The Edge of Sleep (Discontinued)

Celebration

"Hey bros, welcome to my apartment and happy Fourth of July!"

Jack and the other egos stood outside of Chase's apartment in LA with suitcases in hand, Chase quickly ushering everyone inside with a grin.

"Chase!" Robbie cheered as he held onto Chase, the male chuckling as he ruffled the zombie's lavender hair.

"Hey Chase, good to see ya again!" Jack exclaimed as he stepped inside, letting go of his suitcase to hug the ego once Robbie had let go of Chase.

"Heh, yeah it's been awhile bro." Chase chuckled, patting Jack on the back before greeting the others.

"Hey, where's Anti?" Chase added, looking back out the door while Jack bit his lip with an apologetic expression.

"He....he didn't want to come, he's watching over my place back in Brighton." Jack explained quietly, Chase's expression faltering slightly before he quickly recovered.

"Ah it's fine, I know he's not much of a people-person anyway." Chase shrugged, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

"So, what's the plan Chase?" Marvin spoke up awkwardly to change the subject, clapping his hands together.

"Well, I bought a shit ton of fireworks, booze, hot dogs, and watermelon, so I figured we could have our own little Fourth of July celebration!" Chase replied brightly.

"Hell yeah, this is gonna be the best Fourth of July party ever!" Jackie cheered excitedly, Jameson laughing silently at the hero's antics.

"Zhis should be...interesting, to say zhe least." Schneep remarked, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"Oh c'mon, this is gonna be fun! We'll all be careful and not blow ourselves or the neighbors' up." Jackie assured the German, Chase going into the kitchen before returning with bags full of fireworks.

"So, I know this great mountain area that's only a drive from here, I figured we could go there and shoot some fireworks." Chase grunted, Jackie taking some of the fireworks from him.

"Sounds good." Jack nodded, Jameson and Marvin helping grab the food while Jack brought the alcohol.

After everything was packed into Chase's car, the egos clambered inside before Chase drove down to the place he was talking about.

The dying rays of sunlight shone on the group through the trees as they followed Chase to a more clear area, Marvin, Jameson, and Jack setting up the food on a large rock nearby while Schneep kept Robbie and Jackie from messing with the fireworks.

"Alright bros, ya'll ready for this?" Chase called out as he set up the fireworks, Jackie nodding eagerly as he found somewhere to sit.

Jameson flashed the male a thumbs up as he sat by Jackie with a plate of food in hand, Robbie snuggling up against the mute.

"Let the show begin!" Marvin declared as he sat by the others with his food, Jack grabbing food of his own before joining them.

"Alright bros, here we go!" Chase shouted as he lit the first firework, jogging to safety before snatching a slice of watermelon and a drink.

The firework show lasted throughout the majority of the night, each blast of color in the sky more impressive than the last as Chase's supply of fireworks gradually dwindled.

"This's f'you 'Murica!" Chase hiccuped drunkenly as he set off the grand finale, finishing his third bottle of beer.

Red, blue, and green fireworks ignited the dark night sky, the egos watching in awe as the ground rumbled slightly from the explosions.

Once the last firework had shot off, Jackie looked over at Chase to see the male leaving the group, Jackie quietly following after him.

Chase walked off to where a little pile of rocks was placed on the ground, the male kneeling down in front of it while Jackie watched from a distance.

"Chase?"

Chase whirled around and stood up to see Jackie standing behind him, his face twisted in surprise and anger upon seeing the hero.

"The fuck dude GO AWAY!" Chase shouted furiously, his fingers curled into fists as Jackie retreated back a step in shock.

"Chase, what's going on man? Are you okay?" Jackie pressed worriedly, Chase opening his mouth as if to shout further before letting out a long sigh.

"Everything I got for tonight...Stacy had promised me that she and the kids would come see me for the Fourth. She promised me Jackieboy, but she cancelled last minute." Chase admitted, his gaze downcast.

"For a moment, I really thought maybe I could fix things between us and enjoy the Fourth of July together as a family. I invited you guys out so we could all be together...that's all I ever wanted ya know, for all of us to be together just once." Chase continued softly, his eyes shining with tears as he met the hero's gaze.

"Why can't things just go back to the way they were?"

Jackie's expression softened as tears streamed down Chase's face, the hero striding up to the male before wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug.

"Don't waste all of your time and energy on Stacy, she isn't worth it. You deserve better than her, someone that is always there for you and doesn't back down from promises." Jackie told Chase gently, feeling the male's cold tears soak into his shoulder as Chase's body shook with quiet sobs.

"Hey guys, is everything okay?"

Jackie looked around to see Jack standing in the distance watching them with a concerned expression, Jackie flashing him a thumbs up.

"We were just catching up!" Jackie shouted back, feeling Chase's body gradually stop shaking as his breathing stabilized.

"C'mon, lets go back to the others." Jackie whispered, the pair returning to the clearing where the other were gathered.