I wanted to get this posted yesterday, because of the theme in it, but that didn't happen. Oh well! The day after is as good as the day of, right? XD

Anyways, this oneshot is set three years after Beyblade: Metal Night, so there are some vague spoilers for how Metal Night will end, but nothing too big!

Anyways, hope ya'll enjoy!

Tyler Blackout was sixteen years old when he got the news that his uncle had died serving overseas. His first reaction when his mother told him wasn't to break down crying—and while it hurt, seeing as his uncle was the father he never had in life—but it was to grab his phone and call his younger cousin.

Predictably, Masmune Kadoya didn't pick up the phone. There could have been a multitude of reasons as to why the Bey crazy younger teen didn't, but Tyler would bet his entire savings that the main reason was because he was grieving. Masamune had always been closer to his father than his own mother, so Tyler could guess he was taking the loss hard.

"Hey, Masamune," Tyler left a message anyways. "Just wanted to let you know, Mom and I will be at the funeral… You don't have to call me back, but… if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

The next few days were a blur of packing bags, getting affairs in order, and air travel mania. Eventually, though, Tyler and his mom were making their way through Virginia airport security and getting a cab to their hotel. Once again, Tyler called his cousin, but it went to voicemail again.

The funeral was done at Arlington, with the full honors of a marine. The whole time, Tyler didn't let his eyes stray from his cousin. More than once, he stood right by Masamune's side and glared at anyone who tried to get too close—couldn't people see that Masamune's mask, the one of blank indifference, was cracking, the longer the service went on? Tyler felt his own anger briefly flare when his aunt Rei made an offhand comment to Masamune about he could show a bit more emotion, to thank the men and women who took time out of their schedules to come to the service, to accept their condolences instead of just standing there like a lump on a log.

Hm. Tyler didn't seem to be the only one, considering how his own mother was sending her sister in law scathing glares.

Masamune's mask finally cracked, though, when the soldiers offered him the folded-up flag. He broke down sobbing, and Tyler wrapped his arm around his cousin's shoulders, rubbing his arm in a comforting gesture as Masamune clutched the flag close to his chest.

The funeral came to a close, the casket being lowered into the ground. If anything, Masamune sobbed harder, and Tyler's heart lurched in his chest at the sound, "I'm right here, Masa. I'm right here."

"I know you are… Tyler."

"Tyler…"

"Tyler!"

Tyler woke with a jolt, startled into awareness at the shout. He blinked, squinting against the sunlight streaming through the windows, before sitting up. The book that he had been reading before he passed out slid off his chest and to the floor, "Ugh."

"You fell asleep on the couch again," A voice said, amusedly, and Tyler looked up to see his cousin standing over him, brown eyes glittering in amusement.

Tyler rolled his eyes and grabbed a throw pillow, slinging it at Masamune. The younger man squawked and danced out of range, "Hey!"

Tyler rubbed his eyes, yawning, "What time is it?"

"Just after eight," Masamune answered, crouching to pick up the thrown pillow and fallen book off the floor.

"Ugh, too early," Tyler groaned.

"Hey, you told me to get you up before nine!" Masamune exclaimed, before grinning, deviously, "Unless, of course, you're too chicken to—"

"Uh, no way," Tyler glared, playfully. "I volunteered to host Thanksgiving this year, I'm seeing it through. Mom will be here in a few hours, and I intend to live up to her extravagant parties of the past."

"God, you're such an elitist," Masamune rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I forget you're actually rich until you drop statements like that."

"Least I'm not a Konzern or Cadelle," Tyler quipped, and stood up, stretching. "What time do your friends' flight come in?"

"Uh, one thirty, I think, I'll have to check again," Masamune fished his phone out. "Hm, yeah, one thirty."

"You'll need to leave here before one, if you want to get the airport on time," Tyler said. "Even if it's a holiday, there's gonna be lunch hour traffic."

"I can just take the bus—" Masamune began, but Tyler snorted.

"Hell no," Tyler drawled. "Take my truck. Just know, if you scratch it, you're paying for repairs."

"Really?! You're letting me—"

"Don't make me change my mind," Tyler deadpanned. "Now, I'm gonna go shower and hopefully that'll be enough to wake me up. You got breakfast handled?"

"Hope you're in the mood for pancakes, because that's what I'm craving," Masamune called as he made his way towards the kitchen.

Tyler grinned. He was always in the mood or pancakes.

