FrieAme AU where Friede's a paediatrician and Amethio's a terminally ill inpatient. Friede's in charge of Amethio's care and keeps telling himself not to get attached but oops Friede gets attached. So does Amethio. Contains main character death, obviously!

Thanks to my good friend for always contributing great ideas! <3

Ame starting to hallucinate towards the end of his life and he keeps thinking Frie's in the room with him when Frie isn't. Sometimes Frie will enter Ame's room with Ame in mid-conversation to... nobody
[Me] Initially, Frie wonders if Ame thinks he's talking to one of his parents. Usually that's what happens with kids who reach this stage: they have conversations with somebody they wish was there to comfort them
[Me] But then Ame will be confused by Frie's presence and sometimes say things that don't make any sense... and Frie finally figures out that oh. The person Ame thinks he's talking to is him
[Me] Which means that Ame wants to be with Frie more than he wants to be with his own family. And Frie can't even feel happy that Ame cares about him that much... it just makes him sad that Ame's family were that distant
[Me] Even though lately both Gibe and Spi have made more of an effort to visit Ame, Frie knows it's far too late to fully repair their rocky relationships -- and he doesn't expect Ame to do that, either
[Me] It's the fact that over the last year and however many months, Frie has managed to get closer to Ame than anyone else in his life ever did. That Ame cares about Frie, his doctor, more than his family and... well, Frie knows the boy never had any friends
[Me] Frie wishes he could provide Ame with the comfort he actually wants. The love and care that Ame so desperately craves. And Frie does do that to the best of his ability... but he also has to be careful of their boundaries for not only his own sake, but for Ame's, too
[Me] Now that Ame's mind is starting to go, Frie doesn't feel comfortable being intimate with him. He was only ever willing to engage Ame in a physical relationship because Ame was the one who insisted, and at the time, Ame had been perfectly lucid and more than aware of what he wanted
[Me] But now? There were times when Ame was still his usual, stubborn self, but he wasn't as witty as he'd initially been. His sarcastic side only very rarely came through. He was still Amethio, but he also wasn't.
[Me] So even if Ame asked Frie to kiss him or hug him, Frie knew it was even more wrong than it had been before. But he also couldn't bring himself to always say no, since that would undoubtedly make Ame think that Frie was abandoning him, and Frie would never forgive himself if Ame thought Frie was treating him the same way his father used to
"[Me] Part of Frie wanted to ask Gibe if it was okay to hug Ame. They'd just be normal, platonic hugs. Nothing was suggestive about him hugging his patient, right?

But would Gibe believe him? Would he really think that Ame wanted his doctor, who hadn't known for that long, to hug him, when he'd never been one for any kind of physical contact previously?"
[Me] ...Then again, Frie wonders if Gibe ever even knew that about Ame. Gibe probably didn't have any idea if Ame liked physical contact or not
[Me] One day, Gibe comes to visit for the first time in a while. Frie warns Gibe ahead of time about the hallucinations and that Gibe is free to leave if he gets too uncomfortable, but Gibe doesn't seem like he's all that bothered
"[Me] Frie does explain that's not only hallucinations, but also some other dementia-like symptoms, and asks Gibe to not be offended by anything Ame potentially says

Gibe seems to think Frie's exaggerating"
"[Me] Ame stares at Gibe for several moments, as if trying to figure out who the visitor is

