to see for himself what all the kerfuffle was about. There in the bowl was the bread dough with bugs on it. But something wasn't right. Locating a pair of tweezers, Tyson plucked one of the insects from the dough. It didn't even squirm.

"I thought as much." Tyson turned to Ray with a confident smile, holding the "bug" for him to see. "It's just a plastic bug. Albeit a very realistic one. You can climb down off the table now, Honey."

Ray scowled at Tyson, hopping off the table in time for a groggy Hiro to plod into view. He went back to bed upon hearing nothing was wrong. Ray found himself doubting that Hiro had even heard a word coming from Tyson's mouth.

With no further interruptions, save for Tyson's hand down his trousers, Ray was able to mould the dough and get it cooking in the oven. Looking up at the clock, gold eyes saw it read 7am. Kai would no doubt be out of bed soon. Even if he was going to try and get out of being dragged into a day at the beach there was no way the cold hearted Russian would go without his morning dose of caffeine. Hell would freeze over before that day came knocking.

Sure enough the moody enigma stalked into the kitchen not a tick past 7:05am looking like he'd just wrestled with a lawnmower, making a beeline for the fresh pot of coffee sat on the side. Ray spared him a few glances as he mixed together the burger ingredients, being careful not to get caught staring.

Tyson wisely kept all witty comments about Kai's messy morning hair to himself. It wasn't long before said captain noticed something strange about the kitchen…Tyson. He found it rather odd for the bluenette champion to be out of bed before 10am, blinking somewhat sleepily at him. The air was so thick with tension Ray would have to use a chainsaw to cut it. Eventually Kai left the room shrugging his shoulders, probably thinking he was dreaming.

It wasn't long before the buns had finished cooking and the meat fillings moulded into the proper shape. Seeing an opening, Tyson took it and seized Ray's waist. He had a dirty comment on the tip of his tongue ready when he saw the sausages but Ray pre-emptively bonked him on the head with the nearest rolling pin.

"Damn Ray. What'd you do that for?"

"Keep that up Tyson and one day I swear I'll go off sausages for good."

"I find that very hard to believe Ray. You love my sausage too much to be put off having it for the rest of your life."

Ray's eyes were ablaze as he silently chased Tyson around the dojo, a knife in hand. Apparently the fake bug prank had really struck a nerve and Ray was NOT in the mood for Tyson's teasing. Fortunately for the 3-time world champ his secret lover gave up soon as he reached the stairs. It always surprised him how scary the raven haired Neko-Jin could be when agitated.

A few hours later everyone woke up with mixed feelings about the day ahead. Hiro found Ray passed out in the kitchen, a very sharp knife beside him. He didn't fancy being stabbed, so left waking Ray to somebody with faster reflexes. Hilary stepped up to the task and surprisingly left the kitchen alive, a groggy Ray not far behind without the knife.

Daichi of course played innocent when consulted about the incident before dawn but Ray knew better than to fall for his charade. A close eye would need to be kept on the redhead during the barbeque. Nobody knew quite what to say upon reaching the beach. There spaced out on the sand were the Blitzkrieg Boys. Kai was especially surprised to see his other team just lounging around. It was most unlike Tala to give the others a break from training. Unless they had no plan to enter the next world championship? It wasn't likely but not impossible.

The BBA Revolution team gave the stoic Russians a wide berth, rather allowing them to join in if they wanted instead of forcing contact upon them. Since cooking was Ray's territory, Hilary wisely moved away once all the food was unpacked and drinks handed out, watching from her beach towel as Kai got roped into helping said Neko-Jin to light the barbeque. For now the boys were all getting along as planned, allowing her to soak up the sun in relative peace. Rummaging through her bag however, Hilary could not for the life of her find the sun lotion she'd packed.

"Oh, where in the world could that have run off to? I know I packed it this morning."

"Here, Hilary. You left it over by the boxes."

Hilary looked up to see Daichi innocently holding out the very bottle she'd just been looking for, no hint of mischief on his face at all.

"Thanks Daichi. You run along and have fun. I'd say you've all earned it."

Daichi didn't need telling twice, smacking a distracted Tyson on the head with the first volley ball he could find.

