A/N: Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!
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Chris gently turned the door knob to see if the door was unlocked for him and luckily it wasn't. He walked into the house, making sure to hold Spike tightly just in case he got any ideas. A surprised expression was on his face as he looked around at the fully painted and furnished living room, complete with matching decorations. Removing his shoes and placing them by Sheva and Ayanna's, Chris ventured further into the house walking past the kitchen that was partially finished and placed the paint and brushes on the marble counter. He then placed the flowers somewhere in the living room where he knew Sheva wouldn't find them for later before heading into the dining room where he found Sheva painting a wall and listening to music. She was quietly singing and when she went to dip her paintbrush, she saw Chris standing there. She immediately stopped singing and removed her headphones. She presented him with one of her beautiful smiles and stood up.
He could see the white and tan paint present on her navy blue tank top and grey sweat pants. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, showing that she had been working hard for a while.
"Sorry about my appearance…" Sheva told him once she noticed him looking her up and down.
"Don't be sorry, you look great." Chris smiled at her then remembered the flowers he got her.
"Thanks!" Sheva smiled and tucked some of her loose hair behind her ear. It got silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts before Sheva spoke up.
"So how long are we going to stand here and ignore the fact that your dog may be taller than me?" Sheva asked with a chuckle, pointing at Spike. Chris looked down at Spike who looked up at him with a smile, showing all of his teeth.
"Did your dog just smile at you?" Sheva asked with a giggle, slightly amazed.
"Yep, I don't even have to tell him anymore, he just does it when he wants." Chris explained, ruffling up Spike's fur.
"That is the cutest thing ever!" Sheva squealed.
"It is only cute in the light. Imagine waking up and seeing this smile in the middle of the night, not knowing why he's doing it." Chris told her and laughed when her expression changed from thinking about it.
"He's really friendly though, you want to pet him?" Chris offered. Sheva nodded and walked closer to the panting dog and crouched down in front of him. She reached out and let him sniff her before placing her hand on his head and giving him a few pets.
"What breed of dog is he? He looks so familiar."
"He is a leonberger." Chris responded simply, sitting down next to Spike.
Sheva continued to pet Spike and eventually pulled him into a hug and gave him a kiss which he returned on her cheek.
"Aw, you're just a big sweetheart aren't you?! You're such a good boy Spike!" Sheva told him in a babyish voice. Chris playfully rolled his eyes at her.
"Don't soften up my dog, Shev." Chris joked.
"Ugh Chris, I'm gonna steal your dog. He is too precious!" Sheva told him, completely ignoring his pervious comment.
"I believe it, you hugged and kissed the dog before you even touched me." Chris commented with a hint of jealousy in his voice.
"Really Chris? Don't tell me you are jealous of a dog." Sheva teased as she stopped petting Spike who sighed at the removal of her hand.
"No, I'm just saying." Chris defended himself. Sheva chuckled and rolled her eyes at Chris before scooting over to him and giving him a hug. After the hug she rubbed her nose on Chris' just like she was doing to Spike earlier.
"Is this what you wanted Chris?" Sheva asked as she nuzzled his nose on hers. Their lips were only centimeters away and Chris puckered his, waiting to see Sheva's reaction. She looked down at his puckered lips and smiled.
"I hope you know I kissed your dog not even a minute ago." She told him and laughed when he sucked his lips back into his mouth.
"My feelings are hurt… my dog took my first kiss." Chris told her and pouted.
"Aww don't be sad, you will get yours soon enough." Sheva told him with a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the head. She stood up and stretched, a small yawn escaping her lips. Chris stood up too, unhooking Spike from his leash.
"Can he walk around in here or do you want him to go outside?" Chris asked, holding Spike by the collar.
"He can stay in here as long as he doesn't poop or eat paint. Oh and he can't jump on out beds. The couch I don't mind but he can't be on the beds." With that said, Chris let go of Spike and let him roam free on the first floor.
"He knows better than getting onto the beds and eating paint. And I brought my special vacuum just in case he tries to poop but he shouldn't." Chris assured her. Sheva nodded and went back over t where she was working on the half painted wall.
"Um Ayanna is upstairs, could you make sure she is putting her toys away and not playing?" Sheva asked, picking up the paint brush and painting where she left off.