Frie: Um... I told you, your father was coming to visit
Ame: ...?
Frie: [Gestures towards Gibe]
Ame: That can't be my father
Frie: ...Why not?
Ame, bluntly: My father would never take the time out of his day to visit me. Don't be ridiculous"
"[Me] Frie: H-He's visited you before, you know!
Ame: What? No he hasn't. He hates me. It makes no sense for him to come here
Frie: Then... who do you think that is?
Ame: [Stares at Gibe some more]
Ame: I... I don't know"
"[Me] Ame: I don't know who this is, Friede. But it's not my father. It can't be my father. He'd never... He'd never care about me enough to be here...
Frie: Except it is your father, and he is here to visit you because he does care. He's been here a few times already. Can you really not remember?
Ame: ........W-Wasn't that... Spinel...?"
"[Me] Frie: Yeah, your brother has been visiting you, too. But it's not just him. Your father has, too.
Ame: ...You're lying! I don't believe you!
Frie: And what makes you so sure your father hates you?
Ame: I-I mean... Everything's my fault, after all, so...
Frie: You being sick isn't anybody's fault, and--
Ame: I'm not talking about that!"
"[Me] Frie: [Sighs] Sir, could you perhaps try and jog Amethio's memory by mentioning something the two of you have discussed during one of your previous visits? Perhaps that might help convince him...
Gibe: ...There's nothing.
Frie: Pardon? S-Surely you can recall something you've talked about with him! Even something incredibly mundane"
"[Me] Gibe: No, that's not the issue. We... never talked about anything
Frie: ...Excuse me?
Gibe: We never had anything to discuss, so we didn't discuss anything. I figured if Amethio wanted to tell me something, he would tell me.
Gibe: I saw no point enquiring about his care, as if there had been any issues, I would have been informed regardless"
"[Me] Frie: You... You didn't even ask how he was doing?
Gibe: Whenever I would visit, you would always tell me exactly how he was doing, Doctor
Frie: ......................Wow"
[Me] Frie: With all due respect, Sir, the entire reason I kept asking you to visit Amethio wasn't just so you could sit there in silence with him. It was so that the two of you could get a bit closer with the small amount of time you have left together. What is the-- What is the point of visiting your son if you won't even talk to him about anything?!
"[Me] Frie's shaking with anger, appalled at Gibe's complete lack of understanding. He has to stop himself from yelling, and he wants to swear at the man, too, but that's more than just unprofessional (plus doing that in front of Ame is... not good)

But Frie is furious"
"[Me] Gibe: I don't see why you're getting worked up. My relationship with my son is none of your business. You're his physical doctor, not his psychiatrist
Gibe: Besides, as I previously stated, if Amethio had anything he wanted to talk about, he would have brought it up himself"
[Me] Frie: Oh, really? You really think he would've felt comfortable talking about things with you? After you've spent the vast majority of his life pretending that he doesn't exist? Did you not stop to think for one goddamn second that maybe - just maybe - there's a reason he never initiated any conversations with you?
[Me] Frie: HOW, exactly, is Amethio supposed to trust you enough to feel comfortable talking to you about anything? Surely you could've found something to discuss. What about you? Something you've been doing? Your work, your hobbies... anything
"[Me] Gibe: What part of ""my relationship with my son is none of your business"" do you not understand? You aren't his therapist, nor are you his parent, so it has absolutely nothing to do with you
Gibe: My work is confidential. As for hobbies, I have no time for such things"
[Me] Gibe: Your job, Doctor, is simply to take care of my son's physical needs. Not his mental or emotional needs. If you've been concerned about his mental state, then, surely the best course of action would be to first inform me, and then go about hiring someone whose ACTUAL job it is to meddle in their patient's relationships
"[Me] Frie: You... Don't you care about your son? At all? He's... He's only sixteen. He's going to die soon. Do you really hate him that much?
Gibe: I was under the assumption doctors are supposed to be intelligent. Need I repeat myself again? My relationship with--
Frie: IT IS MY BUSINESS, ACTUALLY!"
"[Me] Frie finally raises his voice properly. He knows he's crossing a line. That he shouldn't be getting this mad. On paper, Gibe's completely right: it isn't any of Frie's business.

And yet... it is"
"[Me] Frie: I just... What the hell has Amethio done to make you despise him so much? Why do you treat him so coldly? Why won't you even attempt to act like you care that he's going to die?
Frie: No... That's not what I want to know. What I want to know is why you refuse to see your son as a person. Why you don't acknowledge his existence or his situation"
"[Me] Frie: Don't you hit me with that stupid line again. It is my business. Not as his doctor, but as his friend.

