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

I think there would've only been two times where Gibe was physically abusive towards Ame:

The first was when Ame tried to stop Gibe from hurting Mother, and Gibe kicked him out of the way. Ame's mother then shielded him to protect Ame from Gibe and managed to get him out of the room before Gibe could hurt him again.
[Me] The second was when Gibe told the boys their mother died. Ame was too little to know what it really meant, and Gibe, frustrated with Ame's lack of understanding, smacked him across the face
"[Me] Ame then started crying loudly so Gibe dismissed Spi (who was crying too but he actually did understand what Gibe had meant) in order to lecture Ame.

By ""lecture"" I mean tell him that he's useless and a disgrace and maybe it's a good thing that Mother is dead because Ame doesn't deserve to get to see her again anyway"
"[Me] Then Ame gets smacked again. Harder. With enough force to make him lose his balance. As he's on the floor trying not to cry, Gibe scoffs at him and leaves

But not before saying ""Too bad your mother's not here to protect you this time, isn't it? There's nobody out there who'll save you anymore. Remember that."""
"[Me] Gibe slams the door as he leaves Ame there. Alone.

Ame still doesn't understand. He won't see Mother again? Why not? Even though she didn't live with them anymore, they still visited her every few weeks. And they were supposed to be seeing her the following weekend.

...Was that not happening? Was he really... never going to see Mother again?"
[Me] Anyway those are the only two times Gibe was ever physically abusive but it made Ame terrified of Gibe when he was angry, and it also made Ame not want to ever cry in front of his father again
[Me] And despite both instances being related to Mother, Ame never thinks it's Mother's fault. It's not even Father's fault. It's... It's all his fault
"[Me] If Ame was stronger, Father wouldn't have gotten so angry. If he didn't cry, Father wouldn't have hurt him.

So he has to be strong. He can't cry. He doesn't want Father to hurt him again."
"[Me] Which is part of the reason why he's so adamant about remaining independent towards the end of his life. Why he refuses help. Why he pushes Frie away.

He can't show any signs of weakness. Bad things happen when he does."
[Me] Frie teaches Ame, slowly, that it's okay to show weaknesses and insecurities and emotions. Ame learns, far too late, that it's perfectly fine to cry when you're sad or angry or overwhelmed. That wanting to protect someone isn't being weak. That being vulnerable isn't something to be afraid of.
"[Me] Ame doesn't cry when he's given his terminal diagnosis. He doesn't cry when he's in constant pain. Nor does he cry because he's all alone in hospital.

The first time Ame cries as a teenager (the first time since he was 7), it's because he realises he's in love with Frie, and it terrifies him to his core"
"[Me] The second time is when he starts losing control of his body, and can no longer get around on his own. Because it hits him that his body is falling apart.

A few months in, Ame is hit with the realisation and dread that he's going to die soon. And there's nothing he can do about it."
"[Redacted] Oh it's great, Gibe telling Ame that no one will ever save him anymore is so... <3 because I am sure Ame internalized that.

And the thought that he is terrified of slipping and crying around Gibe..."
"[Me] Ame wanting to cry one of the times early on when Gibe visits him in hospital because he's in pain (stomach ache maybe? Idk) and he doesn't want to look weak by asking Frie for medication... He's strong! He can handle it!

But Gibe and Frie spend ages talking about technical medical stuff and Ame's pain is getting worse..."
"[Me] Frie usually gives Ame various meds at specific times, including pain relief, but some reason the pain is worse that day, and Ame's been told he can ask for stronger stuff if he needs it...

But he refuses to do that in front of Gibe"
[Me] Because Gibe will scold him for being weak. And Ame doesn't want Frie to see Gibe hitting him (which, in Ame's mind, is inevitable if he was to start crying or showing signs of weakness)
[Me] After a certain point it's too much, but Ame's stubborn brain still refuses to ask for pain relief, so his body's response is to throw up or something
[Me] Frie's confused because wtf, was Ame really feeling that bad? He'd gotten distracted talking to Gibe, but at the same time, Ame would've spoken up if he needed something, like he always does
"[Me] Gibe is silent. He just... sighs. Quietly.

