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rickybowensfever · 2 years

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Hi! Can you please write a HSMTMTS fic with Ricky having more of a cold/allergies issue than stomach? Maybe after he and Nini break up in season 2 so he feels awkward around the drama crew, since most of them were her friends first, and is uncomfortable asking for help? Thank you!

Here you are! Ricky has a cold but is passing it off as allergies. Ashlyn comes over to take care of him and he learns to trust his friends and accept help when he needs it! You can read it below or on any of the links I've provided. Hope you enjoy!

WATTPAD | AO3

“Is Ricky okay?” Ashlyn asked the group around her, glancing over at the curly haired boy as he blew his nose backstage. Big Red looked at her with confusion, Gina furrowing a brow, and Carlos shook his head.

“I think he’s been crying? He’s been sniffling and his nose is red. I guess he’s not taking the breakup well…” she mentioned with a frown.

“That’s right. I guess I didn’t notice” Gina said coyly, diverting her attention to the boy. Now, Ricky chugged a water bottle, getting ready for rehearsal to start.

All of the students gathered into a line waiting for Miss Jenn to give them the first direction of the afternoon.

“Kids! We’re only a couple of weeks away from opening night and with Spring Break, we’re going to miss a lot of rehearsal time. Let’s start where we left off yesterday with the Beast transformation!” she said looking straight at Ashlyn and Ricky.

The two walked into the center with their costumes on, Ricky put the Beast head over his curls and lay on the ground where Ashlyn kneeled and recited their lines.

As he croaked imitating the Beast dying, he couldn’t help but sniffle, trying his best to push down any coughs trying to escape his lungs.

“Cut!” Miss Jenn shouted mid-way through the transformation. “Ricky, go get a tissue and take some cold medicine when you get home. The Beast is transforming! I want passion! It shouldn’t sound like he’s crying.”

“Sorry Miss Jenn. I think it’s just my allergies” he lied. A cold has been creeping up on him all week. As much as he tried to deny it and nip it in the bud with orange juice and Emergen-C, it wasn’t getting better fast enough for his liking.

“I understand. Hopefully with Spring Break, you can rest before we dive into tech week” she mentioned. Ricky walked back to center stage ready to give it another shot.

“Again!” Miss Jenn called motioning at center stage as Ashlyn and Ricky ran the scene again.

As they gathered their belongings, Ashlyn grabbed Ricky by the arm. “Hey, I just want you to know that I’m here if you need anything.”

“Oh, thanks Ash. I’m going to Chicago for Spring Break to visit my mom. But I have your number" he said nervously laughing as he zipped up his bag.

“Great. You can always call or text me if you need to talk. How are you doing?” she said hanging her costume back on the hanger.

“I’ve been better, honestly” he said sniffling and finally letting out a cough that has been building up in his chest all afternoon.

“The pollen” he said nervously laughing again, putting his backpack on has back and pulling out his phone to see if his Dad was outside.

Dad

Be there in 5

“Ricky, it’s okay to be emotional. Breakups are tough” she said looking up at him like a puppy dog. “Oh. Right. Yeah, it’s a lot. Thanks, Ash” he said, butterflies fluttering in his stomach from nerves but happiness that someone finally asked him how he was doing.

It seemed like everyone in his friend group besides Big Red was avoiding the breakup subject at all. It’s not like he was going to cry and burst out the waterworks at the slight mention of Nini or breakups in general. He was cool, calm, and collected. There were no more tears left to cry.

Ashlyn gave him a side hug and squeezed him. “See you after Spring Break. Have fun in Chicago!” she said after pulling away.

Ricky nodded and walked out the back doors of East High to his father’s car. When he got into the passenger seat and clicked his seatbelt, a train of coughs erupted. Mike looked at him puzzled with concern. “Need to stop at the drug store before we go home?” he asked his son.

Ricky shook his head. “I don’t think so. I just need to sleep it off” he said propping his backpack up by the window as a pillow.

“You keep saying that but you sound worse” Mr. Bowen said as he backed out of the parking lot and turned onto the main road.

“Dad, it’s just a cold” he said coughing again.

“Whatever you said, kid” Mike said turning up the radio a bit.

There were two days remaining before he was leaving for Chicago and Ricky Bowen felt like he submerged his head underwater in the coldest ocean in the world. His teeth were chattering despite the mountain of blankets on top of him.

Taking a hand out from under his blanket pile, he pulled out his phone and typed his symptoms into the Google search bar.