"Yeah sure." Chris told her and headed up the stairs and to Ayanna's room. The door was cracked and he saw Ayanna sitting on the floor with a bunch of toys around her. He couldn't tell if she was playing or not.
From the crack in the door, Chis could see the pink walls and the white and pink furniture set that must have come from Africa. He saw that it had a princess theme to it along with her bed set and matching carpet. From the looks of it, Ayanna's from was done except the toys in the floor and the small bit of unpainted wall by the toy box and cubbies.
He knocked on the door and smiled when Ayanna looked back at him through the crack.
"Mr. Chris!" Ayanna exclaimed and ran to open the door and jump into his arms. He picked her up and gave her a hug before walking into her room with her in his arms.
"Hey princess! What have you been up to?" Chris asked as he walked to her bed and gently plopped her down on it, earning a giggle from her.
"I'm cleaning up my toys from Africa. I have a lot and Auntie Claire got me some more when we went shopping but I don't know where to put all of them because I think I have too many but I don't want to tell mommy or she might take them away from me." Ayanna told him sadly.
"Do you want me to help you clean some of them up before I go back downstairs?" Chris asked as he observed the large amount of toys in front of him. Ayanna nodded and they sat on the floor cleaning, while Ayanna told Chris backstories about most of her toys before they were cleaned up. Chris was very entertained by the stories she was telling him and enjoyed seeing her excitement she got when she held her stuffed animals and talked about the day she got them.
They were in there for 20 minutes cleaning up and talking. Sheva came up and watched the two for 5 minutes, smiling the whole time. She loved how Ayanna told Chris about her toys and how he listened without showing a hint of boredom, he actually looked very interested in what she was saying. As Sheva listened to them talking and laughing, Spike came upstairs and sat by Sheva's leg. She looked down at him and he smiled at her causing her to giggle at him and pet his head. After a minute of petting, Spike lost interest and went to Ayanna's room, slipping through the crack in the door before Sheva could grab him.
Ayanna was in the middle of telling Chris about her stuffed bear when she felt something cold and wet press against her leg. She stopped in mid-sentence to let out a loud scream then immediately tackled Chris, trying to get him to pick her up and get her away from whatever touched her. When Chris didn't pick her up, she took a second to look back and see Spike, smiling at her. Ayanna didn't see it as a smile though, she instead saw it as she was about to get bitten. She screamed some more and began to cry, blubbering for Chris to pick her up. Chris shook his head and picked her up with a chuckle. He wiped her tears away and calmed her down.
"Ayanna, stop crying princess. It's ok, it is just my dog. He doesn't bite, he's really nice." Chris told her softly. Ayanna still shook from fear but looked down at the dog through teary eyes who now looked more sad than dangerous.
Sheva slowly came through the door and looked at Chris holding Ayanna. He gave her a small smile and Sheva shook her head with a smile. She then looked down to Spike who looked cowardly, startled by Ayanna's screaming and crying. Feeling bad for the animal, Sheva sat down by Spike and he laid down, resting his head on her legs. Sheva pet him and comforted him.
"Chris, put Ayanna down for a minute." Sheva told him and Ayanna immediately protested, letting out a loud wail. Chris bent down to put her feet on the floor, but she lifted them up and wrapped them around Chris.
"Let go of him Ayanna." Sheva told her in a calm voice.
"He's gonna bite me, mommy. I don't want him to bite me!" Ayanna cried out.
"He's not gonna bite you, baby. Look at me." Ayanna wiped her eyes and looked over at her mother.
"He's a nice doggie, he doesn't bite."
"But he was trying to bite me! He showed me his teeth!" Ayanna told her, refusing to see the good in the dog.
"Ayanna he was smiling at you, he smiles at people." Chris told her as he sat down on the carpet with her still in his arms.
"Come here baby, come pet him. He won't bite you, I promise." Sheva promised her as she reached out to grab Ayanna. Ayanna slowly let go of Chris and grabbed Sheva's hand, standing up and walking towards her and the dog. Sheva put her hand in front of Spikes nose, and once he sniffed it, she placed in on his head and told Ayanna to pet him. Ayanna nervously pet Spike but giggled when he licked her hand. She then instantly warmed up to Spike and was hugging him within a few seconds.