Which is enough to send Ame into a panic. This wasn't supposed to happen! He wasn't meant to make a mess of himself! And now he's feeling even worse physically too, so it's getting harder for him to hold his tears back..."
[Redacted] Oh good shit, Ame's pain is worse that day definitely because Gibe is around
"[Me] Gibe: If you felt nauseous, why didn't you speak up?
Ame: ...
Gibe: Your doctor is right here. Why didn't you ask him to take you to the bathroom, or bring you something you could vomit into?

Ame wants to apologise -- he knows he needs to. But if he speaks, he'll probably throw up again. Or worse: start crying"
"[Me] Gibe: Now you'll not only have to clean yourself up, but also your bed...
Ame: I-I--
Frie: Well, sometimes these things happen out of nowhere, you know? You can't always predict when you're gonna throw up, especially if you're sick. It happens all the time around here"
"[Me] Gibe: ...You mean with the children?
Frie: Er, it happens regardless of age, actually. Don't tell me you've never experienced it
Gibe: [Sigh]"
[Me] Frie then tells Gibe he needs to help Ame get clean and also find someone to change his bed for him, and Gibe has a look on his face of "Why can't he clean his own body himself?" but doesn't say anything
"[Me] Gibe: I've been here long enough regardless. I shall see myself out.
Ame: ...
Gibe: Amethio.
Ame: [Jumps] Y-Yes?
Gibe: Stop causing problems. If you're feeling unwell, make use of your doctor. Otherwise, you're being a hinderance.
Ame: ............Yes, Father. I'm... I'm sorry...
Gibe: Don't apologise to me. I'm not your doctor."
"[Me] Gibe leaves without really saying goodbye.

Frie has no idea what to make of the man. Was he showing concern for Ame? It didn't seem like it. But at the same time, he seemed to be saying that Ame should ask for help when he needs it..."
[Me] Ame waits a couple of minutes after Gibe leaves before admitting to Frie (who's in the process of getting him ready for a shower) that he'd been feeling sick for a while, but he didn't want to say anything in front of his father...
"[Me] Frie: Oh? Why not?
Ame: ...
Frie: Do you... not want to talk about it?
Ame: I just... I didn't want him to get mad at me...
Frie: Why would he get mad?
Ame: Because I... He'd think I was being pathetic...
Frie: What?
Ame: I didn't want him to know... Admitting to feeling sick... Being sore... It's like I'm saying I'm useless and weak and pathetic"
"[Me] Ame: And... And I don't want him to... t-to know that... T-That I'm like that...
Frie: ...Um. Right. Well, how about this? Next time, I give you some pain relief just before your father gets here? That might help. The stronger stuff is probably what you need...
Ame: ...A-As long as he doesn't find out! He... He can't know, okay?"
"[Me] Frie: You don't have to answer, but... What do you think is going to happen if your father does find out?

Ame doesn't quite know how to explain. He's too exhausted to try and put it into words. All he knows is that Gibe would think he was hopeless if he admitted to being in pain"
[Me] Frie can tell Ame doesn't want to talk, so he drops the subject and focuses on showering Ame and getting him back into bed (which has now been changed)
[Me] I imagine that later on, Ame would tell Frie about the times Gibe hit him, and that he was always scared Gibe would do it again if he was weak/vulnerable in front of his father
[Me] Frie picks up on the fact that there's some Bad Shit that Ame's scared of happening if he takes pain relief in front of Gibe, but he has no idea why, because that's like. Really fucking weird to him (but he wouldn't say that to Ame)
[Redacted] Oh this is good shit... I feel like this is perhaps one of the first times Ame opens up about his father to Frie? Which makes him curious because the situation seems messy... and then he gets to find out how awful it was for Ame and how Ame holds bad memories of his dad...
[Redacted] I wonder if Ame would pretend to be asleep the next times Gibe is visiting because he is still ashamed of what happened when he threw up.
"[Me] Yes! This is what makes Frie start to realise that oh maybe there's a reason Ame's family never visited him...

