Eli x Reader Part 1

Sorry for skipping a day, I'll try not to let it happen again^^

Summary : Eli and the reader get stuck in increasingly awkward situations

(We can pretend Eli doesn't have a fiancé,,,)

Fluff, 3rd person, Word Count: 1897, there will be a part two

"Eli! (y/n)! It's your turn to clean up!" The survivors had just finished dinner and were preparing for bed, while the two who were called began taking plates and leftovers to the kitchen. As they worked, they made the unspoken agreement for (y/n) to take everything to the kitchen and put away excess food while Eli washed dishes. They worked silently and in unison, trying to get their chore done as quickly as possible.

"Eli, I'm going right behind you, don't move." (y/n) warned as she reached above him to open a cabinet. He could feel her pressing against his back, even if it was only for a slight second. After that moment, they were acutely aware of every moment they touched. She closed the cabinet when she finished, and moved on to her other tasks. Eli finished cleaning the last of the dishes and went to help her with whatever she had left to accomplish. He gently took a rag from her hand and began to clean the table, noticing the feel of her skin on his. After they finished, he smiled and offered her a walk back to her room. The whisper of the night was the only sound that accompanied them through their walk.

"Good night, Eli." (y/n) murmured while opening her door.

"Good night, sleep well." He responded before walking back to his own room. He thought back to her reaching above him, pressing against his back and his hand touching hers, how soft her skin was, and how awkward the situation must've been for her. He sighed, reminding himself to correct his behavior in the morning, and went to bed.

(y/n) was awake. The thoughts of being so close to Eli and how uncomfortable she must've made him beleaguered her mind, keeping awake. She made a mental note to apologize in the morning, and with the issue resolved, became still and waited for sleep to wash over her. She didn't dream, but tossed restlessly throughout the night. When she awoke, the previous nights thoughts were not a concern to her as she made her way down to see what her day's schedule would look like.

Because he awoke earlier than usual, Eli already had his breakfast and checked the match board for his matches. So when (y/n) arrived, he was prepared to apologize for the past night's awkwardness. That was until he saw the purple spots under her eyes and her feet dragging against the floor.

"You look like you didn't sleep well." He states, leading her to a chair and bringing her a plate. "Here, want some breakfast?"

She smiles in return, already forgetting her fatigue. "I'm alright, I just haven't woken up yet." She takes the plate and silverware from him. "Thanks. Hey, you haven't happened to check the match board yet?" She questions, hoping she wouldn't have to get up again to check.

"I did. You've only one match today." He willing answers, then adds, "it's with me, though." She hums and finishes her plate, taking it to the sink to wash it. Eli follows her.

"My first match is in a few minutes, then right after is our match." He goes to leave, but she stops him. The hand wrapped around his wrist pulled him back slightly as she subtly responded.

"Thank you, Eli." Her smile that followed meant the world to him. He started to say something in return, but she continued. "Good luck, I'll see you soon." She let go and continued to clean. He did not want her to let go, but he knew he had to go as to not keep the others waiting. He made his way to the match room, empowered by the luck she wished upon him, and once again longing for her calming touch. He was the last to arrive but not by long enough that his teammates were annoyed by him. As soon as the match started, he began to decode. He managed to pop it with no problem, two more following suit. Eli was confused. Either someone was incredible at keeping the hunter contained or something was different with the hunter, whether they were friendly or too tired to be in a match, Eli didn't know. Using his trusted owl, he spectated all of his teammates, all of which were peacefully decoding. He wondered where the hunter was, until his heartbeat picked up out of nowhere.

"Don't worry, I'm too tired to play today." Robbie's small voice came from behind Eli. He smiled at the boy and pat his head.

"That's alright, Robbie." Eli comforted as the child yawned, "We'll be done soon, you should go back to bed after this." Robbie hummed in agreement and walked with Eli to the exit gate while they waited for the other survivors to pop the last two ciphers. Soon enough, after a moment of conversation between the two, the siren sounded and Eli began to open the exit gate, leaving and thanking Robbie for not chasing or hurting them. He arrived back at the manor to his best friends waiting for him, (y/n) and Aesop. They were surprised to see him with no wounds needing to be patched.

"Easy match, then." (y/n) joked when she realized he was unhurt and not even out of breath.

