A/n: This was written for the prompt "tasting the smile" on tumblr maybe last year (?), I kind of forgot! Anyway it fit the prompt rain so I decided it's finally time to add this one here.
Happy reading!
Tale 22
- X -
They ran as fast as they could, their hands tightly holding onto the other and their feet creating large splashes against the wet pavement as the rain continued to fall heavily, with the clouds showing no mercy to the two teenagers who had forgotten to carry their umbrellas to school during Typhoon season. Tyson made sure to tighten his grip around Hilary's hand after every few minutes to ensure that it wouldn't slip out of his grasp, with the sound of the raindrops thundering around in his ear already giving him a headache, he was sure he wouldn't be able to handle her shouting at him as well. Of course, he had Grandpa to blame for all of this, as the old man had thought it funny to replace Tyson's umbrella with a bamboo sword early in the morning and in a rush to reach school on time, the navy haired boy had completely forgotten to carry one, on the one day that the weather forecast had turned out to be completely accurate. He didn't know the reason behind why Hilary had turned up sans umbrella today, as she was usually the type to follow these forecasts diligently, and he hadn't had a chance to ask her either as she was the reason the two had dashed out in the rain, and were now soaking wet from head to toe, and gasping for breath with every step they took.
It was difficult for Tyson to say no to her when she asked for favours by leaning in close and looking at him with her huge, bright eyes. So even though he had known from the moment they stepped foot in the rain, that they would never make it to Hilary's cram school no matter how fast they ran without getting drenched, or that there was no possibility of the rain slowing down as they ran, he had still accepted her request to help her reach the school on time. So when he felt a sharp tug at his hand and he turned around mid run to see if Hilary was okay, he wasn't surprised to find her asking him to look for a place where they could take shelter from the rain instead, and he wasn't surprised to find himself changing track obediently. This was just the kind of hold Hilary had on him, and it had been a while since Tyson had stopped resisting and given into the giddy feeling that came with being the guy Hilary always depended on.
Spotting their usual hang out spot under the bridge and next to the river bank just in time, Tyson led her towards it, sliding through the grass hastily and only stopping to catch a breath once the two were under the cemented shade of the bridge's base. The two pulled their hands apart as soon as they came to a halt, Tyson so he could push back the sloppy, wet hair that was now covering his face and Hilary so she could rub some warmth into her icy cold arms. It took a while for them to regain their breath and for the adrenaline rush to simmer down, but once it did, their eyes met and the next second, they both burst out laughing.
"I'm sorry Tyson, I should've known this was a doomed mission," Hilary managed to speak after a few minutes, she passed him an apologetic smile and his heart picked up pace once again, "I really hope neither of us falls sick." She added, looking concerned about the state of their drenched hair and clothes.
"Don't worry about it, Hils! I've never fallen sick in my entire life." Tyson grinned proudly at her, hoping to reassure her and lift that solemn look from her face so she could go back to smiling at him and filling his stomach with butterflies.
But she only shook her head in reply, lowering her gaze to the ground as guilt seeped into her tired, garnet eyes, sending Tyson into a panic over thinking what he could say to make sure she understood that no one's to blame in this situation. He was a bit ashamed by how good she was at comforting him and getting him through his worst moments, but whenever the roles were reversed, he always ended up a blubbering mess, cracking jokes that never made her laugh. So Tyson racked his brain for an answer, despite the gloomy backdrop of the never ending rain, he attempted to stay positive and figure out what he needed to cheer up Hilary. The weather however, seemed to be against him, as the next moment a strong gust of wind blew past them, Tyson raised his arm to shield his face but from the corner of his eyes he saw that Hilary's balance stumbled slightly from the blow so he immediately put his hands on her shoulders to steady her.
It was when she looked up at him with a grateful smile on her face that Tyson ended up blurting out the first thought that popped up in his brain, "I'm glad you asked me to come with you today."
Hilary's eyes widened at his words, "Why?" She asked him in a surprised tone.
Tyson gulped nervously in response, he'd spoken his thoughts out loud without thinking it through and wasn't sure about how he should explain his sentiments to her. He was happy however, the guilt in her eyes had been replaced with curiosity instead, so even if he hadn't managed to cheer her up yet, at least he'd managed to distract her from her self-induced guilt trip. Deciding that if he stayed on this track, she might just be able to forget about this tiny fiasco and move onto enjoy skipping cram school today, Tyson gathered up all his remaining courage, and after taking a deep breath, explained his feelings to her.
"We never get to spend time together like this, just the two us," He said, satisfied and motivated by Hilary's cheeks turning pink at his statement, he continued confidently, "At the Dojo, it's either Grandpa or Daichi who don't leave us alone, at school you're always off with your friends or Chief is tailing you, and when the team is in town Max and Rei never leave your side." He paused to breathe, frustration slipping into his voice as he thought about all the perfect moments he could've had with Hilary that had been ruined by other people butting in. Clearing his mind, he looked her in the eye and sighed, "I don't care if we fall sick tomorrow or that we're stuck in a storm, I'm glad that I'm stuck with you."
For a brief moment, the only sound that passed between the two was that of the splattering raindrops as Hilary remained frozen under his hold, eyes wide with surprise as she made sense of Tyson's words. Tyson on the other hand felt, that he would explode on the spot if Hilary continued to stay silent for a second longer, he'd laid his heart out in the moment with the hope that he'd be able to make her understand just how much he enjoyed spending time with her, no matter the time or place as long as he was next to her, he'd be happy doing anything. And somewhere deep down he'd wished that she felt the same way about him too.
Finally Hilary broke the unnerving silence with a smile so bright, it could send the dark clouds in the sky running home in no time, and a wave of relief washed over Tyson, she tilted her head to the side and raised her hand to his cheek, "Oh, Tyson." She giggled, as she caressed his cheek lightly, her gentle touch sending a shiver down his whole body, "If you want to have me all to yourself, all you have to do is ask nicely."
Her words did register in Tyson's head but her smile was so mesmerising and her touch so intoxicating that he paid no heed to her statement about asking for things nicely, and crashed his lips into hers, tasting the fresh rainwater on them, and taken aback by how eagerly she returned the kiss. Moving his hands from her shoulder to her waist, he pulled her closer and a wistful sigh escaped her lips as she smiled against his caress. The scent of Hilary's fruity perfume reached him and he nibbled on her lower lip, wanting to taste more of her and she hesitated for a moment, before leaning into him, placing both her arms around his neck and parting her lips to allow him to deepen the kiss. And as each of his senses drowned in her existence, Tyson realised that to him Hilary's smile tasted like happiness, full of warmth and sunshine, and absolutely irresistible, so when she finally pulled away to catch her breath, he kept his eyes closed in an attempt to savour the feeling for as long as he could.
When he finally opened his eyes, he saw that Hilary was still grasping for breath and looking dazed, even though Tyson was ready to swoop in and steal another kiss any minute now. She must've caught the needy glint in his eyes, narrowing her eyes at him, still a little disoriented and red-faced, Hilary muttered, "Next time, a warning would be nice."
Though despite her claim, she responded without wasting a second when Tyson leaned into her again.
- X -