Chills, cough, sneezing, stuffed nose, headache

Results for Cold vs Flu, Do you have a Cold or is it COVID 19?, and Common Cold popped up on his screen. Ricky blinked his eyes at the results and yawned. His cold has just gotten worse it seemed.

He sat in bed for a moment pondering his next move. His glassy eyes lit up and he started to compose a text.

Ricky: I have a bad cold. Are you busy?

He hit send and waited, closing his eyes with his head resting on his cold pillow until he heard his phone ding.

Ashlyn: Nope! Do you need anything?

Ricky: I think I have some cold medicine left but my dad went to work and I feel super sick

Ashlyn: Be right over :)

Ricky: Thank you

After many attempts, Ricky finally got out of bed even if his aching body revolted against him. He grabbed a thick blanket, a box of tissues, his phone and Franklin and headed down to the living room to wait for Ashlyn.

He placed everything on the couch and walked over to the small kitchen to pour the rest of the cold medicine remaining in the bottle into a small measuring cup and drank it. He scrunched his face at the disgusting flavor as chills went through his body. “Uggghhh” he groaned as he walked over to the couch covering his body with the thick blanket.

Forcing himself to keep his eyes open, he turned the TV on low volume. A rerun of a Modern Family episode played as he waited for a knock at the door.

The episode was about to end when the inevitable knock finally came. Ricky sighed in relief and slowly got up from the couch, putting on his slippers to make his feet warm.

The red haired, bubbly freckled face girl smiled big holding a large paper bag in her hand. “Hey, I brought a few things” she said following Ricky into the house.

“Thanks for coming, Ash. I would usually call Nini but I’m giving her space. Sorry if this is weird” he said his voice hoarse, flailing his hands in the air and taking fast due to nerves. He hated to ask anyone for help but as things in his life were changing at a rapid pace, he had to start somewhere.

“Anytime, Ricky. It’s not weird. We’re all friends! You can always call me for anything. Seriously” she said smiling softly as she put the paper bag on the Bowen’s small wooden table.

“Th’ks,” he said in a nasally tone, as he got back into his blanket cave and blew his nose. “It definitely sounds like you have a cold” she mentioned laughing softly.

Ricky looked up at her and blinked. “I brought some soup Gina and I made, and I have some Gatorade and extra cold medicine. Sound good?” she asked from the kitchen.

“Mhm” he muttered in between a yawn. “I just took some cold medicine but that was the last of the bottle. I think I’ll just go back to sleep” he pulled the pillow close to his face and curled w

“Great! Sleep is honestly the best way to kick a cold. I’ll put the soup in the fridge for now” she said shutting the refrigerator door. Then, she walked over to Ricky lying on the couch with his eyes closed breathing through his mouth before taking a seat on the empty chair beside him.

“You just rest, and I’ll be here if you need anything” Ashlyn whispered pulling out her phone to silently scroll through Instagram.

Throughout the day, Ashlyn played games on her phone, read a book they were assigned for English class, and heated up the soup she and Gina had made that morning as Ricky slept his cold away.

When Ricky woke next, he faintly smelled the aroma of chicken and vegetable soup and smiled despite the pounding in his head. He looked up from under his blanket at Ashlyn holding a now empty bowl of soup.

“Hey, feeling any better?” she asked, hope gleaming in her eyes. “A little. My head is killing me” he said rubbing his temples and noticing the warmth of his forehead.

Ashlyn set down the bowl and walked over to feel Ricky’s toasty forehead. “You’re a little warm. You might have a fever. Let’s open that bottle of medicine” she said smiling.

Just then, the front doorknob turned and jiggled as Mr. Bowen emerged from the outside. “Oh, hey guys. Want to tell me what’s going on here?”

“Ugh, I fell asleep. I forgot to text you” Ricky said now remembering his most important task. The congestion must’ve clogged his brain.

“Hello, Mr. Bowen. Ricky actually texted me this morning since he wasn’t feeling well, and I came right over! I was just taking care of him until you came home. He didn’t want to be alone” she explained smiling big at the man.

Mr. Bowen returned the smile and slumped his shoulders. “Ahh, gotcha. Thanks, Ashlyn. That’s very nice of you. I can take it from here!” he said taking the cold medicine from her hands and proceeding to pour it.