(Frie really wants to say ""lover"", but he manages to stop himself)"
[Me] Frie: Answer me, Sir. Why do you refuse to see Amethio as his own person?
"[Me] Gibe stands there, as if he's unable to process what Frie said. He's not used to people talking back to him, probably, Frie reckons.

But that's fine. Frie doesn't care anymore. Ame can't stand up for himself, but Frie can at least call Gibe out for him"
"[Me] Gibe: And what do you know? Why are you so attached to your patient, Doctor? Why does he matter so much to you?
Frie: ...My relationship with your son is none of your business"
"[Me] Gibe: You-
Frie: Oh, wait, I think I've got it. I think I know why you hate him
Gibe: Quit making assumptions. You know nothing.
Frie: You're the one assuming I know nothing
Frie: You're talking about the divorce, right? From your wife? Amethio's mother? Who you cheated on? With another man?
Gibe: ....How do you..."
[Me] Frie: Ah, yes, the affair. You blame the affair and your failed marriage on your son, because your son was the one who caught you cheating, right? Even though he was a young child who had no idea what was going on when he saw you in bed with another man
[Me] Frie: To blame a child, rather than your own inability to contain your lust, is, quite frankly, despicable. It's not Amethio's fault you chose to sleep with someone you weren't married to. It's your fault, and yours alone
"[Me] Frie: Honestly, I feel sorry for your wife. I can't imagine how she must have felt when she found out that you cheated. Can't say I blame her for leaving you, you know. If I was her, I would've left, too. And I--
Gibe: ENOUGH."
"[Me] Gibe's deep, bellowing voice rang throughout the room. It was so overpowering that Frie swore even the machines temporarily stopped beeping for a moment.

Frie himself froze in fear. He'd never seen someone look so... threatening before"
[Me] With just a single word, Frie had been put in his place. His anger had evaporated. Even if he still had more he wanted to say, he couldn't say it
"[Me] In the silence, Frie could hear a whimper behind him.

And he realised he'd completely forgotten about Amethio"
[Me] Ame, it turned out... was hiding under the covers, curled up into what looked like a ball, shaking
"[Me] Frie immediately feels extremely guilty for shouting in front of him. He goes over to Ame's bed, ignoring Gibe, and sits down next to where the Ame-shaped lump is.

Frie puts a hand on Ame's back, and Ame jumps slightly"
"[Me] Frie: Sorry. Are you okay?
Ame: ...
Frie: It's alright. It's over now, okay, Amethio?"
"[Me] Frie then turns to glare at Gibe, who still looks furious.

Frie: I suggest you leave, Sir
Gibe: I don't need you to tell me that. I was just about to do so, as it happened
Frie: Good.
Gibe: ...Amethio--
Ame: I-I'm sorry... Please don't...
Gibe: ?
Ame: It's my fault, so please... Don't... Don't yell at Mother..."
"[Me] Ame: I didn't... I didn't mean to... to...
Gibe: .........Your mother isn't--
Ame: I'm sorry... I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have t-told...

Gibe says nothing. He watches Ame for a moment before he turns around and leaves, not even bothering to address Frie"
"[Me] Frie, likewise, doesn't bother addressing Gibe.

He spends the next several minutes trying to calm Ame down and convince him that everything's okay and that his father's gone, so there's nothing to worry about anymore"
"[Me] Frie has many questions... and concerns. But Ame can't answer them. And he knows Gibe won't answer them, even if he asked.

Eventually, Ame wriggles out from under the sheets, and it's clear that he was crying. A lot."
"[Me] Frie doesn't regret what he said to Gibe, but he does regret getting mad in front of Ame like that.

And he's convinced that Gibe's going to report him, too, and he'll probably end up losing his job.

But Gibe doesn't. Even though Frie knows he's fully within his rights to do so"
"[Me] Anyway this is getting too long but : )

Frie calling Gibe out on his bullshit... Getting mad on Ame's behalf... But it's not the right circumstances for it so it kinda backfires..."
"[Redacted] Oh this is all so good. Gibe dad of the year as usual... Frie gradually getting more pissed on Ame's behalf and defending him... Gibe managing to shut him up with one single word was hot too : ) He has a commanding presence.