"Come on Tyson let's go! We're burning daylight!"

Hilary rolled her eyes. Of course it was foolish of her to think Daichi had matured completely during his time away. Squirting some of the sun cream onto her hand, she noticed it was a bit off colour. Shrugging the slightly yellow hue to one side, she merrily coated her exposed parts and relaxed in the sun's warmth.

Max arrived about 10 minutes later looking ready to take a dip. He'd also brought some extra food along. It pleased Ray to see some fish among the new selection, immediately setting up a couple to grill away. Looking around nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That was until Ray's eyes landed on Hilary. For some reason flies were swarming around her and she struggled to bat them away.

Ray would've advised that Hilary take a dip in the sea to see if it helped but a rogue water bomb was heading right for him. Instinctively he ducked to avoid being splashed in the face with possibly freezing cold water. Poking his head out to glare across the table Ray caught sight of Max grinning like a madman.

"What the hell Max?!"

"Sorry dude!"

Evil thoughts of how to pay Max back circled in Ray's mind, replaced soon after by a feeling of utter terror. Daichi had fired at Tyson but hit Brian instead! Gray eyes locked onto the feisty redhead with a sheen of pure malice. As one would expect, the Falborg wielder was VERY unhappy and chased Daichi along the beach with a look that could be interpreted as murderous intent.

The rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys were content to ignore the troublesome youth and their enraged teammate. Ray worried more when Spencer stood from where he sat and walked in Hilary's direction. Without a word he plucked the struggling brunette off of her towel, his intentions becoming clear as he stepped ever closer to the rolling waves.

Poor Hilary was dunked into the cold water several times until she was clean of all the sun lotion that just so happened to be attracting all the flies. Whatever joy she felt from them being gone was short lived no thanks to being soaking wet. Daichi was so going to get a proper ear bashing when he got done being killed by Brian. Figuring that Hilary's predicament was caused by the shorter redhead, Spencer once again picked her up and she shrank in his arms, not knowing what his intentions were. To the surprise of everyone, the quiet giant wrapped two clean towels around Hilary and sat her beside him where she'd be safe from Daichi's tyranny.

Brian returned with said boy hanging over his shoulder, ditching him on the hot sand near where Kenny sat tapping away on his laptop under a parasol. Nobody pitied Daichi, Hilary least of all. Brian had no memory of his team having a girl on it and so was confused as to why one was sat at Spencer's side. There was a brief exchange in what Hilary assumed was Russian and Brian sat down without protest to her presence.

Ray served up the food some half an hour later, drawing Tyson and Max in from the surf. Hiro materialised out of the shadows, Kai not far behind him. They weren't visible for long, swiping a burger and a hotdog each before disappearing into thin air again. Ray almost dropped the fresh burgers he was about to pop onto the grill when Hilary came over with company. She'd somehow managed to convince the Blitzkrieg Boys to come and say hi. Ray could've sworn he was seeing things as it looked like Hilary had a somewhat secure hold on Spencer's hand but the baffled yet embarrassed look on his face told Ray he wasn't going crazy.

Once everyone had something to eat they spread out across the beach. Tyson being the idiot he was decided to rope Tala and Brian into a game of volley ball with him and Max. Most surprisingly the duo didn't protest to the idea and gave Tyson a taste of his own medicine. Ian came out of his shell less, perched with drawn up knees by Kenny as the young genius introduced him to Dizzi. And Spencer had simply returned to where the boys had originally sat, a book in hand. He didn't appear to notice or care that Hilary was glued to his side like a leech.

Ray revelled in whatever peace he could get as it was only a matter of time before the red headed prankster struck again. Sitting himself on a deck chair with some food, Ray watched in delight as Tyson and Max got owned in their game of volley ball. Some distance up the beach, Hiro could be seen chatting up a pretty girl and failing. Ray figured Hiro had upset the girl as she kicked him in the family jewels and pushed him into the water. He had no sympathy for his team coach, not one bit.