Ashlyn nodded and grabbed her purse from the chair she was sitting in. “Bye Ricky. I hope you feel better. You can always reach out to me for anything. Don’t forget it” she said and left the Bowen’s house as Mr. Bowen delivered the second dose of cold medicine to his son.

Today, Ricky learned to appreciate Ashlyn’s friendship and was starting to feel better cold-wise and about letting people in and asking for help.

#hsmtmts #sickfic #ricky bowen sick #ashlyn caswell #ashlyn is a great friend #ricky bowen #request

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rickybowensfever · 2 years

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I'm writing a fic set during the height of Ricky and Mr. Bowen moving into their new apartment and I'm watching the valentines episode from s2 and looking at their apartment and man... this is very sad little space they've got lol the coffee table is hideous, the kitchen is small af and there's a plastic chair outside lmao s/o to the franklin cameo thooo

#sickfics #valentines day #hsmtmts #hsmtmts fics #word vomit #brain dump #ricky bowen

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rickybowensfever · 2 years

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Hey, I have a prompt for you! How about A and B are broken up, and A has to go over to Bs to get some of their stuff only to find B really sick and they feel they can’t just leave them. As B is miserable but things are really awkward at first and B is mad but eventually they relax and let A take care of them.

Hi! Thanks so much for your prompt. Here's one I did for HSMTMTS.

#hsmtmts fic #sickfic #ricky x nini #the break up #hsmtmts breakup #hsmtmts fics

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rickybowensfever · 2 years

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Ricky Bowen (HSMTMTS), Lynne Bowen Additional Tags: Sickfic, Sinus Infection, Sick Ricky Bowen, Sick Character, Fever Summary:

While in Chicago visiting his mother on Spring Break, Ricky comes down with a sinus infection from traveling and she takes care of him. [Set during Season 2, Episode 9 "Spring Break"]

#ricky bowen #sick ricky bowen #sick!ricky #hsmtmts #hsm the series #hsmtmts sickfic #sickfics #sick characters #sinus infection #lynne bowen

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rickybowensfever · 2 years

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts Characters: Mike Bowen, Ricky Bowen (HSMTMTS) Additional Tags: Soft Ricky Bowen (HSMTMTS), Sad Ricky Bowen (HSMTMTS), Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts-centric, Ricky Bowen Needs A Hug (HSMTMTS), Fever, Sore throat, Fluff, Flu, Sick Ricky Bowen (HSMTMTS), Ricky Bowen is Sick, flu season, Sick Character, Sickfic Summary:

Nini's supposed to come over to collect her box of things after the breakup and Ricky is home sick with the flu.

#sickfics #hsmtmts #ricky x nini break up #sick!ricky #ricky bowen #ricky bowen sick #hsmtmts sickfic #please fix this house #sickfic flu #sickfic writer #flu season #ricky has the flu

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rickybowensfever · 2 years

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Hi! I was wondering if you take HSMTMTS requests?

Yes, I am! I do only write Ricky centered sickfics, but feel free to leave any requests :)

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rickybowensfever · 3 years

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Sicktember - Ricky’s Doctor Visit

Part two of What If Ricky Missed Auditions?

Read on AO3

#Sicktember prompts

Doctor’s Visit/Check Up

Contagious

CW: Lack of appetite

By Friday, Ricky felt awful. He had a pounding headache, his throat was raw, excruciatingly sore and his fever lingered from the day before. While his Dad was calling him out of school for another day, he texted him.

R: can you take me to the dr?

D: Sure!!

Ricky sat in the cold office. Fluorescent lights flickering. He wore a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. He was shivering even though he just took another dose of medicine before he left the house. Talking was becoming unbearable as the pain in his throat got worse with every word he made out.

“Ricky Bowen?” the nurse called out.

Ricky nodded as he heard his name and walked back with the nurse to an empty room.

“So, Ricky, what’s going on?” she asked, with a laptop resting on her lap.

“My throat. Is. Sore” he said, hoarsely. Almost rolling his eyes at her questions. His throat hurt so much, he’d rather not talk. But, he knew that was impossible.

“Right. Okay. And, when did that start?” she asked.

“Wednesday” he muttered, wincing as he talked.

After what felt like a million questions, the nurse exited the room until the doctor came in.

The door opened and a tall, brown man in a white coat came into the room.

“Hi, Ricky! I’m Dr. Martinez” the man said, taking a seat where the nurse sat.

Ricky answered the same questions he just told the nurse. He felt annoyed having to repeat himself especially when his throat was on fire.

