Fading In The Rain | Bughead

12: "I Didn't Even Notice"

TW: mental illness

Even with the heating pad on my back, I was still freezing. I was holding the hot bowl of soup in lap, careful not to spill, to warm me up, but it didn't work that well. To make matters worse, I started coughing even more than before, and my chest hurt badly, making each movement painful. My nose became congested, which made it hard to breathe. Jughead was sitting next to me, hand on my knee, looking at me sympathetically.

"Are you up for taking some medicine?" Jughead asked I nodded my head, knowing it would taste awful. But still, I would have to take it sooner or later. Jughead grabbed the pharmacy bag and pulled out a bottle. "I got your favorite," Jughead added, showing me the label. "Bubble gum!" I answered. I had always thought it tasted much better, though there was never such thing as enjoyable cough syrup. Jughead filled the cup and carefully handed it to me.

I took it from him gently and drank the medicine. It was just like I'd remembered from childhood. Much better than that cherry or grape stuff that burns my throat. Juggie reached his hand out when the cup was empty and I handed it to him. "Better?" He asked like a Snickers commercial. "I think we have to actually wait for the medicine to take effect," I pointed out. "Good point, Betts," Jughead said. Anytime I heard that nickname, I blushed, almost like a reflex.

"I love it when you call me that," I shared. Jug chuckled and replied, "I love it when you call me Juggie." He leaned in and was about to kiss me before I stopped him. "Juggie, I love you, but I've been throwing up, so do you really think that's a good idea? I asked as he receded. "No one's stopping you from brushing your teeth," Jughead said in defense. "I don't have a toothbrush," I pointed out, and Jughead gave me a look of "Or do you?", which no, I don't.

"That's where you're wrong, Betty Cooper," Jughead said while pulling something out of the grocery bag, as he had that one and the one from the pharmacy in the room. He had gotten me a new toothbrush. "You can keep this one here," Jughead suggested, inferring I would be staying here in the future. I mean, I'm up for it, but it's his call. "Fine," I gave in, grabbing the toothbrush package from his hand, making him smile. "But I'm only going along with this because I really wanna kiss you," I added.

I took the blanket and heating pad off my back and got up to go into the bathroom. Jughead followed me and stood in the doorway as I remove the brush from the packaging and ran the bristles under the water. "Where's the toothpaste?" I asked, looking around. "First drawer," answered Jughead. I found it and quickly brushed my teeth. On my way out of the bathroom, I was stopped by Jughead, who asked if It was better. "Much," I replied before kissing his lips and walking past him.

I walked back into the room and sat back down on the bed. When we both were sitting, I heard the rain pounding on the Windows, louder and harder than before. "Aren't you worried I'm gonna get you sick?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows. "Nope. It's literally impossible for me to get sick," Jughead replied. "What? Really?" I asked in disbelief. Jughead nodded his head while taking a drink of his water bottle "Seriously?" I asked for clarification while smiling.

Jughead set his bottle down and said, "Yeah, I never get sick." As I looked back throughout the years, I couldn't remember Juggie ever getting sick. "Huh. Weird," I noted. It had gotten pretty dark, and the room turned into a dark yet light shade of blue, just like the current sky. It was already 8:52 PM. I didn't even notice how late it was. I, like always, grew very tired. My coughing levels had receded and I hadn't thrown up in a while.Just as I thought I was getting better, I sneezed.

Halfway through Jughead's "bless you", I sneezed again. And again, and again. After my four random sneezes, I felt a little dizzy and lightheaded. "Bless you, now stop it!" Jughead joked. I played along and replied, "No promises!", then it was Jughead's turn to laugh. I yawned because once again, I'm always tired, and Jughead took notice, saying, "Jeez, Betts. You think you might have an actual sickness?" "Like a disease?" I hinted.

"No, not exactly. It's just, you seem a little narcoleptic. You're always sleeping, and when you're not sleeping, you're tired," Jughead explained. "It's nothing out of the ordinary," I assured him, rubbing my forehead. "But are you suggesting I change my habits?" I joked with a smile. "No, I'm just concerned about you. I love you, Betty. I hate seeing you miserable," Jughead replied, putting his hand on top of mine. I leaned in and kissed his lips before then laying my head on his shoulder.

Juggie held me close as I closed my eyes for a split second and finally yawned. "Baby," Jughead started, stroking my arm and kissing the top of my head. "You okay?" he asked in a comforting tone. I wasn't sluggish because I felt sick, I was just washed over with a wave of my normalcy: depressed, faded, breaking, tired...the works. I nodded my head but felt a tear roll down my cheek as I sniffled. Jughead lifted my head with a single finger and looked at me sympathetically.

"I'm just really tired," I explained without him even asking. Jughead held me and laid back, bringing me with him. I snuggled up close to him and laid my head on his chest as he pulled blankets over us. He wrapped his arms around me and said, "Goodnight, Betts." "Goodnight, Juggie," I said, reaching up and kissing his cheek. After a few seconds of silence, I fell asleep, in the arms of protection and comfort, and I, for the first time in my life, felt loved.