Growing up, Tyler had always felt overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle of his home city, especially when living in an apartment downtown, but he'd never known exactly what it was he wanted with life. He grew up under the firm but gentle hand of a single mother, with her brother being the father figure that had skipped out of his life before he was born. One of the foundation blocks for his person was: family was everything. Another was: hard work paid off. His mother showed him that with how hard she worked, as she fought and clawed her way to be one of the best real estate agents in the city of Detroit.

After the death of his uncle Mason, Tyler had been forced to watch as his aunt Rei's emotional manipulation got worse with her son. Tyler had hardly been surprised when Masamune had run off to Japan and joined team Gan Gan Galaxy for the World Championships—though he suspected that there had been more than one reason than just 'being the number one Blader—but that had been the thing that kickstarted Tyler into his own career. His mother had tried all she could to get through to her sister in law and nephew, and Tyler had watched her fail. She tried it from a business angle.

Tyler tried it from a personal angle. He dove into the Beyblade world, and, when being a Blader didn't work out for him—not to say, he didn't try. Oh, he tried. – Tyler went a different route. He'd always been good with how things worked, how things were built, and so when he started fiddling with the mechanics of a Bey, things clicked into place.

Of course, a person with his resume was to be noticed. The northern branch of the American WBBA eventually reached out with an official job as a both a mechanic and an agent—it was combined paycheck of nearly a grand a week, with benefits, vacation time, holidays off, and even general college classes were offered. Tyler would have had to been stupid to not take the job. Depending on the assignments he was taking, he could get an additional paycheck that could be worth up to five grand.

Tyler wasn't stupid, and everyone who knew him knew he could be a scheming son of a bitch, when needed.

The seventeen-year-old had had only to do some quick math before he accepted the job. When he was put through the physical training and assessments for being an agent, he flew through them, thanks to the training he had received from his uncle, growing up.

Hard work paid off.

Hard work did pay off. Between simple mechanic jobs and mass Bey repairs, Tyler was taking high paying assignments. By the time he was eighteen, he had almost fifteen grand in a private savings account, that not even his mother knew about. By the time he was nineteen, he had enough to put a down payment for a three-bedroom fixer upper Craftsman style house on the edge of the city. It was then, he let his mother in on what he was doing—how he connecting to Masamune through the world of Beyblade, encouraging it where as his aunt would discourage it, and how he fully intended to let Masamune know he could move in with him when the Striker Blader turned eighteen.

And while Masamune was focused on something called Legendary Bladers and some potentially world ending crisis—by this point, Tyler had read up on the Dark Nebula and Hades Inc situations and silently wondered if Masamune knew what he was getting into, then decided, of course his cousin did, and that's exactly why he went headfirst into it anyways—Tyler's mother had stepped up to the plate and stated that if Tyler could remodel the house he had bought, she would furnish for him. So, between keeping tabs on Masamune and his jobs, Tyler found himself breaking down old cabinets and replacing rotted floors of the house he had in his name. It was then, he discovered he had another passion: home renovations.

In hindsight, considering his mother's own profession, this should have hardly come as a surprise to Tyler.

He finished the house though, not long after the Nemesis Crisis. His mother kept her end of the bargain and furnished the home in warm tones and dark elegant wood and stained-glass pieces. Once that was done, Tyler waited. The week that Masamune turned eighteen, Tyler extended his hand and offered Masamune to move in with him.

Family was everything.

It was then, Tyler's third foundation block was well and truly tested: Patience is key.

Over the next three years, Tyler kept offering one of the spare bedrooms in his home as Masamune's. When the Nyx Crisis came, Tyler found himself thrust on to the American team of the next World Championships, both as a mechanic and as a bodyguard. In order to stick close to said team, he took the guest room of his aunt and cousin's house—as much as it raised his hackles to do so—and extended his offer one last time to his cousin, who was now nineteen years old and still under his mother's thumb. It was only after the Nyx Crisis had ended, everyone celebrating at a party thrown by Julian Konzern himself, and when Ryo Hagage suggested they go around the room to tell each other what they wanted to do with their lives, that Masamune announced to the room at large that he was taking a break from the Beyblade world and moving in with Tyler to figure out what he actually wanted to do with his life.

Tyler did not break down sobbing on the spot, nope, he didn't, and the nearly forty witnesses who said otherwise were all liars.

Patience was key.

So, Masamune packed his room in New York up, and moved in with his cousin. And while Masamune regained his footing, and began to travel his own path, Tyler decided that, he'd done his part to the Beyblade world, and put in his letter of resignation to his agency. They were sad to see him go, but his bosses assured him, they would welcome him back with open arms if he ever decided to come back.

