Work Text:
UNKNOWN NUMBER CALLING...
“Dude, who keeps calling? I swear this is like the fourth time today.” Chris sighed, hitting the decline button on the phone once again. Today had been one of the more hectic days of filming. But when you’re filming a show called Total Drama Island, you had to get ready to capture the perfect moments of arguing and fighting.
Today had really had a weird vibe to it, it was one of those days where you feel something might go wrong, but instead of worrying about it you decide on just pushing it away until it goes away. And it was pretty easy to do that with the distraction of Live TV, where It’s time to put on a show of a picture perfect life that the simple folks at home would dream of.
Chef gave the other an annoyed look.
“Why don’t you just block the number? At this point I can’t tell if It’s the phone ringing or just tinnitus.”
Scoffing with a laugh, Chris grinned at the other. “Trust me, I’ve tried. It feels like I’m getting a call ever hour at this point. No clue how they’re finding me.” Ge sighed, a realization beginning to dawn upon him. “Oh, God. Don’t tell me my number leaked again. I just changed it.”
“And that’s why you don’t give your number to random people you meet. Besides, you don’t even have friends, besides your Mom. who would you even call?”
“Oh shut up .” He smirked annoyed, shoving the other who did it right back at him, a Hell of a lot more forceful. “ Ow- I didn’t do it that hard.” He tried not to let his amusement show as he heard Chef whisper the words Karma as he walked off further into the distance.
Today was a filming day. With the previous elimination ending with one of the girls going home, that meant that the teams once again had an even amount of players, and with that meant a good old fair challenge. Besides the fact that the contestants within the teams hated each other and continuously tried to throw the challenge at an attempt on being able to vote their own teammates off.
This challenge was a good old fashioned treasure hunt! He’d spent the previous night with Chef trying to make this one look really good, even staying up late to design the perfect looking checklists, all having the exact items that the contestants needed to find.
Of course, with a challenge so bland, they sure to leave a few… Surprises. Telling the campers beforehand that they should play extra close attention to the details of whatever they were looking for.
It seemed great at first, like how the objects were engraved differently,or they had a part which was a different color from the picture. Stuff you wouldn’t notice unless you were really looking.
… In all honesty perhaps doing this to non-observant teenagers probably wasn’t the smartest of ideas that they’d had so far, but oh well! They’d have to notice eventually, and if they didn’t? Well that would be a fun elimination ceremony.
He found himself breaking off into a cackle as the screams of, “YOU’RE CHEATING!” echoed through the forrest. Slipping the phone back into his pocket.
Oh man, this was gonna be fun!
UNKNOWN NUMBER CALLING..
As expected, the contestants had began to notice that- Oh Hell, maybe they should’ve probably looked at what they were carrying before boasting at the finish line on how they’d succeeded and the others hadn’t.
Because he couldn’t like, it felt great watching their smugness disappear as they slowly came to the realization that they would not in fact be first, more rather last. Ergo, risk for elimination. Meaning they’d be eliminated from the show, never to return again, ever.
And they couldn’t have that, nope. It had gotten to a point where the two of them actually had to intervene for fear of the campers fighting each other. Oh, and a bonus rule of, ‘No stealing other teammates scavenger-finds.’ Perhaps that should’ve been clearer at the start… Oh well!
Getting snapped back to reality, Chris realized that the phone was still ringing. Something he discovered after a swift slap to the back of the head.
“ Chris.”
“Sorry! Sorry.”
“Just turn the damn thing off.” God, the phone had rang two more times since last time and that was already three times too many. The ringing was annoying, so was getting slapped on the back of the head like a faulty alarm clock every time his phone went off.
“You know I can’t do that man, for like… Legal reasons and whatnot. What if the producers try and call me?”
“Over what? Illegal scavenger finding? You own the island. Besides, you gotta backup phone or something?”
Chris scoffed, rolling his eyes at him. “Do you think I’m rich enough to have a backup phone?”
“Don’t play smart with me, boy.”
“ Ughhh, no. I don’t have another.” He probably should honestly, they were on a random island somewhere in Muskoka Ontario, but the interns all had theirs and there were a lot of people off camera, so he never really saw the need.
