A/n: This random update is happening because I wanted to let everyone know that the poll I ran for changing the name of the fic resulted in everyone voting for me to not change it. So the name will remain as it is, but everyone has to understand that the One Hundred is symbolic and not an actual counter for the number of chapters this fic will have xD

I also wanted to update everyone that TyHil Love Countdown will happen again this year. For those of you who don't know, it's an event that we held last year in November which celebrated TyHil as a couple. I'm currently running a survey for it on my blog on tumblr, if anyone would want to suggest themes or ideas for the event, please reach out to me via review/dms so I can share the survey link with you!

The survey can also be found on ashxketchum (tumblr) takaoxhiromi (tumblr).

Finally, this is a ficlet I wrote in 2021 for a tumblr prompt, which was placing one's hand on the other's mouth. I edited this slightly, added a little more context and now tada! Its helping spread the announcement for TyHil Love Countdown!

Happy reading!

Tale 32

- x -

"This is a disaster."

Of course it was, Tyson rolled his eyes, he wanted to turn around and tell her that she shouldn't have expected anything better from him, but it was late and he was tired of walking around in circles and they were very much lost. So he decided to save his energy and continue onward without paying any attention to Hilary and her timely outbursts. If he could just bring himself to concentrate on his surroundings to recall anything which would serve as a hint for discovering the correct route, he would be able to lead them back to their camp, and hopefully some warm food.

"I can't believe I trusted you to read a map correctly." Hilary spoke up again, her tone getting antsier by the minute, almost starting to feel like a drill digging against his skull, "I also can't believe that you left your phone back at the cabin-"

"Hey, you left your phone back at the cabin too." Tyson spun on his feet, fixing her with an intense glare, to which she replied by folding her arms across her chest and shrugging nonchalantly, as if her actions were more justifiable than his, "And might I remind you," he added through gritted teeth, "That the only reason we're lost is because you said you heard the sound of water and led us off the trail so we could look for a non-existent stream."

This time she squirmed under his glare, shifting her gaze downwards as her ears turned red in embarrassment over his statement. Satisfied with the effect, Tyson turned around and began to lead the way once again. They couldn't have gotten very far from the main trail, Akebono Forest Reserve wasn't even that large or dense, so Tyson was sure that if they stuck around the path that he remembered to be closest to the trail they were supposed to be following, they'd run into the people looking for them.

At least he assumed that people were looking for them, since it must be close to midnight and the dark clouds in the sky indicated that there was a high possibility of rain. His brother and his friends, albeit annoyed by the long (and extremely loud) argument Tyson and Hilary had had as soon as they arrived at the camping site, were not cruel enough to leave the two stranded in a forest during heavy rain.

He hadn't meant to start the day on a bad note either, in fact, he was looking forward to this training camp away from home very much. But when the bus arrived and everyone eagerly shuffled in, Hilary chose to sit next to Daichi even when the seat next to Tyson was empty. He'd already instructed all the boys to leave him alone for the ride so he could get Hilary all to himself beforehand, but she said something about wanting to make sure that Daichi would have access to meds in case he started to experience motion sickness. The little red-headed monster then decided to act as if he was feeling under the weather, which made Hilary stick to him for the entire ride.

Naturally, that soured Tyson's mood immensely, but she was still sitting behind him so he tried to make small talk with her as the bus waddled on. Hilary however, avoided his gaze and kept reprimanding him for not sitting correctly which made all the other guys and his brother laugh, and in turn ensured that Tyson wouldn't be feeling happy with her anytime soon.

Still, he allowed her one last chance to be nice to him and give him the attention that she knew he was begging for. When they arrived at the campsite and Hiro decided to send them trekking in teams of two, he was taken aback by how his brother was genuinely trying to do something nice for him when his and Hilary's name ended up together, but the way she stuck up her nose at the thought of spending time alone with him made his temper spill over the glass. That's how they ended up arguing about the route they should take, whose instincts they should follow or who should hold the map and pretty much everything else as they ventured deeper into the forest.

Now they were lost and frustrated, two things that never made for a good combination.

Suddenly, Tyson felt the back of his jacket being pulled sharply and came to a forced halt, his train of thought breaking as he tilted his head back to see Hilary grasping tightly onto his jacket, bent over as she attempted to control her panting by taking deep breaths.

"You're...walking too...fast." She managed to speak after a few minutes, looking up at him with a pleading expression on her face and Tyson felt slightly guilty for being too lost in his thoughts to pay her any attention.

"Sorry, I'll slow down," Tyson replied, smiling sheepishly at her, as she sent him an exasperated look.

But as they started their aimless walking again, Tyson felt that his jacket was still being held onto. So after taking a few steps he paused, and tilted his head yet again to find that Hilary was still clutching onto it, even more tightly than earlier, and he ended up raising a questioning eyebrow at her.

"I don't want to lose you," she murmured. Her voice was soft and devoid of the demanding tone it had held all evening, which surprised Tyson and he felt heat rush into his cheeks as the double meaning behind her words registered in his brain. Watching his reaction, Hilary too understood the weight behind her words and turned a similar shade of red as she defended herself hastily, "I meant to lose sight of you again, don't be such an idiot Tyson."