The man examined his eyes, nose, and finally, his throat.

“Ah, I see. Well, I’m going to run a strep test. Is that alright?” he asked.

Ricky nodded. Sure, whatever would make him get out of here faster and make his throat hurt less.

The doctor came back with a white stick incased in plastic. He opened the plastic and revealed the thin stick.

“This will be a little uncomfortable, but it’ll be quick” he explained, holding the instrument up in the air.

“Open” the doctor instructed. Ricky opened his mouth and the doctor swabbed his throat. Ricky coughed, groaning from the pain.

“Be right back!” the doctor said.

Ricky yawned. God, he was so tired. He just wanted to go home and go right back to bed.

Minutes later, the doctor came back.

“Hi, Ricky. The strep test came back positive,” the doctor said, “I’m going to write you a prescription for some antibiotics, and I can write you a doctor’s note as well. You’ll probably be back at school in about 5-7 days. I’ll consult with your Dad on when the note should be good until” the doctor explained to him.

He quickly wrote on a white sheet of paper and handed it to him.

“Here is the prescription. You can give this to your dad and I’ll walk you out” the man said.

Ricky nodded. “Thanks,” he said, raspy.

“Sure thing! Feel better” he said as they walked into the waiting room.

“Mr. Bowen, a word?” the doctor said. Mike got up from his seat to greet the doctor.

“Dr. Martinez, nice to meet you,” the man said, and continued to fill his Dad in on everything.

Ricky sat in the waiting room until his Dad finished talking. “Alright, let’s get this prescription in and I’ll take you home to get some rest. Then, I’ll go pick it up later. You might want to give Nini and Miss Jenn a heads up. Sorry, bud” his dad said, feeling bad for his son.

Ricky was relieved when the car drove into their driveway. He quickly unbuckled his seat belt and slowly walked up to his room.

“I’ll bring up some more of that pain reliever and maybe some soup?” His Dad asked his son as he was halfway up the stairs.

Ricky turned his head, nodding at his Dad.

“Sorry, I know you’re in pain,” he said, “Get some rest, and I’ll keep the soup on the stove for later”

Ricky nodded again and finally made it to his bed where he curled up under the covers and fell asleep.

His phone was blowing up when he woke up. His room was dark. Ugh, he must’ve been asleep for hours.

N: hey babe, any news?

N: hope you’re resting, love you <3

Wildcats GC 50 Unread Messages

His throat was raw, the pain medicine from earlier clearly wore off. Ricky dreaded having to tell his friends and Nini that he was too sick for auditions. It was Friday. Usually, he was going to Slices with Nini and meeting their friends there for their Friday night plans - playing board games and watching movies on Netflix at Ashlynn’s.

Ricky took a deep breath. He took his phone, tapped Nini’s messages opening them on his screen, and started typing away.

R: gonna miss auditions

R: i have strep

Nini was probably already at Ashlynn’s, rehearsing for tomorrow. So, while he waited for his phone to buzz, he attempted to get out of bed and get his antibiotics.

He slowly walked down the stairs, hearing the TV playing. His Dad was watching college baseball. Trying to be as quiet as possible, his Dad inevitably heard him.

“Hey, Rick! I got your medicine and there’s some soup on the stove. Medicine is on the counter”

“Thanks,” he said, his voice hoarse. Ricky took the white bag from the pharmacy and pulled out an orange bottle with his name on it, reading the directions, he took one large pill chasing down with water.

His appetite was non-existent. But, he knew he had to eat something. He clicked on the stovetop where the pot of soup was sitting and stirred it with a spoon, waiting for the heat to kick on.

Bzz.

N: Aw, that’s not good :( I’m sorry! I’m at Ash’s and everyone says to get better!

N: Let me know if you need anything! Love you <3

R: thx but strep is contagious, i don’t want you catching it

N: That doesn’t mean I can’t drop something off at your house :)

Ricky smiled softly. He was so excited for auditions when Miss Jenn announced it. Though, he would’ve preferred HSM 2. He was more prepared for that, anyway. However, since he auditioned and was the lead for High School Musical, he really enjoyed singing and dancing - and now it was being taken from him.

Well, I guess that’s what he got for trying to miss his Math test.

#hsmtmsts sickfic #HSMTMSTS #sicktember #fever #doctors visit prompt #whump #sickfic #sickfic ricky bowen #sick ricky bowen #nini and ricky #nini and ricky sickfic #!sickrickybowen #strep throat #strep throat sickfic #ricky bowen is sick #hsmtmts season 2 #my sickfics #hsmtsmts sickfics #sicktember 2021

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rickybowensfever · 3 years

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Sicktember - What If Ricky Bowen Missed Auditions?

