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Bing flopped back on his bed with a sigh, cracking a tiny smile when Peggy appeared and climbed onto his chest, promptly curling up right on his logo. Bored out of his mind (Google and his extensions were working on upgrades, a subject he avoided, otherwise he would be entertaining himself with them), he decided to call Chase to hang out, idly scratching Peggy’s head as his speakers rang.
“Hello?”
Chase’s voice sounded oddly strained, but Bing ignore it, not deeming it a worry. “‘Sup man! Wanna hang? I’m bored as Hell.”
Chase made a sound like he was sucking air through his teeth. “Not today, Bing. Don’t feel great.”
Bing’s tone softened, adjusting his settings so his voice wasn’t so harsh and loud. “Another migraine?” He couldn’t help but feel concerned; Chase got migraines a couple times a month, and in one particularly bad month he got one every week. They were a regular thing in his life, though it was something he tip-toed around whenever Bing brought it up.
Chase sighed, but his voice still sounded strained. “Yep.”
Bing suddenly scooped Peggy into his arms, sitting back upright. “I should come over, man! Make you feel better! Best friend to the rescue, right?”
When Chase spoke, he sounded panicked. “No! No no no, I…don’t really want you to see me like this.”
Bing paused, frowning, as Peggy purred in his arms. “…Why not? It’s just a migraine, right? I can like get an audio recording of the Host magicking it away, too –”
“No! Don’t do that either, just –” He cut himself off with a hiss. “Ow, fuck…There’s nothing you can do, Bing. I deserve them anyway, for being a fucking moron.”
Bing’s eyes shot wide. “What, no, why would you say that, no one deserves to be in pain! And you can’t blame yourself, you didn’t ask to have these.”
“Yeah I did, actually. Well, sort of. I have these for a reason, Bing.”
Chase was sounding increasingly annoyed, though it might have just been the migraine, so Bing ignored the warning signals Chase was sending and kept pushing, confusion and concern making his core whirr loudly, drowning out Peggy. “…Then why?”
“Oh for the love of – Because I shot myself in the fucking head, Bing, that’s fucking why!”
Bing froze, not even breathing. He was silent for a long moment, desperately trying to process what his best friend had just told him, then swallowed harshly, voice impossibly small. “You what?”
“Hold on, you didn’t know?”
Bing wiped at his eyes with the heel of his hand, hardly noticing when they came away stained gold. “I’m coming over.”
“Wait – Bing –”
He hung up.
Bing was out the door in a flash, tossing Peggy onto his bed and sprinting toward the front door, nearly bowling over several of the others in the process before racing outside, racing toward the Septic Manor. Sprinting at full speed, he reached his destination in a matter of minutes, banging wildly on the door. It was Dr. Schneeplestein who answered it, eyes going wide when he spotted him. “Bing?! I’m sorry, but Chase is unavailable right now –”
“Yes, I ****ing know that,” Bing spat. He slumped, drawing a shuddering breath as a few more tears of liquid fire trailed down his face. He wasn’t even wearing his shades, the item still resting on his desk at home. “I…just found out why he has his migraines. I…”
Several more tears appeared, and Dr. Schneeplestein visibly tensed. He hesitated a moment, then opened the door wider. “Come on in.”
Bing stepped through the doorway, easily finding his way to Chase’s room – he did live with the Septics for a week, after all, though that was admittedly nearly a year ago.
He opened the door slowly, adjusting his settings again so his pistons weren’t quite so loud and his humming core wasn’t as noticeable. Chase was just a lump on his bed, just his hair visible poking out beneath the deep purple comforter. The only sound in the room was Chase’s harsh panting and small whimpers, a bucket resting on the floor by where Bing assumed his head was. The lights were off, the curtains drawn, and Bing dimmed his logo and eyes before sitting on the bed beside Chase. “…Hey.”
Chase groaned, shifting a little. “No.”
Bing let out a huff of laughter, placing a hesitant hand on the Chase Lump. “How you feeling?”
Chase groaned again. “Threw up after you hung up on me. Light hurts. Sound hurts. Can’t tell if it’s you touching me or another delusion.”
Bing winced. “It’s me. God, I’m so sorry, man.”
Chase sighed. “Not your fault, dude. Besides, not as bad as it could be. Felt this one coming, so Schneep was able to give me some stuff. Marvin magicked me some, too, before he went off to rehearsal with ah…fuck, names…hurts too much to remember shit…the sparkly one…”
Bing cracked a smiled, laughing a little. “Bim?”
Chase made a high-pitched noise, like a pained imitation of a laugh. “Yep, that one. Still fucking hurts, but I’ve had worse.”
Bing’s smile faded, making a small noise in the back of his throat. “Well, I guess that’s a relief.” He paused, his voice soft. “…Why did you never tell me?”
“I dunno, man,” Chase whined. “Honestly, I…thought you knew. Dr. Iplier and Schneep were the ones who stitched me back together, after all. Schneep actually pulled the bullet from my head. Think he kept it, too. Though I guess it was before your creation. I…thought Dr. Iplier might’ve told you.”