At twenty-two years old, though, Tyler Blackout decided to pursue what he had known for years was his true calling: home renovations.

This brought him to his fourth and final foundation block: Never give up on your dreams.

With a hefty cushion to fall back on in his bank account, Tyler dove into his own college studies, and within just a couple of years, thanks to the fact he already had a lot of his classes done and completed through his WBBA job, Tyler had the degree he needed to start a business as a home renovator. He bought cheap, fixer upper houses, walked in with a sledgehammer and an idea, and walked away a hefty profit in his pocket.

Tyler was happy and content with life, even as Masamune struggled to find his own path. But, that wasn't to be focused on today—no, Tyler mused. Today was about friends and family, and sharing gratitude, and Tyler was determined to pull it off just as he had done with his entire life.

It'd been three years since Masamune had actually seen his old friends of Team Dungeon. He talked or facetimed with them on a weekly basis, but he hadn't seen them face to face in the three years following the Nyx Crisis. So to say he was excited for them to coming in for the Thanksgiving holiday was an understatement.

"Toby! Zeo! King!" Masamune shouted, as he caught sight of his three best friends, and as they approached, surprised mixed in with his excitement, "And Jasmine! What a surprise!"

"Hey, Masamune!"

"Masamune!"

"Masa!"

Masamune was ambushed by his three best friends, the three other men grabbing him in a bone crushing hug. He laughed along with them as they all talked at once, asking him questions and greeting him excitedly.

"Ookay, boys," Jasmine finally laughed. "Let's give him room to breathe!" She smiled at him as the trio stepped back, "Heya, Masamune! How have you been?"

"Great, but uh, no offense or anything, what are you doing here? Not that it's great to see you, it is, but I was kinda only expecting the guys to come?"

"Last minute cancellation of my flight to France," Jasmine smiled, dryly. "So King, apparently without checking in—" Jasmine fixed said man with a look, who looked away innocently "—Just extended your invitation to me."

"King?" Masamune blinked, "Why King?"

"Uh, yeah," King mumbled, and then reached out to snake an arm around Jasmine's waist and tug her against his side. He smiled, "Jasmine and I are dating."

Masamune blinked, processed the statement, and then cheered, "Awesome! Congrats man!" He turned to Jasmine, "Hey, no worries! Just because you're an unexpected guest doesn't mean you're not welcome! Tyler will just have to roll out some blankets or something, but you're free to stay—he's not gonna turn you away!"

Jasmine smiled back at him, "Thank you. I realize this is a bit unexpected, so I'll understand if—"

"Nope, texting him now," Masamune whipped his phone out and fired off a text to his cousin.

Hey. So King brought his girlfriend, Jasmine, at the last minute. Any problems?

No. Pick up another gallon of milk on the way home.

K. Thanks.

"No problem!" Masamune chirped and turned to his friends, "Now come on! Let's go—Tyler's doing a big dinner and I know he's just as excited to see you guys again as I am!"

Tyler fixed his countertop with a flat look and wondered if maybe he had bit off more than he could chew in his endeavor to fix an entire course for Thanksgiving. His kitchen looked like a disaster zone of some sort, maybe even a crime scene. In the almost two hours since Masamune had been gone, Tyler had thankfully got the ham in the oven, and it was baking away, and Tyler had successfully managed to get the gingerbread made, and it was setting in the fridge to chill, but at that moment, Tyler was debating what his next course of actions was—sweet potato casserole, deviled eggs, mac n cheese? He wanted it all to be warm when it came time to eat. Should he wait a little longer? No, some of these dishes took quite a bit of prep time, and he still had to roll out and bake the cookies as well…

Tyler jumped as he heard the front door open and several voices fill the air. Green eyes widened in horror, and he hurried towards the kitchen door in attempt to block it, but he was too late.

Team Dungeon plus one all paused in the doorway and took in the massacre of Tyler's once pristine kitchen.

"… Uh," King blinked.

Masamune just looked amused, "So… Tyler?"

"… I do not admit defeat," Tyler said, stubbornly. He held his ground for a moment, before sighing, "But I will concede to the fact, I may need some help."

"I have helped my mother many a time with our own holiday preparations," Zeo grinned. "I'm game."

"Eh, why not?" Jasmine shrugged, "Can you show us where to put our bags first?"

Through some miracle that Tyler would call a Christmas miracle if it was December, the combined efforts of himself, Team Dungeon, and Jasmine, got the meal put together and done just as the doorbell rang.

"Hey, Masamune, that's probably mom, you want to go get it?" Tyler asked, as he was cracking open a bottle of red wine.