"See, he's a nice puppy huh?" Sheva asked as she watched the two. Ayanna nodded and kissed Spike on the top of his head.
Chris and Sheva decided to finish cleaning up Ayanna's toys so Sheva could finish painting the last bit of Ayanna's walls. While they were doing that, Claire and Leon stopped by with the playground set and a bunch of groceries to start Sheva off. Chris started on the playground set in the backyard while Claire and Leon put the food away. Since everything was hooked up and ready to go in the house, Sheva decided to cook for everybody tonight.
After she finished painting the room, Chris finished half of the playground set and Claire and Leon finished with the groceries, they all worked together to assemble the new dining room set that Sheva got so they had somewhere to eat and Sheva began to cook. While she was going that, Chris grabbed the flowers for the spot in the living room then presented them to Sheva who loved them and put them in some water to go in the living room.
While they were all waiting for the chicken to back in the oven, Sheva and Ayanna showed Chris, Leon and Claire how to play a board game they brought from Africa.
"Leon! That's cheating, you looked at the card and now you have to use it!" Sheva exclaimed, and Leon laughed before moving his piece back to the home space like his card said.
"That is not fair, I haven't gotten one good card yet!" Leon pouted.
"That is because Ayanna keeps getting them all!" Claire joked and Ayanna proudly smiled.
"The game likes me." Was all Ayanna said before the group burst out in laughter.
"Yeah yeah, your turn Claire." Sheva told her. Claire picked up the dice and was about to roll but the sudden urge to throw up came over her and she ran to the bathroom.
"Claire?" Sheva asked as she went after her. She reached her in the bathroom to see her on her knees, throwing up in the toilet. Sheva cringed at the sound of the liquid shooting from Claire's and grabbed some tissue for Claire to wipe her mouth off with. Claire thankfully took the tissue and cleaned off her mouth before throwing it in the toilet and flushing it down. Sheva watched Claire as she washed her hands in silence.
"Claire, is something wrong?" Sheva asked as Claire dried her hands.
"Oh no, I'm fine! I just had some bad sushi before I came here… no biggie." Claire told her as she laughed nervously, an obvious sign that she was lying.
"Claire you are the worst liar in history. Tell me what's wrong."
"Sheva just promise not to say anything to anyone until I know for sure ok?" Claire asked quietly.
"Until you know for sure… Claire are you saying what I think you are saying?" Sheva asked, slightly excited.
"I don't know yet Sheva, I took some tests and most of them were positive but some came back negative… I have an appointment on Sunday so I will know for sure then but just don't say anything Sheva. I'm trusting you right now." Claire told her with nervousness in her voice. Sheva nodded understandably, she knew how it felt to think you were pregnant but to not be sure. All the confusion, worry, stress. She knew it all and Claire was the only one she told and she kept that secret for her so she was going to do the same.
"It's ok Claire, don't stress out about anything ok? I won't tell a living soul about this, just come talk to me if you need anything. I'm here for you… And one more thing. In case you actually are… you know, don't eat seafood. It's not good for you." Sheva told her reassuringly.
Claire nodded with a sigh and she checked herself in the mirror before saying she was ready to go back out.
Together the girls walked back out to where the boys and Ayanna were sitting and sat back down, acting like nothing happened.
"So… are you going to tell us what that was all about?" Leon asked, worried about his wife.
"It was nothing, I guess the sushi I had earlier came back up, haha." Claire told them with a nervous laugh.
"Yeah… everything is fine… except for the fact that Claire made a mess before Spike did." Sheva said, trying to save Claire. They all laughed and Chris made a comment about Claire eating sushi when they were younger which turned into a story that lasted several minutes. By that time the food was all ready and they moved into the dining room and sat down to eat. They ended up telling stories about when they were younger and about funny moments that happened in their life.
"I remember when Ayanna just started walking we were outside one day and it was in the winter but it was sunny, and my mom, Derek, Ayanna and I were going for a walk. All the sudden Ayanna started screaming and running but we didn't know what it was. She would look back and scream and start running again and I started getting scared thinking that my child could see ghosts and stuff but then as I watched her, I realized she was running away from her own shadow!" Sheva told them and they all laughed then she continued "So my mom being the great grandma she is, took out her camera and started recording and I have the recording today, it is in a box somewhere in the spare room."
