Take My Breath Away {Jaspar AU}

one.

Chapter Title: How It All Began.
Pairings: Jaspar
Warnings: None in this chapter :)
Word Count: 3610

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Starch white sheets and pale skin contrasted with those brilliant blue eyes.

That smile lit up the room, replacing all of the death and angst with a gentle kindness.

Even though he was taller than Joe himself, the boy in the bed looked utterly small and vulnerable.
For a moment Joe forgot how to breathe. Lost in the other boy's presence, he couldn't find his voice. In a building filled with death and sickness, he never thought he'd come across anyone so ill looking with such a normal, carefree smile on his face despite how much pain he must be in.

But what made Joe's lips turn upwards in a slight smile was the fact that the boy was smiling at him, as though Joe was an angel bringing the boy a miracle instead of just a bowl of pudding.

And then he spoke.

"Aren't you going to come in? Or you could just keep standing there like a cute little hobbit."

"Yeah--I--yes." Joe ducked his head shyly, trying to hide the red that came rushing to his cheeks. "And my name is Joe, and no I am not a Hobbit."

"Joe," he repeated softly, smiling. "I'm Caspar Lee."

Caspar Lee.

That name. It rang in Joe's mind like a church bell, lightbulbs going off in his head. This is Caspar Lee. It made sense. Caspar was two years younger than Joe, but he can still remember when the suddenly dropped off the face of the earth during Joe's sixth year. Of course, Joe never actually saw Caspar, he'd only heard the rumors about what had happened. And now, much to his surprise, he knew.

Caspar looked so content in the bed and that made Joe's heart hurt because he realized that the bed was most likely the closest friend the boy had.

And so that was precisely how their friendship began--with a cup of pudding.

...

Every day after school, Joe would go straight to the hospital. Volunteering was something he loved to do in his spare time, but ever since meeting the blond South African he would visit for other reasons. Sometimes he brought his sister, Zoe, or her boyfriend (who also happened to be a good friend of Joe's) Alfie, to keep Caspar entertained. As they got to know more and more about one another, they realized just how much they actually had in common. The same sense of humor, pizza, FIFA. All the things Caspar had been missing out on.

After one month of Joe taking care of the younger lad, keeping him warm with blankets and making sure he had enough water and oxygen in the tank, it was getting closer for Caspar's discharge from the hospital.

When he found out, Joe had come into help a nurse check the boy's vitals only to find Caspar buried underneath a mountain of pillows. Raising a brow, Joe leaned over and saw that the blonde had fallen asleep. A small, fond smile played on Joe's lips and for a moment he didn't want to wake the sick boy up from his seemingly peaceful sleep. But his responsibilities got the best of him and he gently placed a hand on Caspar's arm and shook lightly. "Hey, Casp. It's time to wake up buddy."

It took the blonde boy a few seconds to open his eyes, blinking groggily up at the older boy and pouting a little. "Joooeee," he whined sleepily, burying his face in a pillow.

"Caspaaaarr," the other boy teased, carefully picking up the pillow and setting it back against the bed. "Come on mate, sit up a little. For me?" He asked, batting his eyelashes.