Ryuga x King

Bonus Chapter 1

(Author's note: I'm only titling this "bonus chapter" because it doesn't have much to do with the Ryuga x King plotline. However, this is something I know many people have wanted for months now so I'm including it here. Enjoy!)

Ryuga's POV

Three months had passed since Ryuga and King got home from America. In that time, not much had changed. King had his WBBA job now and was working there semi-regularly. Thankfully, he still had time for other things, namely Beyblade and Ryuga. And calling his friends. King had definitely kept his promise by calling them around dawn and dusk each day. Additionally, as of this past December, it had been a full year since Ryuga started living with Kenta's family and it was now the beginning of January.

Ryuga could barely believe a full year had passed. So much had happened during this year and yet at the same time, so little had happened. He'd lost L-Drago, gotten it back as a defence type, befriended Madoka, Gingka, and Yu, and the change that would've sounded the most absurd to him a year ago: started dating King. Most people in Gingka and King's circles knew about this now. All of them had been respectful about it thankfully and the people close to Ryuga still treated him the same as they always had. It was comforting. However, Ryuga and King still kept their relationship secret from the public. That was too much for both of them.

Right now, King was at work, though it was only thirty minutes until his shift ended so Ryuga was waiting for him alone in the living room. To pass the time, he was playing a video game. It seemed like such a normal thing but it was something Ryuga never got to do in his old life. It was surprisingly fun.

"Ryuga, hey kiddo." Kenta's dad's voice greeted him. "Didn't realize you were home."

Ryuga nodded, keeping his eyes on the screen.

"Back at that fighting game, huh?" Kenta's mom asked.

Ryuga nodded again. "It's a good game."

"Glad you like it."

He heard Kenta's parents high five. Ryuga resisted the urge to roll his eyes, keeping his gaze focused on the screen.

"So... Ryuga..." Kenta's mom's tone was suddenly serious. "We uh... we wanted to talk to you..."

"Yeah?" Ryuga didn't look at them.

"If you could pause that..."

Ryuga obliged, turning to them. "What's going on?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Um..." Kenta's dad bit his lip. "About you always calling us 'mom' and 'dad'."

Kenta's mom rolled her eyes. "Oh, great way to open." She chastised him, her eyes narrowed.

"Always? Sheesh, it's happened a few times tops." Ryuga feigned nonchalance to hide his annoyance.

Neither of Kenta's parents had said a word about this until now: it was all Kenta and King teasing Ryuga the few times he made that mistake. This didn't seem like teasing though...

"Not my point..." Kenta's dad replied, looking away.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Ryuga sighed, holding his hands up. "I won't do it anymore."

"Ryuga, that's not..."

Ryuga's phone suddenly went off. He picked it up, nearly dropping it when he read the message:

-King: Reiji's getting his bey back today so I volunteered to battle him for the WBBA :D Expect me to be home a little later.-

Ryuga shot to his feet. Kenta's battle with Reiji replayed in his mind: the way he was shivering and completely unresponsive, the bits of his bey all over the stadium floor, how trapped he'd been... *I can't let that happen to King!*