"Robbie was friendly, but I'm sure whoever is the hunter for our next match won't be." He replied, with an unnoticeable wink due to the cloth wrapped around his eyes. "Speaking of next match, shall we?" Eli teasingly held his arm out like a gentleman, not expecting her to play along.

"We shall." She giggled and linked her arm with his. On the outside, he chuckled with her, but on the inside he wanted to blush and hide himself in his cloak. Her bubbly personality and warm touch was the only thing on his mind; on one hand, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable, on the other hand, he wanted her to be his. As they arrive at the match room and she detached herself from him, he found himself with the thoughts of her clouding his mind again. He didn't know how she would feel about him being more than her friend, but Eli's love for her almost made him not care. (y/n) could tell that he was lost in his thoughts. Though it didn't seem like he was unhappy, she still didn't want him to be distracted by whatever was happening in his mind.

"Eli, are you alright?" He turned his head towards her and smiled brightly.

"I'm alright." He answers, his voice didn't match his smile. She didn't know how to respond, for normally, he was completely truthful to her. She would've pressed the topic had the rest of her team not arrived, so leaving it alone, she wished everyone good luck and waited for the match to start.

(y/n) quickly ran to the nearest cipher when she could move and began to work. Not even halfway through, she heard a gong. 'Must've been a terrorshock' she thought as the survivor had been instantly incapacitated and chaired. The team silently agreed not to save the mechanic until her timer was just below halfway. As her cipher was completed, so were two others, and they all missed the halfway point. Fiona went in for the save, accompanied by the protection of Brooke Rose, Eli's owl, and managed to free Tracy. The hunter ignored the priestess and without delay, downed Tracy again and managed to land a hit on Fiona. Two ciphers remaining, one teammate eliminated, and one only one hit away. From across the map, in a graveyard, Eli notified his teammates of his moderately done cipher and (y/n) did the same, though she just started. Fiona managed to contain the hunter long enough for her to make considerable progress, but was shortly downed after she reached 40%.

"Don't move, I'm coming!" (y/n) shouted across the map, forgetting her cipher and rushing to save the priestess. Backed up by tide turner, she managed to save her and get as far away as possible from the hunter, but not before sustaining a hit. She ran back to the cipher she was working on; she arrived just in time for Fiona to be downed again, and for Eli to pop his cipher. Her cipher was all that was left. She alerted the others of her progress, which had just reached 60%, and Eli went in for the second save. Before she knew what happened, Fiona was downed and chaired again, Eli was next to her, and the terrifying black and red behind them signalled the arrival of the hunter. (y/n) bolted from the cipher, while Eli followed close behind. As soon as he got what he needed, he turned and ran back to the cipher. (y/n) achieved considerable distance from the hunter, but her heartbeat lingered. Abruptly, she was taken from her spot and pulled into a tight, dark space. Before she had time to make a noise of surprise, a hand covered her mouth.

"Shh." Eli sharply sounded, before removing his gloved hand from her face and using it to hold her closer. He peeked out of the locker to see if the hunter was nearby, but the heartbeats pounding in their chests signified he wasn't gone. She held onto him tightly, for fear of the hunter, and for the comfort he gave her. The heartbeat soon dissipated as the hunter went to search for them elsewhere, but neither of them let go.

"It's ok, the hunter is gone, let's finish up this cipher and get out of here." Eli reasoned, latching on to the girl's hand and pulling her to the almost completed cipher. The remaining 40% went by quickly with two people working on it, though it took longer than normal because of their still-connected hands, and soon enough, the alarm sounding the exit gates could be opened blared across the map. The outline of the hunter revealed him to be near the opposite gate, and as the hunter's teleportation was still on cool-down, they ran hand in hand to the nearest exit gate. Just as the gate began to open, the flash of black and red next to them prompted their swift exit. Only when they arrived back to the manor did they realize their hands were still interlocked. Eli gently rubbed the skin of the back of her hand before realizing the situation and letting go.

"Sorry for pulling you into the locker, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He apologized.

"No, don't apologize! I mean, it was unexpected, but not uncomfortable." The silence that followed was awkward and intense. Neither of them knew what to say, so they parted ways. She wanted him to hold her hand again, or touch her in some way. Having him near her was the biggest comfort to her. Little did she know, he felt the same way, but because neither of them wanted to act upon these feelings, they'd be stuck dancing around each other, making each situation more awkward than the last until they were forced to fix it.