Work Text:
“Jewel? I’m here!”
It was four in the afternoon. Tangle had nothing going on at the time, so she rung up Jewel to see if she needed some help at the mineral museum. The beetle said yes.
She opened the door to the museum, and sure enough, Jewel was right at the front door waiting for her.
“Tangle!” she smiled, hovering in the air. “Thanks so much for coming to help!”
“Hey, don’t mention it,” the lemur responded, shutting the door with her tail. “Now, what do you need me to do fir-“
Tangle stopped as she got a better look at Jewel. She was sweating bullets, her breathing was a bit heavy, and it looked like she was struggling to stay afloat.
“Hey, are you okay? You look a bit… off,” she observed.
“I’m okay,” Jewel responded. “Just a little tired. Also, is it just me or is it hotter than usual in here?”
Tangle cocked her head to the side. “No? The temperature’s fine to me.”
The beetle hummed. “Well, I’m gonna turn the thermostat down a bit, if that’s fine with you. While I’m doing that, can you put these rocks on the shelves over there?”
Tangle, still looking a bit concerned, nodded. She took the rocks off the table and headed to the shelf.
What is up with her today? she thought. Usually, despite working her butt off constantly, she still has a lot more energy than-
THUMP
Tangle’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard Jewel bump into a display stand, and causing a rock to fall off. “Nonono-!”
Using her quick reflexes, Tangle stretched her tail out and caught the mineral with it before it could hit the ground. The display stand hit the ground with a CRASH , causing Jewel to put her hands over her head and groan. She gave the beetle a look.
“Yeah, now I KNOW something’s wrong,” Tangle said, placing the minerals on the table. “Usually I’m the one doing stuff like that.”
“Tangle, I told you, I’m fi-fi-AACHOO!” Jewel sneezed, causing herself to fly back a bit.
“Sure. I’ll be the judge of that,” Tangle replied, walking over to her. “Hold still.”
Jewel reluctantly complied, landed gently on the floor, and Tangle softly pressed her hand on her forehead.
“Holy crap!” she suddenly yelped, pulling it back. “It’s like your head’s on fire!!”
Jewel raised an eyebrow. “Tangle, you’re making this sound like a big deal. I can still wo-“
“OH-HO-HO, no you aren’t!” the lemur interrupted. “I’m taking you to your place to get some rest.”
“But the museum-!”
“I don’t wanna hear it, Jewel,” Tangle said, more serious than usual. “The museum’s not gonna collapse just from you taking a sick day.”
The beetle opened her mouth to argue, but all that came out were some coughs. Her best friend sighed.
“C’mon,” she took Jewel’s arms. “You can rest on my shoulders.”
Tangle could tell she was struggling to get out of her grip. Luckily, her efforts were futile, and before she knew it, she was being carried piggyback style.
“Alright, now to shut down the fort,” Tangle said. She let go of one of her friend’s legs to put her hand out. “Jewel, give me your keys.”
No answer from her. She just shook her head. “I can’t just-“
“Jewel, if those keys aren’t in my hands in the next three seconds, I’m gonna tell everyone how I gave you a piggyback ride.”
Jewel’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t-!”
“One…”
“Tangle, you’re being ridiculou-!”
“TWO…”
“UGH…” Jewel dug into her pocket and put the keys in her hand.
“There we go,” Tangle smirked. “Glad you’re finally complying.”
-
After closing up the museum, they were on their way to Jewel’s.
Thankfully, Jewel’s house was only a minute away from the museum, so getting her back there was pretty easy for Tangle.
And the streets were empty, so Jewel was saved from the embarrassment of being carried.
As they got to the house, Tangle unlocked the door, opened it with her tail, and put the keys on the counter, where Jewel likes to put them.
Tangle had been here a million times, so navigating the house was no sweat. She immediately made her way upstairs and into Jewel’s room.
“Alright,” she started, finally setting her down. “I’m gonna head downstairs and find some medicine and the thermometer. Meanwhile, you get out of your work clothes and head to bed.”
“‘Kay,” Jewel squeaked out. “Should be in the cabinet on top of the fridge.” Tangle gave her a thumbs up and headed out the room.
However, she didn’t even make it downstairs before she heard the sound of a beetle flying and a thump.
Sighing, she made her way back up to find Jewel on the floor, holding her head and groaning.
“Jewel…” she put her hand to her face.
“Lemme go… can’t miss work-“
“I told you,” Tangle picked her up and carried her back to bed. “The museum’s not going anywhere. Now change out of your work clothes.” She started walking downstairs. “I’m serious.”
As Tangle went to the cabinet, sitting on her tail for some extra height, she listened for any noises of Jewel trying to escape. So far, nothing.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she got what she needed and headed back upstairs. Jewel probably had some jammies on right now.