Some hours had passed without incident and the blazing sun started to dip beneath the horizon. Further to Ray's surprise, Spencer helped him to put all the leftover food away while Tala and Brian folded the chairs away. Everything was done to the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the shore until…

"DAICHI GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

Ray rolled his eyes. Of course Daichi had decided to end the day by pissing Kai off. The Dranzer wielder stormed after the fleeing boy, his face dripping with something red. Nobody came to Daichi's aid due to being overcome with shock. The lithe redhead was left to survive on his own as the others were quite tired from their day at the beach.

Tyson took one last look at the rolling waves, uncertainty swirling in his mind. Turning on his heel, the Dragoon master took off in a slight jog to catch up with Max, neither of them noticing that Hilary lingered in front of a very confused Spencer. Ray wasn't blind to the fact she was holding the quiet Russian's hand again, his ears picking up on Hilary asking him to stop by her place some time or to perhaps meet up somewhere and get to know each other better. Brian seemed aware that the much shorter brunette had a thing for his giant teammate, wolf whistling at them only to get clouted across the head by Tala.

It pleased Grandpa Granger to see the boys coming back in one piece. Kai and Daichi were nowhere to be seen in the dojo so Ray figured they either hadn't come back yet or Daichi was lying dead in a bush and Kai had fled the country. Both theories went out the window as Kai came out of the bathroom with a towel around his neck, face clean of his trademark shark fins. Ray wisely gave him a wide berth, knowing the older boy would not be in a talking mood.

Much later in the night, about 10pm, Ray found himself walking down the dim lamp lit streets. Tyson had sent him a text saying he wanted to meet up at the park as there was something he wanted to discuss. Why the 3-time world champ couldn't wait until tomorrow Ray didn't know. He just wanted to crawl into bed and go to sleep. Up above a silver crescent moon shone brightly, surrounded by stars twinkling to a song only they could hear.

Ray found Tyson sitting on a swing waiting patiently for him. Upon closer inspection he was dressed pretty smart. Warily, Ray stepped closer until he was within arm's reach. Tyson wasted no time, pulling his raven haired boyfriend into a kiss, letting him go after a minute or two. Ray simply blinked, not expecting to be greeted so passionately.

"So Tyson. You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah huh."

"Could it not wait until tomorrow? We've both had a long as hell day."

Tyson shook his head, brown eyes shining in the moonlight. He confused Ray further by getting down on one knee, a hand behind his back clutching tightly at something. The scene before the raven haired Neko-Jin started to look familiar from all those romance films Hilary forced the boys into watching. Tyson wasn't about to p….

"Ray Kon, will you marry me?"

From behind his back, Tyson produced a gorgeous diamond engagement ring nestled softly amongst a bed of gold silk inside a blue velvet box. Ray nearly fainted as the words just fell out of Tyson's mouth a little too easily. Had the bluenette been practising? In all honesty, Ray wasn't even sure if saying yes was the right thing to do. He and Tyson had barely been dating for a year and already the first big question had popped out!

Tyson could see Ray's indecision just by looking into his golden orbs. He would understand if his lover said no. For most people, proposing a mere few months into dating would be way too early. But Tyson couldn't stand the thought of losing Ray to someone else, much as the chances of that happening were slim to none. But there were so many other things to consider, like one of them dying young to various causes. Tyson's biggest fear was Ray being called back to his village to start a family with Mariah. Thinking it might help, he decided to go the extra mile and attempt to be romantic.

"I promise that no matter what happens, be it ill health or death, I'll always be yours, Ray. My life would be cold and dark without you in it. I'm not complete unless we're together. My heart aches for you if we're even as little as one room apart. So I'll ask you one more time. Ray Kon, my handsome tiger, will you be by my side 'til the end of time? Will you marry me?"

All of Ray's uncertainty washed away, coming to a decision he prayed would not come back to bite him up the ass. Unable to form any words at present, he resorted to yanking Tyson off of his knee and into a kiss. The affection caught Tyson momentarily off guard but he recovered quickly to return it.

"I'll take that as a yes." He panted, locking his brown eyes with pits of gleaming gold.

"You should." Ray whispered, nuzzling his face into the crook of Tyson's neck. "Because it was. And I promise to be the best husband I can be."

