Outer Banks Sickfics

6

Third Person POV

The pogues were out to dinner at The Wreck. It had become a thing where they would come in late at night and eat the leftovers that Kiara's dad didn't want to waste by throwing it away. 

John B had been feeling a little under the weather the past few days and he was sure by now that he had come down with a cold. It wasn't bad, though, just an extra part of his daily life. He wasn't bedridden but he wasn't in tip-top shape. 

Sarah had noticed. When he picked her up first that morning she commented on how sniffly he was and gave him a look after every sneeze, which came about every five to ten minutes. He was okay, though. It was only the first real day of John B's cold. 

"So, we fishing for drum again tomorrow?" JJ asked. 

Kie said, "I'm down." 

"Me too." Pope was in. 

Sarah nodded. "I could be down for that."

Everyone turned and looked at John B. "Yeah, I'm just gonna try and take it easy tomorrow, I think," he said. 

"So...are you coming?" Kie asked. 

"I'll see how I'm feeling in the morning," John B said. 

Kie cocked her head. "What do you mean, you'll see how you feel in the morning?"

"I have a cold, Kie," John B chuckled as if it was supposed to be obvious. 

"You didn't notice?" Pope asked Kie who shook her head. 

Sarah said, "If John B feels like shit I'll probably stay back with him just so he's not alone."

"Oooh, you gonna play nurse for him? Because in that case I might-" JJ teased. 

Kie shut him up with a light slap on the arm. "You're ridiculous. Come on, eat your fries."

JJ obeyed and started working on the fries he was eating. It was at that point that John B realized that he wasn't as hungry for Kie's dad's leftovers like he usually was. It was kind of disappointing to him because one of his favorite parts of hanging with the pogues was getting food from The Wreck almost every night. 

The conversation topic switched and soon everyone forgot about fishing the next day. They were in the middle of discussing the Back to the Future series when John B folded up a napkin and sneezed into it twice. 

Everyone blessed him. John B then wiped his nose and tried to start eating some more fries. One went down the wrong way and messed with his already irritated throat. He started coughing and didn't stop for a little while. 

By the time he was done, his nose was running and his eyes were watering, but he was covering his mouth and nose with a napkin so he didn't feel exposed. 

John B swore under his breath once he finished coughing and took a swig of water from his glass. He then sniffled hard. It took him a minute or two to register the fact that all of his friends' eyes were on him. 

"Geez, are you okay, John B?" JJ asked. 

John B nodded. "Yeah, it's totally manageable I promise. My nose has just been a messy bitch all day and my throat's not doing so hot either. It's a cold. This is what happens, it's fine."

"Maybe you should take a day off tomorrow," Kie noted. 

"Okay, that coughing fit started because I choked on a fry, don't worry, guys." John B was starting to get a little annoyed. 

He had a runny nose and an itchy throat but other than that he was pretty much fine. He knew he wasn't 100% but then again he wasn't claiming that he was. 

Throughout the course of dinner and then returning to the chateau, John B started to feel a little worse. Once they were back in John B's living room he realized how sore he was. He wasn't usually this sore after being out on the water all day, but whenever he caught a cold his muscles would go all out of wack. 

Kie shoved a box of tissues into John B's hands and told him to take care of himself. He stepped into the bathroom and blew his nose a couple of times. After doing so he checked himself out in the mirror. He looked sick. His face had a slight puffiness to it that came with the congestion that was settling in. 

As soon as he stepped out of the bathroom a kitchen light hit his eyes the wrong way and he ended up sneezing three times, absolutely taking back whatever progress he had made clearing his nose. 

Sarah blessed him and he thanked her. She rubbed his back and he gave her a soft smile. They were soon interrupted by Pope and Kie walking in with snacks and saying they were going to go sit outside on the dock. Sarah and John B followed after them. 

As the night went on, John B started sneezing more frequently and his voice became more hoarse. Everyone was trying to convince him to stay home the next day and get some rest, but John B had quite severe FOMO, and he wasn't sure that he would hang back. 

After a particularly harsh set of sneezes and a promise from Sarah that she'd stay and take care of him, John B agreed.