[Chriseva] A Family We Chose For Ourselves

Final Part: Eva

A/N: Finally made it to the very end. This story has been an absolute pleasure to write and while I'm happy to have completed it, there's also a bittersweet sense that comes along with it. It's been such an amazing time fleshing out these characters that I love and trying to do justice to this pairing that I love so much and I truly hope I succeeded in doing that. Especially with this chapter, because all the Chris/Eva in this chapter is a long time coming. Slow burn indeed.

A huge thank you to all the people who have followed this story loyally and been patient with me and my irregular updating schedule. Especially to the people who have left such nice comments on here and on ao3, I really appreciate it a whole lot.

Hope this chapter is a worthy conclusion to this tale because I put my heart and soul into this story and I'm really proud of it.

Chapter Text

Søndag 25.12.16

"So, me and you, huh?"

Eva laughs a little at the statement and the sound is like tiny jingle bells that make his heart soar inside his chest.

Or that could have been actual jingle bells coming from somewhere outside, probably one of the neighbours getting into the Christmas party spirit a little too late.

"Yeah, who would have thought right?" Eva says with a chuckle as she snuggles closer into his embrace.

They're both cuddled together on his bed; Eva with her head tucked comfortably under his chin, her arms around him holding him close, or maybe even keeping herself close to him in case he'd go out and get himself stabbed again. One thing was for fucking sure though, Chris never wanted to go through that ever again. Getting stabbed is very unpleasant and not recommended at all.

In return he has his one arm circled around her shoulder, fingers twirling around the strands of hair that stray into his grasp and the other arm curled protectively around his ribs. Broken ribs are also very unpleasant and not recommended either.

He's been home for all of a day and he was already getting restless. He was finally allowed to leave by his reluctant doctors because it was Christmas Eve, Chris had been a model patient and maaaaybe it was in small part due William giving the poor doctor the look had he decided otherwise.

William for his part was just as hesitant as the doctors to let Chris leave the safety of the hospital just then, but Chris had mastered the ways of getting William to do whatever he wanted. It was a power he didn't use often—that much power in the hands of one person could prove to be dangerous—but when he did there was absolutely nothing William could do to refuse him. He might impart that knowledge to Noora one day though, or if ever a time came that he thinks she would need it.

But the doctor reluctantly signed off and Chris was happy, Eva and William were slightly less so, mainly due to the fact that he was obviously still not a hundred percent, but who cared what they thought? It was his body and his health and he was the one who'd been stuck indoors for eightdays, thought he was only really conscious for maybe half of that and bed-ridden for two-thirds of it. It was only because of Eva and William that he didn't lose his mind completely in the meantime.

Chris hated hospitals. He always has and he always will. He always avoided going to one unless it was absolutely necessary or someone managed to drag him there against his will, so getting stuck in one without being able to leave had been one of his biggest fears. Those eight days were his absolute limit. To be honest, he would have left immediately once he regained consciousness if William, Eva and the doctors hadn't been in the way...and if he could have been able to stand on his own two feet for more than a few seconds before feeling like he was about to pass out.