He's Probably Fine - Jacksepticeye Egos Fanfic

Chapter 4 -Chase's Stream

Chase's feet were up on the edge of his desk, his gaming chair pushed as far back as it would go without tipping. His phone was pressed to the side of his face, and cradled in his free hand was a list of to-dos, all quickly reaching their assorted deadlines.

"...yeah, I'm staying in LA overnight," Chase said, in his best Seán McLoughlin voice. He laughed. "What, did you think I was flying back to London before the second day of the stream?"

Ethan Nestor - Crankgameplays - was on the other end. He laughed sheepishly. "Heh, sorry, no - I'm just stupid."

"No worries!" Chase interjected quickly. "I know this is a little different."

"Nah, I'm excited!" Ethan replied. There was a pause. "You feeling ok, though? Your voice sounds a little weird."

Chase's heart skipped a beat, but he kept his composure like an expert. He pulled his feet down and put the to-do list on the desk, and started running his fingers through his hair nervously. "Got a cough a few days ago. It's clearing up now."

Dammit, Brody, he thought to himself.

"Oof, well, get well soon!" Ethan chirped. He took the bait without another question.

"Any other questions about the holiday stream?" Chase asked. "You can check with me, or Robin, or my manager if anything pops up later, of course."

Oh, god, all three of us are going to be in the same place, Chase realized. He could fake Jack for a video no problem, even pull it off one-on-one... usually. But this holiday charity livestream was going to go for two full days. God, what was he thinking?

"I got nothing," Ethan said. "See you in a few days, mm?"

"Yep!" Chase replied. Panic was churning in his stomach, but he held it down and out of his voice.

"Alright. Catch you later!" Ethan added, and the phone clicked.

Chase dropped his phone with a desperate gasp and curled his fingers into fists. "Dammit!" he hissed through gritted teeth. Chase shook his head. His shoulders slumped forward in the desk chair; there was a gentle thud as his head landed on the edge of the table. Everything had been going so well. Even after the panic of Jackie's creepy thumbnail, videos were being produced smoothly and consistently. No sign of Anti... albeit, no sign of Jameson or Schneep or Marvin either, but Chase knew his confidence had gotten the better of him this time.

He and Jackie had been planning a major holiday charity livestream, packed with Christmas cheer and special guests. It seemed like such a great idea; charity fundraising was important to Jack, so it was important to Chase, too. But so much had yet to be done, and with each passing day Chase grew a little more certain that he was bound to mess something up.

"Figures," Chase muttered to his feet, his voice muffled. "Forget Anti. I can ruin this channel all by myself."

He continued staring at the floor for a little while. Restlessness began to creep into his veins. After a few minutes, it compelled him to stand up with a sigh. He shook his arms as if he'd felt a chill, and walked on sluggish feet out of the recording room.

He meandered through the rest of the house picking up dirty dishes and trash; it had been his weekend with the kids, and chores always drifted to the back burner when they were around. It was a good time to clean; it helped numb some of his anxious thoughts, and besides, he didn't know when the mood would hit him again. After tidying the living room, Chase wiped down the kitchen table and countertop and put a 2-liter of Diet Coke back in the fridge. His stomach turned when his eyes landed on a box of leftover Chinese food.

Chase closed the fridge and went to bed without eating dinner.