Also I forgot how Frie even knew about the affair? Did Ame tell him?"
[Redacted] Also Ame being scared and hiding under his blanket... so cute... he is a kid who doesn't like when adults are fighting around him...
[Me] Yeah Ame told Frie! Ame eventually figures out who Mysterious Garden Man is (Luci) and has a bit of a crisis about it and ends up explaining things to Frie who's like "Um"
[Me] Frie doesn't know the details beyond "Gibe had an affair with Luci and Ame was the one who saw them together" but tbf that's all Ame knows too lol
[Me] I can see Gibe being the type who's usually pretty stoic and doesn't say much, and people are aware that you don't want to get him mad, but when he's angry he's fucking terrifying and can instantly shut people up
[Redacted] Yeah! I wonder if Ame lived through Gibe getting mad for some reason... it doesn't feel like he gets angry often since he is so detached from his family but like, did Ame get the brunt of his anger before.. did he get mad at him for the affair thing
[Me] I imagine Ame probably saw his parents arguing after the affair and blamed himself because while he didn't understand what they were arguing about (he was like... 5, lol) he'd never heard them argue before and it traumatised him even further : )
[Me] And Gibe was berating Mother about something, so Ame went in and tried to get Gibe to stop yelling at her because it wasn't Mother's fault, it was Ame's fault, so he should be yelling at Ame instead
"[Me] Maybe that time, Ame was able to stop things, but after Mother properly left for real, Gibe wasn't coping, so he'd get mad at his sons

But for some reason, it was always Ame he'd take his resentment out on, which meant Ame was convinced that Gibe hated him"
[Me] Ame looks more like Mother, that's the reason
[Redacted] Oh... Ame defending mom... he is so cute and brave
[Redacted] And yeah, Gibe taking his resentment out on Ame is good. He is awful for this.
[Redacted] Fucked up the poor boy's self esteem for life
[Me] I imagine Gibe did eventually stop, but then he went in the complete opposite direction and kept ignoring him entirely lmaooo
[Redacted] Way to send mixed messages to your already confused son
[Me] Maybe Gibe was worried that either Ame would say something again or Spi, who's quite a bit older than Ame, would try and get Gibe in trouble? Or Gibe just woke up one day and went "Oh I don't feel like verbally abusing my son today" and that was that
[Redacted] I can see that www
[Redacted] That must have been very confusing for Ame...
[Me] It sure was! I can see it coinciding with Ame getting a perfect score on an important test or something and Ame assuming Gibe stopped yelling at him because he managed to prove that he wasn't entirely useless, so Ame then devotes himself to studying (The reality is that Gibe didn't even know about the test result because he never checked Ame's grades)
[Me] (As long as Ame was passing, he didn't care)
[Redacted] I truly cannot get enough of the whole "I just need to be perfect so [insert here name] will love me"
[Redacted] Ame just wants to be perfect! And good enough!
[Me] God, I love it too
[Me] Also normally Ame would've just sat there feeling very uncomfortable while Frie and Gibe argued but with his diminishing mental state is just... triggered him too much and all he could think about was his mother getting yelled at so he just. Hid. I imagine it was an instinctual thing
[Me] "it just triggered him" is what I meant, oops
[Redacted] Yeah! I hope Gibe feels like shit after this argument with Frie but knowing him...
[Me] I think it would make Gibe at least go "I mean I guess he's not entirely wrong" but that's about it haha
[Redacted] Hshshsh I'm gonna smack that man, Ame means nothing to him-
"[Me] Frie: Dude when I said ""spend time with him"" I meant ""engage in some small talk"" not ""sit there in silence doing nothing""
Gibe, who's never engaged in small talk in his life: What"
[Me] (That's a lie, he did it with Luci, but Luci's special lol)
[Redacted] Tfw he treated his lover better than he did his sons
[Me] Luci really is far too powerful for his own good
[Me] /s
[Redacted] He is...
[Redacted] But it's still sad!
[Me] Tbf Luci was Gibe's ex-boyfriend and they did date before Gibe was forced to get married but... Gibe doesn't know how to love people, especially his children, because nobody's ever really loved him... other than Luci
[Redacted] Yeah! It's sad..... but Ame.... poor boy got the worst of his father's bs huh
[Me] Oh it is... He definitely got the worst of it. And even if Gibe does eventually tell Ame he's got nothing to apologise for, it's far too late, and Gibe's fully aware of that
[Redacted] He is a good boy! Who just wanted to be loved! And to have his family be proud of him!
[Me] He wanted Gibe to be jealous of him and his own family one day...
[Redacted] A cute boy with pure dreams
[Me] Gibe reading that in Ame's letter and going "And yet you fell in love with your male doctor..."
"[Me] Gibe relating to Ame over falling in love with someone he couldn't have, and a relationship that would never be approved by society...

