Buttercream Oneshots

Relapse (Joe + Caspar)

Could you maybe write something where Joe used to deal with an eating disorder as a teenager (AU explaining why he's so small) and he suddenly relapses while living with Caspar and it gets really bad and Caspar calls Zoe, Oli, Will and all their friends when Joe lands in the hospital one day?

Everybody had their insecurities, and that's ok. But for Joe, his insecurities led to a serious issue. As a teenager, he had a nice figure and was average weight. But when he looked in the mirror, that wasn't what he saw. He saw an ugly chubby kid. So he decided to do something about it. He started off with cutting out snacks in between meals and started going to the gym. It worked. But it wasn't enough. So he cut out breakfast. Then lunch. Then dinner. He stopped eating completely. He spent his time exercising and trying to work on his figure. He became a shadow of his former self. He was pals and was practically skin and bone. But still he only saw a fat kid. And no one noticed. No one saw when he would stuff himself at dinners that he couldn't get out of, then creep off to the bathroom and throw it all up again. He enjoyed the power he had over his body and liked being in control. But one day it got too much. His body couldn't cope with the stress he was putting on his body. So it gave up. He collapsed at school one day and was rushed to the hospital. His parents cried when the doctor told them Joe had an eating disorder and his sister promised to always look after her little brother and she promised she would make him feel better again. And he did get better. He went to therapy and got a control over his habits. He never felt the need to stop eating again.

Joe decided not to tell any of his friends about his past because he didn't want their sympathy and pity. However, this mistake could have cost him his life. Since being a teenager, he had started a YouTube channel and become famous worldwide. He was making a difference to peoples lives and he loved it. But among the thousands of positive comments, there were always a few negatives. And the ones that commented on his weight sparked something inside of Joe. His brain told him that he needed to stop eating again. So he did. He relapsed back into his old habits and he felt victim to his mental illness once more. He thought nobody noticed. He was wrong. His roommate Caspar had seen how his best friend was always looking tired and worn out. His normally tanned skin had gotten pale and his fitted shirts now hung loosely off his frame. He tried to get through to Joe but he wouldn't listen. It got to a point where Caspar couldn't ignore it anymore. Him and Joe were in the kitchen when Joe stumbled. He said he was fine and he just had a dizzy spell. So they let it go. But minutes later, Joe collapsed to the ground. For Caspar, everything happened in slow motion. He could only watch as Joe fell to the floor. He quickly knelt besides his friend and when Joe didn't wake up, called the ambulance. They came and took Joe away and Caspar followed behind.

"Caspar?"

"Z-Zoe"

"What's up Casp?"

"It's Joe. He-he passed out and he's at the hospital and I don't know what to do. Please help!"

"Woah slow down. Text me the address of the hospital and I'll meet you there. I'm on my way"

"Please hurry"

"I will. And Caspar, don't worry you did a good job buddy"

Whilst Caspar waited for Zoe and for news about Joe, he decided to contact some of their friends and tell them what had happened. Oli and Will said they were on their way and would be there as fast as they could. Others like Jack and Conor apologised they couldn't be there and sent their love and asked to be kept updated. Caspar smiled to himself because they had good friends, and Caspar was scared and sharing the burden had helped him.

Zoe arrived at the hospital and spoke to Caspar for a while. The doctor came out and asked for Joes family. He told them that Joe had not been eating and it had been going on a while.

"Not again" Zoe mumbled under her breath.

"What?" Caspar replied, confused.

Zoe explained everything to Caspar about Joe as a teenager and he felt his heart break at what his best friend had gone through. He vowed to help Joe as much as he could. As soon as they were allowed in to see Joe, the two friends went in. Tears were shed among all three of the group as they spoke about Joes situation. Zoe and Caspar promised to help Joe get better and Joe promised to ask for help and to confide in them about how he was feeling. Joe would get better because he had an amazing support system and this time, he wouldn't have to go through it alone.