Ray let out a squeak of surprise as Tyson pinned him against the swing frame while kissing the life out of him. The only relief Ray got was when Tyson pulled away to slip the ring onto his finger. Suddenly, Ray sensed somebody close by, pushing Tyson away with much struggle. Sweeping his golden eyes over the park Ray saw nothing. Thinking he'd just imagined things, Ray dropped his guard.

"Well hello to you too boys."

Tyson almost hit the sky in fright, catching sight of Hiro sat on the monkey bars. His older brother had a cheeky smirk on his face at having caught him red handed. Overcome with anger Tyson stormed over and yanked Hiro off the monkey bars, causing him to literally eat dirt.

"The hell Hiro?! How long have you been there?!"

"I heard someone leaving the house and decided to see what was up. Saw Ray heading out so I followed him to make sure he wouldn't get jumped. The streets have been pretty ugly these past few nights. There have been reports of stabbings and even shootings. I just did what any responsible Coach would do and looked out for my teammate. Can't say I expected to find out you're now engaged though."

Tyson grew even more defensive, his chest puffing out to almost twice its size. Ray on the other hand was drawn to the last part of what Hiro had said. Did Hiro know he was dating Tyson? The older Granger saw that very question in Ray's eyes, brushing the dust off his trousers as he stood up.

"I've known for a while now, about you two. It wasn't exactly hard to tell since you both seem to enjoy your late night trysts. I'd had my suspicions at first but didn't have any concrete proof until last month when you met up after the bake off on Pancake Day. I'm honestly surprised Ray didn't sense my presence that night."

Ray went bright red, embarrassed that he and Tyson had actually been caught sooner. Yet Hiro didn't appear the slightest bit disgusted. Tyson deflated instantly upon being pulled into his brother's arms, holding him back somewhat nervously.

"I'm proud of you, Tyson. I know I don't say it often but it's true. Batting for the same team doesn't make you any less of a man. Hell, I knew you did way back when we were little."

Tyson blinked, clearly confused. He certainly didn't expect Hiro to be perfectly fine with same sex relationships.

"Wait a sec. You're not…y'know…disgusted? Ashamed to call me your brother even?"

"Tyson, if was ashamed to have a bottomless pit for a brother I would've left the country for good a long time ago. You're the only little brother I have and I'll always love you. Even if you do really piss me off sometimes. But hey, that's what little brothers do. As your only big brother, it's my job to support you through thick and thin. And I know I haven't always gone about doing it the right way. But I'm gonna stick by you through this. If you don't want dad, gramps or the others to know just yet that's fine. I'll respect that and say nothing until you're both ready."

It warmed Ray to know Hiro was on his and Tyson's side, watching as the younger Granger burst into happy tears. He'd probably been terrified of coming out to Hiro the most. But Ray suddenly came to realise something that would probably dampen Tyson's mood.

"Now that you mention it, Hiro." Ray started as he cautiously stepped toward the brotherly huddle. "It would probably be best if Tyson held onto this ring until we're ready to tell the others. I know you'll stand by us but personally I'm not ready for them to know just yet."

Hiro had a better idea, pulling a plain silver necklace out of his pocket. Taking Ray's ring, he thread the necklace through the band and fastened it around his neck.

"There, now you can wear it while also keeping it hidden. That chain belonged to our mom. She absolutely hated wearing her engagement ring so dad got her a plain necklace to wear it with. Let's get you boys home before Grandpa gets up and finds three beds empty."

Tyson and Ray had no energy to argue, sticking close to Hiro as they walked back to the dojo. Endless blackness welcomed them upon opening the front door. Quietly the three of them headed up the stairs, unaware of sharp eyes watching from the shadows.

Oooooh who could that be spying in the dark this time? I'll leave that up to your imagination. Next up will be All Hallows Eve aka Halloween! Then Christmas after that and then I guess the wedding. The series will most likely come to an end there. I MAY do Bonfire Night IF there's enough demand for it.

A lot of planned content got cut as I think that might have been where my issue was. One of my bad habits is planning to do too much and my brain just overloads.

Anyway, that's this chapter in Tyson and Ray's road to happiness completed. I plan to start writing October 31st within the next month so that I might actually get it done on bloody time.

Until next time folks, take care.