Tyson shook his head in response, and they started their charade of finding the correct path once again, but this time there was a slightly giddy feeling in his chest every time he felt Hilary's grip on his jacket. Whatever the meaning behind her words or the situation they were in, he liked hearing these things from her. He made a mental note to thank Max and Hiro later since it was quite obvious that the two had rigged the drawing lots to make sure Tyson would end up with Hilary as his trekking partner and the two would patch things up before the training camp started. Even if it had led to the two of them walking towards their potential deaths, at least Tyson got to see Hilary flustered over saying something cheesy to him.

It was only a few minutes later that they arrived at a sort of clearing, that Tyson recognized from earlier in the day, and it took him quite the effort to not jump up and down with excitement over the thought of being close to making it back to where the rest of the team were. His natural instinct reminded him that they were in a forest and loud noises could attract trouble during the night, so he calmly turned around to inform Hilary that they weren't too far from the main trail now, but it seemed that she'd made the connection too, as her ruby eyes shined taking in their surroundings. However, Hilary's instincts must've told her something else, because she'd let go of Tyson's jacket and clasped her hands together excitedly.

"I remember this place!" she cried out, "I remember this from-"

Tyson's hands moved on their own and before he knew it he'd put one hand against her mouth, muffling any sound that may escape from it, and the other on her shoulder, gripping it tightly to hold her steady. He sent her a warning look, gesturing to their surroundings with his head in hopes of silently explaining the situation to her, but when their eyes locked, he saw that there was no comprehension in hers, only shock.

And a moment later, Tyson hoped that the moonlight wasn't playing any tricks on him, that what he had seen flicker through her dark garnet eyes was in fact, anticipation. It was also in that moment, that he became very aware of the fact that his hand was pressed against her lips, and how their softness left a tingling sensation on his palms, that travelled through his fingers to the rest of his body, or that every time she exhaled, he'd feel her warm breath tickle against his fingers, sparking a fire in his stomach that he didn't know he was capable of igniting.

Tyson knew he should let go of her now, that at the least she'd understood she wasn't supposed to make any noise, or that the absolute silence surrounding them indicated they were safe here for now and nothing would jump out of the bushes to attack them. But still, his whole body remained frozen in place, he was unable to move away from her, unable to look away from her eyes.

It was as if feeling Hilary's skin against his own had cast a spell on his mind, one that he didn't mind being under. Had her eyes always been so alluring, so easy to get lost in, he wondered to himself, his own breathing turning a little ragged as his hand that was gripping her shoulder moved slightly and came in contact with her bare collarbone.

He felt her gasp against his palm and Tyson took that as the final sign, she wasn't shocked or upset by his actions, she wanted more.

Well if she had led them to their deaths by going off the trail, the least Hilary could do was pay him back with a kiss.

Tyson slowly slipped his hand away from her mouth and let it slide under her chin, tilting it up towards himself. Just as he had hoped, instead of jumping back or shouting at him, Hilary responded by licking her lips and letting him know exactly what she wanted. She'd spent the entire day escaping his grasp and maintaining a painful distance from him, but now even she knew that it was meaningless to resist. He smirked at her, before leaning down towards her, moving his other hand away from her shoulder and wrapping it around her waist to pull her closer to him, her eyes fluttering shut as their noses brushed against one another, their lips only just an inch away from colliding.

He could almost taste the strawberry-flavoured soda she'd had earlier this afternoon, he'd made gagging noises at her when she opened the can in front of him, but now all he wanted was to feel that sweetness on his tongue. Just a little bit further and then he'd finally have his craving satiated, just a little bit further-

Suddenly there was a blinding burst of light which made both Tyson and Hilary jump as they pulled themselves apart and raised their hands to shield their eyes from the white light that covered them. When the two finally lowered their arms in an attempt to get a look at the interruption, Tyson felt his throat dry up as Hilary let out a small shriek and hid behind him, pressing her forehead and balled-up fists against his back. As if facing the person who'd found them in such a compromising position wasn't bad enough, Tyson had to work extra hard to keep a straight face as Hilary's heated presence behind him only made him lose his mind in a way he couldn't explain to anyone.

"Well, if I knew you guys would've been making up in that sense, I wouldn't have bothered to come looking."

Standing a few paces away from them, at the opposite side of the clearing was Max, holding a large flashlight in one hand and his phone in the other. He eyed the two of them with an expectant yet amused look in his baby blue eyes as if expecting them to perform something solely for his entertainment, an embarrassed outburst or a dramatic brushing away of the scene as a misunderstanding.

But Hilary continued to hide behind Tyson, which made him responsible for putting up a confident and brave front for both of them. He squared his shoulder and was ready to inform his friend in a stable voice that the two of them had just been looking for the way back to camp, nothing more and nothing less when a cheeky grin spread all across Max's face and he beat Tyson to the punch as he waved his phone's camera in their direction.

"Oh don't stop on my behalf, I'll treat you guys to something nice with the money I'll get from Rei and Hiro once we get back."

- x-

A/n: Thank you for reading and I hope you will reach out to me about TyHil Love Countdown!