Bing snorted, instantly regretting it when Chase winced. “Dr. Iplier doesn’t share that stuff. He’s pretty strict when it comes to that, even in his at-home office. What goes down in there stays in there, unless the ‘patient’ reveals for himself.”
Chase made the odd laughing sound again. “Well fuck.”
Bing smiled, opening his mouth to say something else, but then Chase was convulsing and he was shooting out from beneath the covers and grabbing the bucket, retching violently. Bing rubbed his back soothingly as Chase vomited, shivering wildly. When he was done, he set the bucket back down, breathing ragged and remaining limp and half hanging off the bed. At last, Bing was able to get a good look at his face. He was deathly pale, features sunken and gaunt. His hair stuck to his forehead in sweaty strands, his blue eyes far brighter than usual.
Bing helped pull him back onto the bed, frowning when he noticed that Chase’s skin was unnaturally warm. “Do you…have a fever?”
Chase’s eyes slipped shut as he gave him a small smile, head now resting back on his pillows. “Yeah. Usually do.”
Bing hummed softly, and when he brushed Chase’s hair from his forehead he made sure his hands were cold. Chase sighed, leaning weakly into the touch. “Okay, I know your hands aren’t that cold, Mr. Overheating Roboboy.”
Bing managed another smile. “You caught me.”
Chase cracked one eye open, his gratitude plain despite his short response. “Thanks.”
Bing brushed away his hair again. “Are you good to keep talking or do you want me to leave now?”
Chase closed his eye. “No, I’m good. Warning though, I might pass out on you. And can you just…keep your hand there?”
Bing did as asked, laying his palm across Chase’s forehead, and Chase sighed, relaxing marginally. Bing swallowed harshly before speaking again. “…When did you…?”
Chase frowned. “It was a long time ago, dude. Wasn’t even divorced yet. Though I was smack in the middle of it.” He shivered again, and Bing pulled the covers further up his body. “Thanks. Uh, it was um…a-a couple days after we first began discussing custody.”
Bing winced. “Oh.”
Chase laughed. “Yeah. It sucked. Stacy managed to convince everyone that I wasn’t fit to be a father. Brought up all sorts of bullshit points, like how YouTube wasn’t a steady job, how young I am – not that she’s much older, though that was conveniently glossed over – shit like that. She was dead set on keeping them from me. The way things were going at the time, it was looking like I wouldn’t even get visitation rights. And I just couldn’t handle that. So…I-I went to my studio, filmed a few tricks, pretended everything was fine, and when everyone else left for their lunch break, I…I-I brought out my gun and I…just shot myself. On camera.”
Golden-orange tears were trailing down Bing’s face again, his hand shaking against Chase’s forehead. He choked. “How…h-how did you even survive?”
Chase’s brow furrowed, whimpering and gasping before replying. “Jackie. He was on his way to surprise me, try to make me feel better going through the divorce. He was only a few rooms away when he heard the shot. Grabbed me right there and flew me to the hospital. Schneep said later, if Jackie had arrived two minutes later to the hospital I wouldn’t be here.”
Bing stiffened. “I’d swear, but my sensor would probably really hurt.” Chase managed a tiny laughed, lolling his head to the side and dislodging Bing’s hand. Bing sighed, resting it on Chase’s cheek instead. “If you don’t mind me asking…where’s the gun now?”
Chase opened one eye. “Jackie’s room, under his bed, in a chest-looking thing. Both Anti and Marvin magicked the Hell out of the thing, I can’t open it. I think it’s the only time they’ve ever cooperated without fighting.”
An odd buzzing noise came from the wall behind Chase’s head suddenly, like an angry swarm of bees. Chase just laughed, raising one weak hand to flip off the wall before dropping it again, smiling deliriously. Bing raised an eyebrow. “What was that?”
Chase hummed. “Anti doesn’t spend a lot of time in a corporeal form. He likes to hang out in the house’s electrical system and eavesdrop on everyone. Probably been listening in the whole time, the prick.”
The wall buzzed again, and Bing gave an involuntary shudder. “I wonder if he could possess me. Or any of the Googles.”
Chase raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know. But now you’ve given him the idea, so watch yourself.”
Bing shuddered again. “Comforting.”
Chase laughed, delirious little smile back in place, except this time it didn’t fade. He let out a long sigh, humming a bit, and Bing smirked. “You look about ready to pass out, dude. I’m gonna head out.”
Chase’s smile widened. “Yeah, probably for the best.”
Bing stood, brushing away Chase’s hair one last time, before heading out the door. Well, almost – he had a hand on the doorknob when Chase spoke again, words slurred and mumbled. “Thanks, Bing. You’re the bestest best friend I could ask for.”
Bing laughed. “You sound like your kids, man.”
Chase grinned. “How dare you. They sound like me.”
Bing chuckled. “You’re the bestest best friend I’ve got, too, bro. I hope you feel better soon, and…I’m glad you stuck around.”
Chase burrowed beneath his blankets. “Me too.”