Work Text:
They started playing rock, paper, scissors those first few weeks together in the cave. It was an easy way to interact after long days of moving stone around, a way to communicate and have fun while he learned how to sign. Elisabeth had kept a running tally of their score in her notebook. After the first year, she was up five-thousand, four hundred and twelve wins to his five-thousand, three hundred and eighty-seven wins.
She stopped keeping score after that.
But they still played as the years passed, though it became less and less often as they moved out of the caves and found shelter elsewhere. By the time he'd befriended Jonas and the years had marched on, he couldn't recall the last time they'd played, it had been well over six months so when he walked in on Jonas and Elisabeth playing one night, an intense feeling of anger swelled up inside him.
Jonas was an attractive guy and Elisabeth was a fully blossomed teenager. As their hands moved to play the game, Noah bit down on his back teeth when she smiled and laughed and tossed her hair. It was usually pulled back or in braids, but she had it down for some reason, cascading over her shoulders and Noah couldn't see straight when her slender hand playfully swatted at Jonas' hand when he was scissors and she was rock.
Noah cleared his throat.
Jonas looked up and Elisabeth followed his eyes.
"She's winning," Jonas said, his smile was so radiant and warm that Noah wanted to wipe it from his face. He liked Jonas, he did, he just didn't like that Jonas was the object of Elisabeth's attention, of her playfulness and her over the moon smile.
"She likes to win," Noah said, not bothering to sign it for her. He wasn't happy with her so she could read his lips for all he cared.
Elisabeth started to sign something but Noah turned his head before seeing it as a way to ignore her.
Jonas stood up and declared it was time to retire to his own place for the night and after ruffling Elisabeth's hair, he clapped Noah on the shoulder. "See you in the morning," Jonas said as he dipped out the door.
Noah was still seething and he didn't exactly know why. It wasn't like Elisabeth and Jonas weren't friends, they were, it just struck him in an unusual way that they were playing their game. It didn't matter that they hadn't played it in months, it was theirs. At least, he thought it had been theirs.
Elisabeth's hand curled around his forearm as she moved in front of him. Do you want to play? She signed, her eyes brighter than he'd seen them in awhile.
If Jonas had been the one to put that spark in them...
"No," Noah said, stepping around her to get ready for bed. They slept in the same room for safety, but in different beds.
She jumped in front of him again. Please. Her big doe eyes always did him in and this time was no different.
"Fine," Noah said, signing his resignment. They could play a few rounds and then he could stew in bed for the rest of the night, assessing this new feeling that roiled around in his stomach and chest.
Elisabeth smiled and pulled him to the spot on the floor where she and Jonas had been sitting. It was their nest in front of the fire, hers and Noah's, a place they spent many evenings sitting and talking. Maybe seeing Jonas in that spot had been what bothered him. Yes, that felt correct, but there was something else there too, agitating him.
She beat him in the first round, her scissors clamping down on his hand around his paper. He felt the warmth of her hand and it rose up through his body and into his face.
And suddenly it hit him. He was jealous.
It looked like she had been flirting with Jonas and using the game as an excuse to touch him, to put her hands on his and have his on hers. And the idea of that, that she would do that, with Jonas of all people, struck a deep chord of despair in him. She was old enough now to have a relationship, it had just never crossed his mind that she'd actually want one or pursue one or, of all things, set her sights on Jonas.
They played a few more rounds and he won each time with his paper covering her rock. Each time his hand lingered along the back of her hand a bit longer than before. But then she seemed to notice and looked up to meet his eyes with one of her curious and searching looks. There was something there between them, a chemistry, a pull, but he feared he was the only one that felt it.
Feeling stupid, Noah pulled his hand back and ran it through his hair. Fuck, he liked her. He knew he liked her, but he hadn't realized how much he liked her until he'd seen her flirting with Jonas, in their spot, playing their game.
Are you okay? Elisabeth signed.
Noah averted his eyes, still grappling with the warmth of her touch and the jealousy he had over his friend. "I'm just tired."
One more game? Please.
Against better judgment, he relented and met her eyes again. "Just one."
She chose rock again while he chose paper. Holding her gaze, his hand covered hers again, lingering though, much like the previous times. Swallowing hard and acting without thought, he slid his hand around her fist and circled her wrist, tugging on her arm gently. She rocked forward of her own volition, up onto her knees then was quite suddenly seated in his lap, never once breaking eye contact.
And then they were breathing the same air and he didn't know how this had happened, but with her lips slightly parted and her eyes soft and wanting, he didn't care, he just wanted.
"I won," Noah said softly while signing it for her up by his face.
Elisabeth smiled and shook her head. I let you win. You always choose paper.
"You always choose rock."
Because I like when your hand covers mine, Elisabeth signed, mouthing the words a bit.
Noah's heartbeat thudded in his ears as he leaned in and brushed his nose against hers, hesitating before closing the distance and finding her lips. Her body melted into his arms and his hand found her cheek. It had been a long time coming, years even, and it didn't disappoint. She was taller now, a proper young adult, and she fit perfectly against him. He felt unworthy of her, but loved that she wanted him nonetheless.
She wanted him, not Jonas. The twist of jealousy was long gone as he leaned his forehead against hers to smile. She smiled back and they kissed again. It was soft, it was sweet, it was perfect.
She followed him to bed, but he felt overwhelmed and shy so he simply settled in behind her and kissed the back of her head, content to just sleep beside her. He laid awake long after her breathing indicated she was asleep, holding her and marveling over how lucky he was that she chose him. It wasn't until months later that she admitted she had deliberately made Jonas play with her to make him jealous, that she had never even considered being with anyone other than Noah. He wanted to be mad at her for making him jealous but he wasn't, instead, he kissed her gently and signed, thank you.
He laughed when she signed back, you're welcome.