12 Days Til Christmas

Chapter 1: Overdue Visit

Jack POV

"...AND I WILL SEE ALL YOU DUDES...IN THE NEXT VIDEO!" Jack hollered, throwing his arms up as he completed his outro. He flopped his head back against his chair, lowering his tired arms. He had just finished recording a new indie horror game, and the hour long recording of jumpscares had left him tense. After clicking out off his recording, he ambled downstairs to grab another cup of coffee, kneading his neck with his fingers.

He'd been smart enough to make a whole pot earlier, and drank the dark brew gratefully. When he held the mug away and noticed the blocky pink M on the side, he couldn't fight back a grin. It had been a few months since Jack had seen his best friend, and a pang of longing ached in his chest. Everyone he was close to lived across the ocean in America besides his family. Even though he loved it here in Ireland, he wished he had someone to talk to once and awhile.

"I wonder if Mark would even be up right now," Jack murmured to himself. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 4:42 in the morning for him, so it would be almost one there. Slightly giddy and excited to chat with him, he hurried back up the steps to his computer and pulled up Skype. He scrolled down to Mark's name and clicked on it, sipping his coffee as it rang a few times.

"Jackaboy!" Mark hollered affectionately, smiling widely. Jack smiled back at him, giving him a small wave from behind his mug. Chocolate brown eyes sparkled at him on the screen as Mark leaned back in his chair, tilting his head at Jack.

"Hey Mark," Jack said, reaching up to brush a lock of bright green hair out of his eyes. "How yah been bro?"

"I've been good, busy recording a lot with Felix and the Grumps, but it's been worth it. We've been making some pretty awesome videos, if I do say so myself," Mark boasted, grinning smugly. Jack rolled his eyes.

"I noticed," he said, sipping at his coffee slowly. A sharp stab of loneliness bit at him, but he glanced away before Mark could see it in his bright blue eyes. There was a slight commotion on the screen, and Jack looked up in time to see Bob and Wade walking into the room before stepping past the camera's view. Mark held up one finger to them, focusing back on Jack.

"Sorry, the guys are here in town to record some videos for a few days," Mark said, leaning on his elbows and staring hard at Jack. Slightly subconscious, he glanced away. "How have you been, Sean?" Jack glanced over sharply at Mark, shocked by hearing his real name. "Are you okay?" There was concern in his dark eyes. Against his will, Jack's shoulders sagged under an invisible weight. Only a few months ago, Jack's girlfriend of many years had left him, claiming YouTube had been more important than their relationship. It had hurt him deeply, and even though he was mostly over her now, it still got to him sometimes just how alone he was.

"I'm alright," Jack said quietly, peering at Mark. The red haired man quirked his lips to the side before standing and stepping out of the camera's view. There were hushed tones before Mark sat back down, his eyes bright.

"I know yer lying tah meh," Mark said in a forced Irish accent, grinning when Jack glared and flipped him off. "So why don't you fly out here to L.A. and stay for a while. Christmas is coming up, and I'd love to have you here for it. Come on Jack, you'll have fun. We all miss you!" Mark was insistent, waving Bob and Wade over to lean into the video chat.

"We'd love to see you man," Bob said, Wade nodding along. Jack sat back and bit his lip, a bad habit he had recently picked up. He stared around his small apartment for a moment before looking back to Mark, into his warm eyes. Something twisted in his stomach as he gazed into their depths. He squirmed, sipped at his coffee, and drug a hand through his hair.

"I don't want to intrude," he started, but there was a chorus of protests. He waved his hands at them in an attempt to shut them up, but ended up having to holler over them. "ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, I'LL COME ALREADY!"