"Sure thing!" Masamune called from the living room, and he was off towards the door.

It took Tyler a few moments too long to realize that Masamune and his mother should have entered in a rush of excited voices and footsteps. When he did, he nearly spilled the wine he was pouring in his haste to get to the front door, "Masamune!"

Masamune and his mother stood in the entryway, and it was clear that Rei Kadoya had no intentions of leaving. In fact, when she saw Tyler, her grey eyes lit up and she turned on him with a smile.

"Tyler, dear, how lovely it is to see you again—"

"Get out," Tyler said, darkly. "You weren't invited."

Rei's expression flickered, "I… no, of course not, but Thanksgiving is about family, isn't it? I thought…"

"You thought wrong. Now, as much as I would say it's a pleasure to see you again, Aunt Rei, it's not," Tyler pushed by her and yanked open the front door. "So, goodbye."

"But I just arrived," A voice that could haunt Tyler's dreams forever drawled. It was comical, how fast his head whipped around to see his mother standing on the front porch, dressed in a pantsuit and with her hair done up in a bun and her eyeliner sharp enough to cut a man, "Oh, is Rei leaving already? Such a shame, I did invite her, after all!"

"You… what—" Tyler choked, as his mother crossed the threshold. It was by pure instinct that he shut the door behind her, "Wh… Why didn't you say anything to me about it?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Claire smiled at her son. "I'm sure Rei was trying to tell you, yes?"

Rei nodded, weakly, "I was." She smiled, and then held up a covered tin, "I brought apple pie, too."

… Oh, sneaky. Tyler was weak for a good apple pie, and he knew his aunt made a mean one, too.

"… Mom, you know the way," Tyler gave his mother a look. She just raised a single raven eyebrow back at him, "Masamune's friends are in the living room; Aunt Rei, you can set the pie in the kitchen; Masamune, can we talk for a second?"

Not waiting for anyone to respond, Tyler grabbed his cousin by the wrist and hauled him up the stairs. Under his hand, Tyler could feel Masamune's pulse fluttering erratically, and it was only after they got to Tyler's room and the elder man had shut the door did Masamune lose it.

"What is she doing here?!" Masamune squawked, "Did you invite her?!"

"No, why would I do that?" Tyler shot back, "You heard them—my mom did!"

"Why would Aunt Claire do that! She's the only person next to you who knows how bad mom can be! You know she'll ask me about what I'm doing with my life and I won't have an answer and—and—"

There was a knock on the door; Tyler and Masamune both jumped, and a second later, Claire Blackout called, "Boys? May I come in?"

Tyler grimaced, and glanced at Masamune. Said man was sitting on the bed, now, staring at nothing, "Uh, yeah. Sure."

The door handle turned, and then Tyler's mother stepped in. She surveyed the scene with a practiced eye, before a sad look entered her eyes when she saw Masamune, "Oh. Dear… if I had known this would be your reaction, I would have called ahead, truly."

"Mom, what were you thinking?" Tyler hissed, "You know how aunt Rei is! You think just because we're surrounded by friends and it's a holiday that she can keep her mouth shut?!"

There was a ding!, and Tyler and his mom looked over to see Masamune jump a little, before pulling his phone from his pocket to consult it. He blinked, and the faintest hint of a grimace crossed his face, "King says she's already asking them about what they're doing with their lives—like she doesn't know, considering Toby and Zeo's faces are on the news nearly every other week talking about the improvements to Dungeon Gym's ratings!"

"Like playing with plastic and metal toys is considered a job in her opinion," Tyler sniffed.

"I asked her here for a reason," Claire caught their attention, looking a little sad. "I… I was hoping she'd get to tell you before you got defensive with her, but…" She sighed, "She called me, back in the summer. Apparently she's been diagnosed with cancer, kids."

A chill ran over Tyler, and Masamune went white, "What?"

"Stage three liver cancer," Claire said. "The doctors can't do anything, with how advanced and quick it's moving. She… she called me and told me about it all. She… she realizes she's made mistakes, Masamune, with how she raised you, after your father died." Claire crossed the room to sit next to her nephew, "And I know it may not seem like it, considering her rather aggressive entrance earlier, but she is trying to be civil and supportive. She just wants to see her son again, before it's too late… and I think you should try to repair your relationship with her. You may not want to, but… a mother needs her son. I don't want her to die, and everyone involved have regrets."

Ugh, Tyler thought. Mom could be a damn good lawyer too, if she put her mind to it.