Decided to do @sicktember last minute! I’ll be doing some for HSMTMTS and with my ocs!

HSMTMTS

Sick at School/Work

Strep Throat/Laryngitis

Faking It

SUMMARY: Ricky isn’t ready for the Math test on Friday. Follow Ricky through the days following up to the test as he pretends he’s sick, but gets himself sick by accident causing him to miss auditions for Beauty and the Beast.

“Class. Don’t forget, this Friday is our first Math test of the semester. We’ll be reviewing on Thursday. I’m passing around review worksheets for those of you who want to study” the woman announced.

Ricky groaned looking over at Big Red sitting across from him. “A test, already?”

“I’m sure it’ll be easy! It’s only what we’ve been learning so far” Big Red told him.

“Guess I’m going to be sick” Ricky said, smirking at his friend as he put his folder into his bag and zipped it up for dismissal.

“How do you know that? Oh, no. You’re not sick, are you? I can’t get sick. This is my first time auditioning for a room full of people and Ashlyn would be so upset!” Big Red said, panicking.

“No. I’m not actually sick. I’m just going to happen to be too sick for the test on Friday” Ricky winked at his friend.

The bell rang dismissing them from school. Big Red and Ricky walked out to the hallway to catch their rides home. Carpooling with Nini, Gina, and Ashlynn

“You’d rather not take the test? You’re going to have to make it up anyway” Big Red suggested, confused about his friend’s decisions.

“I know I’ll have to take the test. But, it’s two days away, no way I’ll be able to ace it by then. I just need...time” Ricky explained, waving at Nini as she stood by Ashlynn’s mini van.

“Hey guys!!” Nini exclaimed, smiling big at the boys as they walked through the student parking lot.

Ricky smiled softly at his girlfriend as they all climbed into the van. Ricky sat next to Nini while Big Red sat in the back, Gina in the passenger seat.

Ricky cleared his throat. He had thought about his approach since his teacher announced their test. He was a master of pretending to be sick. His dad wasn’t very strict which made it much easier.

“You okay?” Nini asked.

“Yeah, fine. Just a little scratchy. Probably allergies” he said, smiling at her.

Nini nodded looking through her bag for cough drops. “Ooh, here!” she said, pulling out a honey flavored cough drop.

“These always help,” she said, handing the cough drop to him.

Ricky nodded, “Thanks”.

Ricky tried to study for the test in his room just in case his plan fell through. But, he was too distracted. He would rather practice his lines for his audition for The Beast on Saturday.

He grabbed his script and cleared his throat. Pacing around the room as he read the lines aloud.

He heard a knock at his door, startling him. He jumped, almost dropping his paper. “Come in” he said, letting out a train of coughs.

“Hey, sorry. I just made dinner. You alright?” Mr. Bowen said watching his son coughing into his fist.

“Uh, yeah. I was just rehearsing. Sometimes this happens” he lied.

Mr. Bowen chuckled, “Alright. Pasta is down stairs when you’re ready” he said closing the door.

Ricky sighed. “That was not my plan” he muttered. Maybe the weather changing would give him an advantage? He thought.

After he ate dinner with his Dad, Ricky went back to working on his Math problems when his phone started ringing.

Nini is requesting FaceTime.

Ricky jumped and clicked accept immediately, clearing his throat again.

“Hey! Throat still bothering you?” she asked, raising her eyebrow.

“Yeah” he said, pouting.

“That’s not good. Maybe you need voice rest?” she pondered.

“I don’t think it’s that serious” he said, “anyway, what’s up?”

“Not much. Just finished game night with my Moms. Just wanted to say Hi” she said smiling into the camera.

Two Days Before the Test (Wednesday)

Ricky got to school feeling exhausted. The first thing he did when he got to the cafeteria was sit with his friends and lie his head down.

“Ricky? Are you okay?” Ashlynn asked him, looking at the boy who was usually hyper and talkative.

“I haven’t been sleeping. Just need to close my eyes” he muttered.

Nini was the next to sit down at the table. She looked over at Ricky and frowned.

“Ash, is he okay?” she whispered.

“He’s tired,” the girl whispered back.

Nini put her bag down and walked over to Ricky, sitting at the end of the table.