“Okay, Jewel,” Tangle opened the door. “I got the- …you’ve got to be kidding me.”
In Tangle’s sight was Jewel, trying to open her bedroom window in an attempt to get out of the house.
“I was just letting some air in-“
“Don’t give me that. You’re still in your work clothes,” Tangle observed, setting the thermometer and medicine syrup on the dresser. “And you do realize that even if you did get out, you wouldn’t have the keys to get back into the museum, right?”
The beetle blushed, realizing she never took that into account.
“Now let me take your temperature, ok?”
Jewel sighed, but let the lemur stick the thermometer in her mouth. They waited a few seconds, and with a beep, the temperature popped up.
Tangle took the thermostat. “Okay, let’s see- oh my gosh. ” She put her hand over her mouth. 101 degrees. “You actually decided to go to work like this?!”
“Hey, the museum isn’t gonna run itsel-!” Jewel started to retort, but was interrupted by a coughing fit.
“Jewel…” She knelt down to her level and pat her back. “Look, I get it. Trying to get yourself away from constantly working is hard. When you see things that need to be done, you want it over and done with immediately. But it’s okay to take an off day every once in a while.”
The beetle looked up at her. “Tangle…”
“Yeah, work’s important. But you know what’s even more important? Your well-being. If you aren’t in good shape, you shouldn’t be working.”
Jewel was surprised. Since when was Tangle the one that gave speeches like that?
Ow. Jewel gripped her forehead. Don’t think. Head hurts.
Tangle caught on to the fact that her friend was in pain. “Okayokay, hold on. I gotcha,” she reassured her, lifting her up and sitting her down on the bed. She grabbed the syrup from off the dresser. “Do you want me to help you get this down?”
“I-I can do it myself,” Jewel stammered, taking the small cup. She grimaced at the sight of it.
“Yeah, I know. That stuff tastes awful,” Tangle sympathized as Jewel shut her eyes and drank it up. “Anything to help you feel even a little better, though, right?”
Jewel nodded, handing her the cup.
“I’m gonna put this in the sink, and get you some water and a wet towel for your head. Now PLEASE,” Tangle instructed. “Change out of your work clothes and get into bed while I’m out there.”
“Alright,” Jewel mumbled. Happy that she was finally complying, the lemur smiled and headed out of the room again.
-
In her pajamas and under the covers of her bed, Jewel tried to ignore the excruciating pain she was in.
Her nose was stuffy, it was taking everything she had to keep her eyes open, her head was aching, and she was hot AND cold at the same time. How is that even possible?
She shut her eyes tightly, tears threatening to escape from them.
It hurts. It hurts so bad. Make it stop-
Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a cold, wet towel on her forehead. She opened her eyes to see Tangle, smiling softly. “I’m back.”
An awkward silence emitted between the two, as Tangle kneeled on the floor, resting her arms on the side of the bed.
“…hurts, Tangle,” the beetle suddenly uttered, the aforementioned tears escaping. “It’s so painful-“
“Hush. I know. It’s okay.” The lemur took her best friend’s hand and gently squeezed it. “I’ll help you through it. You’ll be okay. I promise.”
Jewel sniffed and slightly smiled at her words.
“Does your stomach hurt?” Tangle asked.
“No,” Jewel muttered. “‘M a bit hungry, actually.”
Tangle stood up. “I can put on some soup for you, but it may take a while. Want me to call Whisper and see if she can keep you company?”
“Tha-ACHOO!!” The beetle sneezed. “That’d *sniff* be nice…”
“Understood,” Tangle saluted jokingly, and headed out of the room.
“Thank… you…”
-
KNOCK KNOCK
As Tangle set out what she needed for the soup, she heard a knock at Jewel’s front door.
When calling Whisper, who was more than willing to help out, Tangle had told her to knock on the door instead of using the doorbell so her headache wouldn’t get worse.
“Hey, Whisp,” she greeted, opening the door. “Thanks for coming. I know this is so sudden, but-“
The wolf put her hand up. “S’alright. I had nothing to do at the house anyway,” she said. “Is Jewel in her room?”
“Yeah,” Tangle replied, heading back to prepare the soup. “It’s the first door you see at the top of the stairs. Be quiet, though, okay? She might be sleeping.” Whisper gave her a thumbs up as she passed the kitchen.
After finding the door to the bedroom, she slowly opened it and took a look at Jewel.
Yep. She’s out like a light.
Jewel was fast asleep, towel on her head, with soft snores escaping her throat. As quietly as she could, Whisper took a chair near the dresser, placed it near Jewel’s bed and sat dawn.
Her wisps then popped out of their capsules to see the sick beetle. She put a finger to her lips to give them the message to stay quiet.