“You’re an idiot, man.”
The phone buzzed again. “Chris.”
“Okay! Okay, I’m blocking the number.”
Giving a somewhat judgy glance, Chef just flat out asked outright . “Why can’t you just answer it?”
“Well if I do that then I’m gonna get my ass screwed by the producers while taking the call while filming.”
“You just swore on live TV.”
“... Shit.”
“CHRIS.”
UNKNOWN NUMBER CALLING.
As Chris stared at the glowing screen, the far too familiar Unknown Number title displayed across the top, he couldn’t help but gasp as the phone was quickly snatched from his hands. Looking up expecting a camper to have snatched it, he saw the looming presence of Chef. Holding the phone high up, ridiculously close to the tides.
“I’m dropping this in the water.”
Okay suddenly not cool. “Nono nono- You can’t do that dude- I’ll turn it off- What if It’s important?”
“You’re not answering it anyway, too late. It’s going in the water.”
And as if in slow motion, the phone dropped from Chef’s hand, leaving Chris to run and dive to catch it, leaving him falling with a splash in the shallow waves.
“Oh my God.” Chef grinned. Bursting out into successful laughter.
“Not cool dude. You’re horrible, you know that right?”
“I get it from the best.”
“Yeah, yeah…”
The phone buzzed again.
“Oh my fu-”
Finally, it seemed like the calls were starting to calm down. He’d promised himself he’d check them after the elimination ceremony, because the last thing you’d want is to be all distracted during the best part of the game. His personal best, besides the challenges, and the drama, and the intros- And the outros- And the-
He loved everything about hosting and everything about the show. But yeah, he really liked the elimination ceremonies.
This was the peaceful side of it, it was just Chris And Chef, the campers, and the entire viewing world.
It had overall genuinely been a really good day. The elimination had gone intensely, the two who were nearing elimination actually had to be pulled apart by Chris and Chef! It hurt too, not because the campers had hit them, more so stood on their feet when trying to punch the other camper.
Overall? Awesome.
But this was the least awesome part.
Now that all this was set and done, came the most lengthy part of the day. Or well, rather.. Night now. The editing process. Sure most of it’s live, but you still had all the proper angles, the good recorded stuff to post. Like close-ups and insights of all the juicy gossip.
You had to send everything organized, ready for it to be passed onto the next people, and the next people to do whatever the Hell they do. Oh! And he had to make some calls, as a challenge the campers would be taken off the island, meaning that he was going to have to call about transport. Hell, they’d get a submarine or something…
That was budgetable, probably.
Eh, they had to make this season go off with a bang anyway, at least if they wanted another one after this. So that meant upgrades!
Chef had came in at some point and gave him a cup of coffee which was sweet of him. Though that only lead Chris to realize how long he’d actually been doing this, but he was getting through it quick. He actually really liked all of this, something to keep him busy. He loved editing, and it was one of those things where It’s be ten minutes till midnight, and before you know it It’s 4 AM.
Though he couldn’t exactly do that with the schedule of how everythings supposed to run, the elimination ended at six thirty, and it was only eight now, so he still had till midnight to get all this shit done and get to bed. He felt wrecked, it was a fun job, really. But it took its toll. He was exhausted.
The monitor screen lit up. And so did a weird feeling inside of him.
Do you know those feelings you get when something horrible is about to happen?
… Something felt wrong, like a gut feeling when you know you’re making a wrong choice, but there wasn’t any harm in this one. He was simply uploading his work. He’d done what he was supposed to.
Pulling out his phone he saw the time, and the notifications.
Four New Voicemails.
7 New messages
‘I am so sorry. x’
‘Here if you need to talk’
‘Call me x’
It was one of those moments where you’re just frozen and confused, not understanding what’s happening or what’s going on. The monitors displayed what was on his laptop. He clicked onto the blue app. Having hundreds of notifications were normal, but this was thousands.
His eyes darted to the right.
Trending in Celebrities:
RIP MOTHER MCLEAN
… What?
