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sicklylittlesnowflake · 7 years

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Hey! I have a sot of crazy prompt for you, what if jellybean had come home and about 3 weeks later (because she would have just as bad immune system as jughead) she gets sick and jughead looks after her but gets sick himself so Archie and Betty have to take care of both of them. Thanks!

(Hey anon! I tried numerous times and thought about how this would play out, but I just can’t find it in myself to write a sick Jellybean. I’m personally not comfortable writing that, but I don’t want to turn this prompt down because I want to write you something! So this fic starts with Jughead already sick from looking after JB! Hope that’s okay and thanks for understanding. Also, I literally had no clue how to write Jellybean coming home, because I didn’t want to write Jug’s mum cause i can’t stand her, but since FP is in jail..he’s magically not anymore lol. This is one weird au, my apologies!)

The last time Jughead had gotten sick (it wasn’t that long ago, obviously) it was when he took care of a sick Kevin. Archie was away at a football match, and Kevin wouldn’t dare disturb Betty because she had been pretty stressed and anxious recently. Naturally, the obvious choice was Veronica but she had mentioned it to Jughead in passing but then some family drama cropped up.

Naturally Jughead got to his feet and was up for the job, Veronica was absolutely not happy with this and reassured through text this family thing would be over in a few minutes but Jughead refused. He had made his way to Kevin’s house, much to the shock of Kevin.

Of course, he was grateful, but his shock was more of the fact that he had been expecting Veronica and he did not want Jughead with the immune system of a newborn to step into this virus infected house. Jughead was a good caretaker, surprisingly, but was struck by the virus a few days later.

Betty was not pleased by this at all. She was annoyed that she hadn’t been called, and that Jughead had no sense of self preservation, willingly throwing himself into this killzone situation where he was definitely going to get sick. She scolded him gently, telling him that he should take care of himself better. He promised, and she told him to make sure he kept it.

Which was why now, he was hiding from Betty Cooper.

The most amazing thing had happened to Jughead. Jellybean had come home. She had found out about how Jughead had meant to visit them and their mother had turned him down, and found out that her mother had been lying to her all this time. She had been under the impression that Jughead couldn’t afford to come to them, but the truth was that their mother simply didn’t want him. She was angry, so upset and distraught at this, it lead to a heated few weeks. A decision was made and Jellybean would be staying with him and FP for a good few months so she could process everything and the whole family could sort themselves out.

This stress did not do any favours to her immune system, who unfortunately had the Jones curse of a shitty immune system, and she had become ill.

FP’s immune system had improved as he grew older, but was still below average. He had told Jellybean the stories of him and Fred, how Fred would always take care of him and save his ass when he got sick, which was often, to entertain her and distract her from the illness. Jughead could only smile fondly, seeing himself and Archie in those stories.

Jughead had taken most of the caretaking shifts, despite FP’s worry. FP had to be working harder now there was two of them. As much as Jughead knew that bad things could come out of this, he missed being a protective, kind older brother and seized the chance to be just that once again. He told her stories, watched Star Wars with her, talked to her about music, listened to her talk about things, fed her soup and ice cream..the typical care taking goodness.

When Jughead woke up feeling like shit, he was grateful it was the weekend so FP could continue to take care of Jellybean, who was nearly better. He didn’t want to make Jellybean feel guilty, which she already was, so he simply told his dad he was going to hang out with Archie.

That’s how Jughead found himself sitting at a booth at Pop’s, constantly sniffling and coughing into his jacket sleeve as Pop Tate kept giving him worried looks.

Pop walked up to Jughead with a tray, to his confusion because Jughead had only ordered his usual coffee, which was already delivered to him. He looked up in confusion and saw the man putting down a tray of Pop’s Chicken Noodle on his table. Pop’s Chicken Noodle was strictly a Dinner special, and it was clearly not dinner time.

“Huh?” Was all Jughead could say, as the steam wafted up to his nose and he dabbed lightly at it as it began to run.

“You don’t look good, Jug,” The older man said gently.

“I’m flattered,” Jughead joked, and went back to being serious, “but honestly, I don’t..I can’t take this–well fuck, you’ve made it so..here..” Jughead pulled a fiver out of his pocket. His nose twitched and he turned away from the older man, barely enough time to grab a tissue from a rack and sneeze sharply three times into it. His nose was literally hurting from how much he was sneezing.

Pop shook his head, “Nope. Not taking that, Juggy. Besides, you’re my best customer. You helped me clean up at weird hours and everything, just making it up to you.”

They both knew by “weird hours” it was when Jughead had still been homeless and Jughead still hadn’t discovered the school closet.