Pure silence for the next five minutes, until…
“ACHOOO!”
All of them flinched at the sound of Jewel sneezing herself awake.
“Ngggh,” Jewel groaned, still half asleep. “Thirsty…” She turned her head to find the bottle of water Tangle got her near her bed, untouched. Immediately, she grabbed the bottle and took a slow, small sip, just so she doesn’t risk getting a stomachache.
It caught her off guard when she found Whisper’s wisps hovering around her, their eyes showing looks of concern.
“Feeling better?”
The beetle turned towards the sound of the voice to find Whisper, leaning her elbow on the armrest of her chair and giving her a smile.
“Hey, Whisper,” she said. “The headache I had earlier has gone down a bit. It’s a start, I suppose.”
“Mmm,” Whisper hummed in response. “I’ve never heard of you taking a sick day before.”
“Well, it took a lot of pestering and pleading from Tangle. She practically had to drag me home,” Jewel admitted, petting the blue wisp.
A chuckle from the wolf. “In the time I spent with Tangle, I learned to never say no when she offers to help you with something. She WILL do so, no matter what you say.”
“Yeah… considering we’ve been friends for years, I’m embarrassed that it slipped my mind,” Jewel blushed.
“Yep. You should be ashamed of yourself,” said a sarcastic voice.
Tangle walked into the room with Jewel’s bowl of soup in her hands. She placed it on the dresser to the left side of the bed. “I had to wait a minute for it to cool a bit. It should still be warm enough though!”
Jewel gently grabbed the bowl and took a closer look. Chicken noodle soup.
“I know it’s no chicken wings,” Tangle kept chatting, “but I hope you like it anyway!”
The wisps took a spoonful of it and held it up to Jewel’s mouth.
“They’re offering to feed you,” Whisper laughed, with her mask on.
“Oh! Heh heh, thanks. But I can do it on my own.” She smiled, took the spoon and brought it to her mouth, while Tangle waited in anticipation.
“Wow…” Stars filled the beetle’s eyes. “Tangle, this is fantastic!”
The lemur’s smile grew wider. “Really? I’m glad to hear that!”
For the next few minutes, Tangle and Whisper watched as Jewel happily ate up the rest of the soup, with Whisper’s wisps snuggling with her.
After Jewel was done, she smiled brightly. “That might have been the best soup I’ve ever had.”
“Oh stop,” Tangle blushed, rubbing the back of her head. “Want me to take that to the sink for you?”
“Huh? Oh, no, you don’t have to do that!” Jewel told her, attempting to get out of bed. “I ca… ca… ACHOO!!”
Jewel sneezed hard, causing her to drop the bowl onto the floor.
Thank Chaos my room is carpeted.
“Oh yeah. Still sick,” she sniffed. “Totally forgot about that.”
“You seem to be moving around easier,” Whisper pointed out. “Is your head better?”
“…now that you mention it, yeah!” Jewel beamed. “I think the sneezing and coughing is still causing problems, though.”
Tangle picked up the bowl. “I’d say take a shower and get some sleep. I know it’s a bit early, but getting more sleep should ease your symptoms.”
“Mhmm. Sounds good,” Jewel said. “And Tangle? Whisper? Thank you so much for-“
“Stopping you right there,” Tangle interrupted, putting her hand up. “What do you think I’m gonna say to that?”
“Yes, yes,” Jewel rolled her eyes. “‘What’re friends for, right?’”
She hopped to the floor, not wanting to use her wings to fly to the bathroom just in case she needed to save her energy. “You guys are good to go if you want.”
Tangle thought it over for a second, then nodded. “Alright. But if you need anything, don’t be afraid to call me or Whisp. And promise me to take the day off tomorrow if you need to. Or the next two days. However long you’ll need until you’re ready to get back into the grind.”
The beetle nodded and held out her fist. “I’ll fist-bump on it.”
Tangle’s face beamed. The fistbump was basically their pinky promise. Not a single one of their promises had been broken after they did it.
After bumping her fist, and the wisps went back into their capsules, Tangle headed to the door with Whisper. “We’ll check in on you tomorrow!”
“See you then,” Jewel called, loud enough for them hear, but softly enough so her headache wouldn’t resurface.
After closing the door behind them, Whisper glanced at Tangle.
“Sooo… would you perhaps be okay with making that soup for dinner tonight?” she teased.
Tangle snickered. “Sure. If Jewel said it was good, then it’s gotta be.”
-
Jewel sighed as she settled into bed once more. She had just gotten out of the shower, got herself another bottle of water, and brushed her teeth.
She allowed herself to start nodding off. Her last thought before she fell asleep was:
I couldn’t be more grateful that those two are my friends.