He clicked his phone as the voicemail began to play.
“Chris McLean?” The voices tone was cold and collected, too calm. “My name is-” What? “At Toronto General Hospital. I’m calling in regard of your mother-.” No. “- The only contact information available.”
He felt sick.
His eyes were frozen at the screen as they flooded with countless, ‘RIP’ messages. He couldn’t breathe. He could only stay frozen as the next voicemail continued.
The voice just as collected and professional as it had when it started, spoke once more. “Your mother was involved in a car accident, and we’d find it best if you came down to the hospital as soon as possible.”
Three unread voicemails.
He didn’t want to hear the rest, he clicked play anyway. He didn’t remember pressing the button.
The voice spoke again, he hated that voice.
“Chris McLean?” Shut up.
Everything to him sounded like mindless blabbering, he couldn’t form the sentences together in his mind, only zoning in on random words in the call.
“We did everything-” No- No. That wasn’t funny. “Unstable-.” Make it stable. “Too late-”
“There was nothing we could do.”
In seconds the phone was thrown against the wall, staring at it as it shattered.
Grabbing his hair as he knelt down to the ground. God, no. No. Please.
As he clicked onto his social media, he saw thousands of notifications, so many.
‘Damn, can’t believe she died. Rip man’
‘@ChrisMcLean im so sorry for your loss’
‘Rip Mamma McLean’
He didn’t hear the sound of the coffee-glass shattering across the ground over the sound over the ringing, not coming from the phone, but from his own ears.
Holy shit.
No
“Chris man, you alright in here? Swear I heard something smash, you goo-” Freezing in the room, he looked down to his partner. “Hey, what happened?”
And the other just sobbed. As new notifications popped up on the screen, drowning out old messages, one contained a video, which began to auto-play.
Chris couldn’t focus, he tried to block it out but he could still hear it.
“- Found Dead. Attempts to contact the family have been made.”
No, no, no, no…
The smashed phones screen softly begin to light up as messages came though, it was on silent. In the corner of his eye through the blurry hell that was his eyesight, he saw the text clear as day.
Four new voicemails.
There were messages coming from everywhere.
This didn’t feel real.
“I’m so sorry man.”
“She’s dead dude… She’s dead. ”
A knock on the door, Chef opening it a moment later.
“Hey, you good with seeing me right now, man?”
It had been a while, challenges were postponed for a day due to, ‘personal issues’. The campers thankfully went unknowing due to the lack of internet and news from the outside world.
Chef had taken over hosting for an episode before Chris regained composure enough to continue.
Though it was night now, and the competitors had long since returned to bed, And here Chef was, knocking on the door to Chris’s room.
Chef had never seen him like this, never since they day they’d met had he seen Chris so- Upset .
Not fifteen years ago, when Chef watched him painfilly get destroyed in a school fight.
Not after the two at nineteen had found an injured bird, spending days trying to save it before it inevitably died.
Hell- He’d not even seen him this sad when his own Father died.
He really didn’t know what to do for him,
Other than to love him.
A moment later, Chris shook his head. It was a response at the very least.
“I can leave, if you want.”
“... I don’t know.”
Well.
“I’m going to stay, alright? You can change your mind whenever you want, and I can go.”
Chris only sniffed, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt.
“I just don’t want you to see me like this, I hate this. I don’t get emotional, I’m not meant to cry.”
“Your Mom just died. You’re allowed to.”
“I wan’t it to stop. ”
“This isn’t something you’re gonna move past in a week.”
“Well I should be able to.”
Silence for a moment. “I hate this- I just hate it. ”
He continued, “I didn’t see her enough, I didn’t pick up the calls- I didn’t even reply to the stupid cat images!”
“You saw her loads, man. You always replied right after.”
“But I just wish I did it sooner.”
“You loved her, that’s good enough, right?”
“... I miss her.”
“I know.”
“... I Love you.”
“... Love you too, man.”
As Chef pulled Chris closer into his arms, he could feel the way the other’s shoulders finally relaxed.
And if Chef said that they hadn’t spent the rest of that night like that? Well, then he would be lying.