"Fine," Tyler said. "She can stay. I'll try to hold my tongue."

Masamune nodded, "Yeah… Yeah, I'll try not to get too defensive. But she can't stay the night."

"No, I figured, considering the fact of your friends' all downstairs," Claire smiled, briefly. "She'll be staying with me while she's in town."

"How long will she be in town?" Tyler asked.

"About a week, dear… It would be nice if you two saw her off, when it comes time for her to return to New York," Claire replied, looking up at her son. Then—she paused, as if she was seeing something in Tyler that surprised her. Whatever it was, it made her smile, "I'm sure she'd appreciate that."

Tyler wasn't sure why his mom was looking at him in such a weird way, but he let it slide. Instead, he ventured towards the door, "Whatever. Let's just get this dinner done and over with."

As dinner went on, Tyler was honestly surprised with how little his aunt Rei made some sort of snide comment. But, he suspected she wasn't blind to the warning looks that Team Dungeon—in particular Toby and Zeo—were giving her, every time someone brought up their job.

"Oh, well the market's down a little bit right now," Claire laughed. "But it usually does that this time of year anyways! It's a great time to buy, truly, when things are a bit cheaper."

"Sounds like a good time for you to make some buys, Tyler," Masamune grinned over. "You won't have that much in a finished project then, right?"

Tyler nodded, smirking, "You're catching on, Masa, I'm proud. You really should consider joining me on a few of my projects. I could always use an extra hand."

Masamune just laughed, and asked Toby and Zeo about Dungeon Gym. Toby smiled, and proceeded to talk about how they were considering expanding, seeing as they had so much business.

"We still wish you were there, Masamune," Zeo said. "Dungeon Gym just isn't the same without you."

Masasmune glanced over at Tyler, and Tyler blinked at the sheepish look on his cousin's face. He only saw that look when—

"Ah, actually, I've been wanting to keep this a secret for a little longer, but, uh…" Masamune rubbed the back of his head, "I've been taking some online classes with the University of Michigan… mainly business and accounting oriented classes."

Tyler would have dropped his fork if he was holding it. As it was, there was still a few reactions of surprise—ranging from eyebrows flying up to choking on the wine to silverware clattering as it fell—and Masamune looked uncomfortable at it.

"And… you didn't tell me this… why?" Tyler asked, eventually.

"Wanted to surprise you," Masamune shrugged, sheepishly. "I thought I might be able help out with your little business, for a while, maybe even work for Aunt Claire." He looked over at Toby and Zeo, "I was planning on getting some experience around here first, before I come back to New York."

"You actually thought this through?" Jasmine asked, "Not that you can't think things through, but damn Masamune! I'm impressed."

Color rose to Masamune's cheeks, but he didn't seem angry. Just embarrassed.

"Oh, as soon as you get your degree, I'll be more than happy to give you some work experience with my firm!" Claire smiled.

"Yeah, I'll throw you into the mess that's my financials and see what you can do," Tyler grinned, wolfishly. "Never thought you as one to go the business route, Masa."

"Neither did I, but I took a class and it just sorta clicked," Masamune laughed, and then his gaze went to his mother, sitting across the table from him. His smile faded, "Mom…? You've been quiet."

Translation: What do you think? Tyler thought. It seemed like the room was holding its breath as everyone looked at Rei Kadoya.

Eventually, she gave her son a small, albeit proud, smile, "I'm proud of you, Masamune."

It was five simple words, but Tyler could see the way the tension bled out of Masamune's shoulders, and the way the spark in his eyes grew to a flame. Conversation started up again, and Tyler sat back in his seat, watching as the mood shifted into something companionable and friendly.

Patience is key, so never give up on your dreams, because hard work will pay off, and family is everything, Tyler.

Tyler hid a smile at his uncle's words, spoken to him so long ago. Even from beyond the grave, uncle Mason was still looking over them all.

Masamune, for me, is one of the hardest characters to write, so I came up with some headcanons on him to help... well, personalize him more? Other than him just being the Blader who wants to be number one. Don't get me wrong, Masamune's a great character, but... the series is so vague anyways, so I came up with some lore on him myself, most of which was either directly or indirectly mentioned in this oneshot.

Also, fun fact! This is the first time I've heavily focused on my OC, Tyler. Tyler actually plays a big part in Masamune's life, as I'm sure you picked up in this fic, and who Masamune turns out to be. Such as Masamune actually having the space to grow as a person...

Anyways, before I start rambling, I'm gonna stop myself. Hope ya'll enjoyed and will drop a review!