“Babe? Are you feeling okay? We can go to the nurse and get you home if you’re unwell” she said with worry in her voice.

Ricky groaned. “M’tired” he mumbled.

Nini laid her hand on her boyfriend’s forehead.

“Okay, he’s just tired,” she said from his content forehead.

Ricky stayed up later than usual getting his Math homework done and scrolling aimlessly online, watching YouTube videos and getting lost in his Instagram feed. He felt horrible when his alarm rang around six am.

As soon as he got home from school, Ricky slept up until dinner. He scrolled through his phone with worried texts from Nini.

N: Babe, I’m so worried about you. Get some sleep, please xo

R: I’m fine! Just woke up from a nap. Was up late doing homework. Sorry

The test was in two days. So, Ricky had to perform best in front of his Dad. When he went down for dinner, he started sniffling.

“Hey, do we have any cold medicine? My nose is kinda congested’ he said, sniffling.

“Yeah, we should have something. You feeling okay?

“Yeah, I’m fine, really. My nose is just stuffed up and my throat has been really scratchy,” he explained. Mr. Bowen raised his eyebrows in concern, looking at his son closely.

“Maybe you should stay home tomorrow. Get some rest?” he suggested. “Don’t you have auditions? Would hate for you get sick for that”

“Auditions are Saturday. I think I’m okay” he said, letting out another cough.

Mr. Bowen stared at him. “I’ll go out and get some medicine tonight. Looks like we’re out. Seriously, if you feel sick at all, you can stay home. I don’t mind” he said.

Ricky really had the best dad. So much so, he was starting to feel guilty.

“I’ll think about it,” he said sniffling. “I’ll just take these,” he said, grabbing a box of tissues as he went back up to his room.

Ricky heard a knock at his door. Nini. Right! We were supposed to go over lines. Ricky cleared his throat.

“One minute” he croaked, spraying his face with water to look like he was sweating and got into his bed.

“Come in” he said, lying his head on his pillow to look like was just waking up.

“Sorry! I should’ve called but I thought maybe we were still going over our lines?” she said before looking at her boyfriend.

Ricky took a tissue and blew his nose hard. “I might have to cancel. My throat is killing me” he said, throwing the tissue into the trash.

“Oof. You sound horrible” she said, taking a seat on his bed. She laid her palm onto his wet forehead.

“Ew” she said, pulling her hand away. “Need Hand sanitizer. Lots of it”

Ricky slumped into his bed. “Sorry” he croaked.

“Babe, if you were getting sick, you should’ve just told me”

“I don’t want you catching anything. I need to not be sick for auditions on Saturday” he told her.

“Oh. Don’t worry about me. I always stock up and prepare my immune system for auditions. I guess I should’ve taught you the same” she said, staring at him.

Ricky rolled his eyes and laughed, “I’m fine, really. It’s probably nothing” he lied.

“Oh my god” Nini said, rolling her eyes, pumping hand sanitizer onto her palms.

One Day Before the Test (Thursday)

Ricky woke up the next morning, telling his Dad he was way too sick to go to school. After the hot-towel to the forehead trick to fake a fever, his Dad was convinced Ricky was under the weather.

He woke up from a long nap to see his girlfriend sitting on his desk chair. He had been in and out of sleep all day, groggily texting his friends to tell them he was home with a fever.

“Hey sleepy head,” she whispered.

His head and throat were pounding, and he was congested. Ugh, I didn’t mean to actually get sick, he thought.

“Nin, you’re gonna get sick” Ricky croaked.

“Ssh!” she said, putting a finger on her lips. “You need vocal rest” she said, putting a palm on his forehead. This time, a fever was actually present.

“Ooh. You’re warm” she told him. Ricky frowned, curling up in his bed.

He let out a train of coughs. His faking sick plans were over, now he was officially sick and on the road to a speedy recovery.

“I have a test tomorrow” he muttered, receiving a glare from Nini as he continued to disobey her rules.

“You can retake the test, you can’t retake auditions” she declared, brushing her hand through her boyfriend’s curls.

SEE PART TWO

#HSMTMSTS #hsmtmsts sickfic #hsmtmts fic #sickfic #sicktember #sicktember 2021 #fever #sickfic prompts #faking sick fic #faking it #sore throat #faking sick fics #sick ricky bowen #ricky x nini #ricky bowen sickfic #ricky bowen sick

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rickybowensfever · 3 years

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The Smoothie - HSMTMTS SickFic

I’ve had this story brewing in my head and saved for a couple months on my desktop, so figured I’d finish it up.