Maybe that's makes Gibe the most sympathetic, since he was in the same situation (but at least he had a proper relationship with Luci, even if it was only temporary)"
[Redacted] He can only relate when it's something similar to his personal experience ww
[Me] In other situations he doesn't know what he's supposed to be feeling, and he can't put himself in someone else's shoes, maybe...
[Me] That and most of the time he doesn't give a shit lol
[Redacted] Spi and Ame, I'm so sorry for the father you have
[Redacted] www
[Me] But it wouldn't be as fun if Gibe was a loving, caring dad! /s
[Redacted] Oh most definitely! It's good if he is an ass (and tries to set things right eventually) (even if in this case, Ame won't be alive to see it)
[Me] Oh hold on... Now I'm thinking that maybe the one who makes Gibe actually see that he's being a complete fucking asshole is Luci, because Luci's the only person Gibe will actually listen to
[Me] After Ame's funeral and Gibe getting called out by both Diana and Spi, Di decides to get Luci to talk some sense into Gibe even though they agreed they'd never interact again
[Me] Luci says something like "If I'd known this was the sort of person you truly are, I never would have gone out with you" and "No matter how much you try and convince yourself otherwise, you are, in fact, capable of loving people. You loved me. You can love your sons, too. It's not too late to start"
[Redacted] Oh yeah! The fact that Luci is the only one capable of getting through him at this point...
"[Redacted] And yeah, like Luci is genuinely a gentle person right? (aside from the whole ""making someone cheat on their wife"" lmao)
Like I think he'd feel a bit distraught on some level that Gibe was like that towards Ame"
"[Me] He would! Luci was only okay with the affair because Gibe straight up told him that his wife knew and didn't mind (Luci had his doubts but hey whatever) and as long as they kept it a secret from the kids it wouldn't matter

But oops"
[Me] And Luci felt incredibly guilty for how Gibe treated Ame... He had no idea. He didn't know Gibe could be like that because, well, he never used to be that way
[Me] Luci wants to apologise directly to Ame, but he's worried he'll make Ame feel even worse about the whole thing, especially now that Ame's, you know, dying
[Me] So Luci telling Gibe off directly is also Luci's way of apologising to Ame... Even though Ame's not there to see it
[Redacted] Tfw the man you went out with and had a passionate affair with turns out to be a child abuser who emotionally neglected and verbally abused his son <3
[Me] Luci, who set up an entire hospital so he could help disadvantaged kids who were in that exact situation: Oh okay
[Me] (The hospital's mostly a children's hospital for kids with long-term and terminal illnesses/diseases but maybe it started out as somewhere that abused kids could go...)
[Redacted] Yeah! And the fact that Luci is like. A very big reason of why Gibe turned out to be abusing Ame (well he didn't make him do it, but he has a part in it in a way).......
[Me] Tfw you made the abuser into an abuser in the first place (not really, but)
[Redacted] Ame truly is the symbol of their failures
[Me] It's okay, though, Ame has Frie! Frie will love him enough to make up for everyone who's failed him! (...In a different way, of course)
[Redacted] Yeah! As short as it's gonna be... he'll feel loved for once
[Me] He definitely will be! No matter how much he deteriorates before finally dying, he'll never forget Frie or his kindness. That's how much Frie means to him