Jughead sighed softly, not finding this fair at all, because he had been a burden by spending the night two days. He managed a small smile, “Thank you..” He then sneezed again, groaning at the congestion in his body. His chest felt pretty blocked up so he couldn’t breathe through his mouth nor his nose. It was a pretty tricky situation.

“Hey Pop! One cheese dog with large fries and a soda, please!” Archie beamed as he made his way through the doors of Pop’s.

“To go or for here?”

“For here!” Archie grinned.

Pop approached him and pointed over to where a sick Jughead was eating his soup, obviously too sick to notice that Archie had just walked in.

“Jug doesn’t look like he’s doing too hot, will you go check up on him?” Pop asked quietly.

Archie looked over to see his best friend and his heart dropped.

“Oh my god..thanks so much for telling me, Pop,” Archie said gratefully as he fished out the cash and put it on the counter.

He immediately made his way toward his sick looking best friend and sat across from Jughead, staring at him worriedly.

Jughead finally looked up from his soup and gasped, soup still in his mouth and began to cough, spluttering in shock as he he suddenly saw his best friend sitting across from him. When the hell did he get there?!

“Fuck, Archie! You scared me!” He croaked, wincing after hearing the sound of his own voice. He cleared his throat instinctively.

Archie raised an eyebrow, “I’ve been sitting here for a bit, Jug. Let’s get this over with quickly, you’re sick.”

Jughead shook his head, “No, I’m not! I’m just..eating here in peace.”

“..Eating Pop’s Chicken Noodle in the daytime? He only gave that to you because he saw you’re sick,” Archie challenged.

“He just gave it to me! I can’t refuse it!” Jughead pointed out.

“He gave it to you for a reason, Jug. Pop cares about you, and he knows you so well, seen you at your worst, he can tell when you’re sick,” Archie shot back.

“..Listen, I know you got sick because of Jellybean and you don’t want to make her feel guilty. I get it, Jug. Kid’s been through some stuff. Why didn’t you come back to ours? You know you’re welcome with us. Sleep in my bed again–fuck, sleep on the air mattress for all I care!” Archie insisted.

“..You miss me, don’t you?” Jughead teased fondly, although there was a hint of nostalgia in his voice. As much as he wanted and loved having Jellybean back, and his father finally fixing his act, he missed Archie. He missed sappy chats at stupid o'clock talking about whatever. He missed Fred’s killer breakfast and the three of them watching movies. They had become family to him recently, and he missed them.

Archie grew defensive, “W-what?! Uh, totally not! I’m glad that you have your family back!! You weren’t going to stay forever–”

Jughead sighed fondly, “Archie. I miss you too. In fact, I think we took the wrong approach. We should’ve eased into this, it was..such a shock, me being there one day and the next day packing my bags and I was gone. We should’ve had sleepovers to get used to the fact we don’t share a room anymore. You guys are family too.”

Archie smiled softly, “..Yeah bud. It’s been really weird without you. You are family Jug, and believe me when I say I’m so happy that you’ve finally gotten your family back, but a little part of me..you know. Please, I know you don’t want your family fretting so how’s about you come to your other family and we’ll take care of you?”

Jughead sighed, “I considered that, Arch, honestly. It’s just..”

“..What, Jug?”

“..I’m hiding from Betty.”

After a good 5 minutes of Archie laughing at Jughead’s antics, completely gaining the attention of the entire diner, to Jughead’s annoyance, Archie managed to get Jughead to come home with him. After Jughead had finished his soup, of course.

The normal 15 minute walk from Pops to his Arch took about 25 minutes, due to Archie helping Jughead limp along home. Needless to say, once Jughead stepped foot into the Andrews household, he was relieved. He had been absolutely drained and exhausted from that walk; a walk that he normally wouldn’t think twice about. His nose ached from all the sneezing he’d been doing, and his chest felt tight with all the deep, chesty coughs he had been doing. He could barely breathe.

“I’ll get the air mattress,” Jughead wheezed, his chest feeling ridiculously painful with congestion. His head hurt so bad, he felt so awful. He was shivering all over, his entire body icy besides the hot air coming out of his nostrils.

“What?! No, Jug! The bed!” Archie exclaimed, the idea of Jughead sleeping on the air mattress appalling.

Jughead opened his mouth to reply, presumably to protest, but a deep, body rattling coughing fit took over him. He squeezed his eyes tight to try and endure the pain in his chest from the fit, entire frame shaking.

Archie’s eyes widened and he rushed to the kitchen for a glass of water and returned with it, helping Jughead down the drink to ease his coughing. Once that was over with; Jughead was completely drained. He looked woozy, slightly swaying and his eyes looked bleary. He was incredibly weak.

One look at the boy and Archie swooped the younger boy into a piggyback and gently walked up the stairs to his bedroom, despite Jughead’s weak protests. Archie wasn’t having it, and gently placed his best friend down onto his bed.