Set during Season 1 - Ricky gets sick when E.J. gives him a smoothie out of revenge to become the lead in High School Musical. But, Nini doesn't believe him. Read the story on AO3.

Opening night was just four days away and flu season had struck the students at East High as Spring sprung.

Sniffles, coughs, and tissues, oh my.

Miss Jenn constantly had her students applying hand sanitizer every five minutes. “Hand sanitizer check!” she would shout with the clear bottle in her hands demanding the students to put out their hands.

Backstage, Ricky stood around chatting with the other cast members as Seb and Carlos performed Bop to the Top when EJ approached him holding an orange-colored smoothie in his hand.

“Hey, Ricky!” he exclaimed walking toward the boy.

“Nini asked me to bring this to you. It’s Strawberry Mango, she wanted you to try it” EJ explained him, handing the boy the cold orange drink.

Ricky furrowed his brow, suspicion sinking in. He stood frozen holding the cold drink wondering where Nini was. She hadn’t shown up to rehearsal yet, but he had just seen her in fifth period.

“Alright, thanks” Ricky said grabbing the smoothie from his hand and took a long sip. He let out a refreshing Ahh after pulling away from the delicious beverage.

Then, EJ ran on stage after hearing a faint call of his name from Ms. Jenn.

Wow. It’s pretty good, Ricky thought to himself and pulled out his phone to text Nini about it.

R: Hey, thanks for the smoothie! Really good.

N: What smoothie?

R: The strawberry mango one u got me?

N: ??? I didn’t get you a smoothie.

Ricky looked up from his phone in confusion. Why would EJ do that?

R: Oh? EJ gave it to me, and he said you got it for me.

N: What? Ricky, I didn’t even have a smoothie. Are you pranking me or something?

Ricky threw his hands in the air in distress and locked his phone, leaving Nini’s message on read. Now, he was more confused than ever.

“Ricky! On stage now! Come and get some hand sanitizer!” Ms. Jenn shouted through the auditorium.

The Next Day

Ricky woke up in his bed shivering and covered in sweat. His throat felt raw, his nose was congested, his body ached, and his head was pounding.

This can’t be happening, he thought to himself , covering his face with his cold pillow.

Then, there as a knock on his door.

“Ricky! Get up. You’re going to be late for school” his father said as he opened the door to see his son lying in bed.

Mr. Bowen studied his son for a second before he asked, “You okay?”.

Ricky coughed into his fist which just made his throat hurt more.

“No. Not really” he croaked, wincing at the pain in his throat.

His father immediately walked over to his son’s bed to feel his sweaty forehead for a fever.

“Wow, you’re really warm. You stay home today. I’ll call the school and tell Ms. Jenn you won’t be at rehearsal” Mr. Bowen told his son.

Ricky scrunched his face in annoyance.

“No! Dad, I can’t miss rehearsal. We open in three days” he cried, wincing at the pain talking gave him.

“Then, you have two days to feel better and you have an understudy. I’m sure Ms. Jenn wouldn’t want you coming in this sick, bud” Mr. Bowen said frowning at his son.

Ricky groaned and threw his head back down into his pillow.

“EJ” he muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, I was just trying to clear my throat,” Ricky said and curled up onto his side, hugging his pillow.

What felt like hours later, Ricky woke from a deep sleep.

“Hey, sorry to wake you. I just wanted to let you know I’m working from home today to take care of you. I know I’m not your Mom and she’s probably way better at this. But I’m trying” Mr. Bowen told his son as he held a bottle of red Gatorade in his hand and two blue capsules.

Ricky smirked at his Dad’s statement. Since his Mom left, his Dad was trying his best under the circumstances she had given them. He did wish his Mom was here, just like the thousands of other times he wished for her to come walking in the door but never did.

“Thanks, Dad” Ricky croaked and took a swig of Gatorade, chasing it down with the pills.

“Not a problem, bud. Also, I found the only thermometer in our house. It took me a while. I texted your Mom, but she didn’t answer” he said frantically holding up an ear thermometer in the air.

Ricky changed positions in his bed to let his dad put the thermometer in his left ear.

“A little high, but nothing we can’t manage. Get some rest and keep drinking this” he pointed to the Gatorade bottle on the nightstand beside him, “so you don’t get dehydrated” Mr. Bowen explained before leaving his son.