"We should watch it after dinner, I'd love to see that." Leon told her as he took a bite of his chicken.
"What do you guys think? I have a whole box of home videos." Sheva asked Claire and Chris. Claire nodded and Chris was too busy pigging out to notice he was asked a question.
"I hope you do more talking than eating on our date, Chris…" Sheva joked as she watched him scarf down his 3rd piece of chicken.
"Take this as a compliment, Shev. I have never seen him eat so fast since we were kids. He used to be so fat, it was cute! I have pictures on my phone, if you want to see?" Claire offered as she pulled out her phone.
"Don't you dare Claire!" Chris growled as he stopped eating and looked at Claire with a threatening face.
Claire ignored him and pulled up a picture then passed the phone to Sheva. She awed and giggled at the picture.
"He was I believe 8 in that picture." Claire told her, ignoring the burning gaze of her brother.
"Chris you are too cute in this picture, you were so chubby!" Sheva observed. The picture was taken of Chris sitting at a dining table eating barbeque with a bib on. He had no shirt and had a birthday hat on and there was barbeque sauce on almost all of his face.
"Yeah he used to be like a marshmallow, swipe left to see another picture." Claire told Sheva, enjoying seeing her brother turn a deep red. Sheva swiped and a louder aw came from her mouth.
It was a picture of Chis and Claire standing by each other in Halloween costumes. Chris was half of a sandwich filled with peanut butter, Claire was the other half that was jelly. When they stood side by side, they looked like one sandwhich ven though Chris was a bit taller than Claire. Sheva kept swiping and giggling at the pictures of Chris as a kid then she came to his high school photos.
One was of Chris' track photo his freshman year another was of his football photo his senior year.
"Chris you looked good in high school." Sheva told him, saving him from further embarrassment.
"Thanks Shev." Chris thanked her simply, still angry at his sister for showing Sheva those photos.
It was around 7 when they finished dinner and they were all too tired to watch the home videos that night. So they all cleaned up and said their goodbyes to Chris and Spike.
"Mr. Chris? Can Spike stay with me and mommy tonight? I promise we won't steal him." Ayanna asked, holding onto the dog like her life depended on it.
"No Ayanna, Mr. Chris is going to take Spike home with him." Sheva told Ayanna as nicely as she could. Ayanna nodded and sadly let go of him.
"Goodnight doggie…" Ayanna said sadly and gave Spike a kiss on the head. Sheva did the same and ruffled up his fur before planting a kiss on his snout. Ayanna gave Chris a hug and told him goodnight before heading out the door with Leon and Claire, leaving Chris and Sheva alone.
Sheva wrapped her arms around Chris' neck and gave him a tight hug before kissing his cheek and nose.
"I'll see you tomorrow night, I can't wait!" Sheva told him excitedly. Chris chuckled at her excitement and kissed her nose.
"I can't wait either, will we have our first real boyfriend/girlfriend kiss tomorrow?" Chris asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her causing her to laugh.
"Well I don't know, you never asked me to your girlfriend so…I don't know…" Sheva said in a sing song voice.
"Well I want it to be special so I'm not gonna ask now but hopefully by then end of tomorrow night you will be my girlfriend." Chris told her flirtatiously.
"We will just have to see huh?" Chris nodded with a smirk. They gave one final hug then Sheva turned off all the lights and locked the door and they went their separate ways.
On the way back to the house, Sheva kept thinking about how he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend in a 'special' way.
'I guess I'll just have to wait…'
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I hope you enjoyed this chapter and Spike! Ugh just love him, I actually researched his dog breed up and they are actually really family-orienteered dogs (the more you know)! The next chapter is of course the date! Don't forget to tell me what you think! And sorry for any mistakes, I was kinda rushing…
Guest: Thanks! To be completely honest, I am not an action writer and I highly doubt that I will add any action to this story. I am really sorry I could add your request but I really appreciate you asking and your support! Have an amazing day!
Luna Heartfilia: Thanks! Aw sorry to hear. Spike is a very friendly dog as you can tell from this chapter, I don't think he would mind you being around Chris haha.
~Sheva Redfield