As Jughead plopped gently onto the soft mattress, the soft pillow aiding his splitting headache, he looked down to see the air mattress still there.

Jughead chuckled fondly, “..You never got rid of it.”

Archie blushed, and cleared his throat in embarrassment, “I-I guess not.”

Archie covered Jughead in the blanket to try and stop the intense shivering, feeling his forehead. He frowned, wondering what to do. Fred was still at work, and as much as Jughead got sick, Archie still did not know what he was doing at all.

Little did they know Archie’s bedroom window curtain was pulled open, allowing a unsuspecting Betty Cooper to gasp in shock as she saw a sick Jones boy in Archie’s bed.

Archie jumped as someone began to knock at the door. He dropped the medicine he had been looking at, wondering if that was the right one, in shock. Why would they be knocking? There’s a doorbell. Archie began to wonder about the worst case scenario, was it the police? Or worse, Miss Grundy?!

Archie made his way down the steps and opened the door slowly, afraid to see whatever monster laid behind it.

It was just Betty Cooper.

“Jesus, Betty! You scared me! I thought you were some murderer! Why didn’t you use the doorbell??” Archie exclaimed.

Betty shushed him, “Shush, Archibald! I knocked because there is a sick Jones boy on your bed! I came prepared.” She gestured towards her bag with presumably caretaking supplies in them.

“..Oh thank god! I don’t know what I’m doing, Betts. Usually dad tells me exactly what to do then I do just that.”

Betty smirked, “Do you not..remember what he tells you to do?”

Archie pouted, “Shut up Betty! I have a horrible memory.”

“Awh, Jug,” Betty whispered in pity as she saw an incredibly sick Jughead sleeping less than peacefully.

Archie stood by the doorway, just as protective. He watched as Betty kneeled on the air mattress and pushed his sweat laced curls out of his fevered face. She nudged him very gently.

“Hey Juggy, wake up for me for just a minute?” She cooed.

“..Mhmm..?” Jughead slurred softly, slowly regaining consciousness. He coughed, sputtering into the pillow and opened his eyes slowly, shocked that it was Betty and not Archie.

“I’m not sick,” Jughead spluttered, before his breath began to hitch and he pressed his face against the pillow and sneezed into it harshly. He groaned softly.

“Jug, I’m not mad. I never was–I just don’t like to see you sick. I know you were doing this for Jellybean,” Betty reassured.

“Here, I made you some herbal tea for your chest, Archie said he didn’t like the sound of your coughing,” Betty said gently as Archie approached them and helped Jughead sit up.

Jughead began to cough violently, body once again racked with the harsh movement, convulsing as he struggled to get oxygen into his system. Archie patted his back, allowing him to get effectively get the phlegm building up out of him, with Betty passing him a tissue to spit it out on.

Archie passed him some pills too, and grinned, “I totally knew which pills you needed. I knew this all by myself.”

Betty glared at him and rolled her eyes, and watched as Jughead sipped at the tea.

She smiled softly, “The thyme should relieve some of your symptoms. Oh, and I called your dad..”

Jughead froze.

“Don’t worry–he’s not telling Jellybean. He told her you’re having a boys sleepover with Archie. He is pretty angry at himself that he didn’t realise you were sick,” Betty explained.

Jughead smiled softly, “..Good. Did you tell him that it’s not his fault?”

Archie laughed, a little too loudly for Jughead’s liking, “Betty told him that you should go into the acting business because you’re great at hiding it. Not from us though, we’re exceptions.”

Jughead huffed, “..sure.”

Betty grinned, “If anything else, we all know that I’m the best caretaker.”

Archie looked appalled, “What?! No way! I am!”

Betty huffed, “You?! You don’t even know what the difference between aspirin and antihistamines!”

“Yeah I do! One is for coughs and one is more fevers, right?” Archie boasted.

Jughead stifled a laugh.

Archie went red, “Um..I knew it wasn’t, obviously. I just wanted to see Jughead’s itty bitty smile! See, making the patient happy, can you do that Betty Cooper?? And piggyback him?? Can you do that??”

Betty laughed, “Yeah I can! The very sight of me makes Jughead smile like the sun!”

Jughead snorted, causing him to sneeze again, “Pfft, neither of you can tamper my grunge film noir aesthetic.”

Archie and Betty looked at each other, and grinned.

Betty smirked, “You sure about that, Jughead Jones?”

Archie smiled sinisterly, and then the two proceeded to tackle Jughead into a loving cuddle, causing the boy to smile like the sun was created to shine on him.

#jughead jones #betty cooper #archie andrews #qp jarchie #qp bughead #riverdale #sickfic #prompts #fever #coughing

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