Ricky’s phone buzzed.

1 Notification from Nini

1 Notification from We’re All in This Together GC

Nini: Where are you?? We have an Environmental Science test today. We were going to study together :/

Ricky: Home sick. Sorry

Nini: Ricky. Are you serious? Opening Night is three days away. Did you even listen to Miss Jenn’s rules?

What was Nini even saying? Why would he get sick on purpose? He was really starting to like this acting thing.

Ricky: Yeah, I listened to her. Idk how I got sick, but I feel like shit ok?

Then, the message turned to read. Ricky threw his phone onto his sheets, rested his head onto his pillow, and drifted back to sleep.

“Ricky?” a petite voice called to him.

He woke up in a fog feeling groggy trying to make out the person in his room.

“Huh?” he called out to the voice and wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

Nini stood at the end of his bed.

“Nini? What are you doing here?” he asked, panicked.

“Your texts worried me. I’m going back to rehearsal, I just needed to pick up a few things at home. So, I stopped by” she said smiling softly.

Ricky coughed into his fist and sniffled.

Nini frowned.

“You sound awful” she mentioned.

“Thanks,” Ricky said sarcastically taking a sip of his warm Gatorade.

“I think E.J. got me sick,” he told her putting the hood of his sweatshirt over his curls.

“What? You’re not serious. E.J. wouldn’t do that” Nini refuted putting a hand on her hip.

Ricky shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know? But I felt fine before he gave me that smoothie. Then, I woke up like this!” he said emphasizing his sickly body.

“It’s flu season. It could just be a conscience. Anyway, I really have to get back to practice. But I’ll be back later” she said standing by his bedside, frowning at his condition.

“No, I don’t want you catching this. If both of us are sick, there’s no show” the boy expressed in between coughs.

“Ricky. This isn’t my first rodeo! I know how to prepare for flu season during Hell Week” she exclaimed. “Get some rest and I’ll see you later” smiling back at him before exiting the room.

“Bye,” he said and checked his phone filled with notifications from friends and crewmates and Miss Jenn wishing him a speedy recovery.

Maybe: E.J.

Hey Ricky. It’s E.J. Heard you’re not feeling well. Hope you feel better soon and don’t worry about a thing! – Your Understudy

Ricky groaned at the message which just caused him to cough again.

Then, his door opened again, and his Dad stood in the doorway.

“Hey, bud. How ya doing?” Mr. Bowen asked.

“I’ve been better” Ricky replied snarkily.

“You’re probably due for another dose of medicine” he suggested holding up two new blue tablets and a package of Saltines.

Ricky nodded, silently thanking his father, and took the tablets with the remaining liquid in his Gatorade bottle.

The last time Ricky woke up, his guitar was strumming.

He had to be delirious at this point, he thought to himself. After dreaming he was running around East High trying to make it to the stage but finding a dead-end every time, he was stressed enough.

He rubbed his eyes and saw a silhouette sitting in the corner of his room on his rolling desk chair. Nini Salazar coming into focus.

“Hey!” she sang softly, putting the acoustic guitar down against the wall.

“Nini. What are you doing here?” Ricky asked, panicked, clutching his comforter tightly.

“It’s okay! I just came to apologize” she said, sitting closer to the boy, now on the edge of his bed.

Ricky shook his head, confused.

“For what?” he asked her.

Nini laughed, “For defending E.J.” she began.

Ricky rose his eyebrow at her. “Today, when I got to rehearsal he said, he was glad the smoothie worked!” she exclaimed, “I couldn’t believe it! I’m so disappointed in him. That’s not the E.J. I know and loved,” she said, slapping the bed as she explained the situation to him.

Ricky winced as the bed shook. His head throbbing as she explained her conversation with E.J. more.

“I told you,” Ricky snickered hoarsely.

“Don’t strain your voice” Nini said frowning at the state of his voice.

He shrugged at her and yawned.

“So, I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you,” she told him, smiling softly.

Thanks, Ricky mouthed to the girl.

“You’re welcome. Now, you rest up because we have a show to do! And I’m not doing this with E.J.” she said, smirking.

Ricky returned the smirk and got settled back into his bed and closed his eyes.

The light went out in his room and the sound of the door shut.

#hsmtmsts #sickfic #ricky bowen #ricky bowen sick #ricky x nini #ej caswell #sickfic writer #sickfics #hsmtmsts sickfic #hsmtmts season 1

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