And I can see Ame doing that. Maybe he overhears Gibe and Frie talking about him..."
"[Me] Gibe: How has his health been?
Frie: It's... starting to decline a bit, but nothing too drastic. As long as we're on top of things, there shouldn't be any major issues.
Gibe: Has he been properly requesting medication when he requires it?
Frie: Er, uh... yeah. And we've decided to up the doses of a couple of them, which seems to have helped a bit"
"[Redacted] It makes it more powerful to think that eventually, Ame will allow himself to cry in front of Gibe.

In the meantime, him being scared shitless of him is great. I can see Gibe asking Frie if Ame is causing any problems when Ame pretends to be asleep... the way he phrases it, it's like he is expecting the worst of him."
[Me] Exactly that sort of thing, yeah!
"[Me] Gibe: I hope he isn't being too much of a bother. He tends to get in the way, so be sure to discipline him if necessary
Ame: ...(Oh)
Frie: Ah, no, don't worry! He's been fine! Much easier than some of the little ones we take care of, actually!
Gibe: Oh? So he listens to you, then?
Frie: Most of the time!"
"[Me] Gibe: Interesting. He's... never been very obedient
Frie: Haha, well, he took a while to warm up to me, but he's really not that bad!

Ame feels slightly nauseous again, but this time, it's for a different reason"
[Redacted] Man... the way Gibe talks about him when Ame has been nothing but a sweet boy... how does he even see him
[Me] Frie's a bit suspicious of Gibe's words, but he knows it's not appropriate to ask Gibe what he really means.
"[Me] Gibe: Well, as long as he's behaving, I suppose...
Frie: I can't blame people for not behaving when they're in his position. Expecting kids with these illnesses or diseases or whatever to always be on their best behaviour is, honestly, pretty impossible
Gibe: ...I suppose that's not entirely wrong. It is indeed a complex situation"
"[Me] Frie: Sure is. The least we can do as adults is be supportive of them!

Gibe says nothing to that. Ame knows he disagrees with Frie. That Gibe sees no reason to be supportive of someone who's going to end up dead no matter what"
"[Me] Gibe: You... are indeed his doctor, but you are not his therapist. For your own sake, you should probably refrain from getting too involved with your patients
Frie: Yeah, I'm aware. I've been told that a lot, actually!
Gibe: :|"
[Redacted] Gibe is so cold...
[Me] : )
[Redacted] It's hot how detached he is tbh : )
"[Me] Ame forces himself to block out the rest of their conversation, but Gibe seems to leave shortly after that anyway.

Ame feels even more alone"
[Redacted] Even in sickness, he is disappointing his father (and probably wonders why he doesn't see him as obedient when he always did his best to be)
[Redacted] Also I kind of like that Gibe's "nobody will save you" actually haunts Ame. Perhaps he forgot it but remembers this specific sentence in the hospital, which kind of makes him despair... and from then on, he always thinks about it.
[Me] Hell yeah... Ame not trusting Frie at all for multiple reasons but one of them is that Ame's had it drilled into him that there's nobody out there who can help/save him, and, naturally, that includes Frie
[Redacted] It's great! That's what bad parenting does to him! Now he thinks that no one cares enough to help him...
[Me] That, and also that he's not allowed to ask for help either : )
[Redacted] Frie telling Ame that he is allowed to ask for help but Ame can't compute... because it contradicts everything he was taught
[Me] I love it... Maybe Ame collapses in the hallway at night on the way to/back from the bathroom and he's unable to get back to his room but he's terrified to call for help because A) it's the middle of the night and B) Frie's gonna yell at him for being useless (Frie would never)
[Me] Frie finds him there after a few hours and he has no idea why Ame didn't call for help and Ame doesn't know how to explain to Frie that he Cannot Do That
[Redacted] He caused more trouble than anything by not calling for help!
[Me] Ame begging Frie not to report it to Gibe and Frie is very concerned by Ame's overreactions to Frie merely asking him why he didn't call for help when that's what the staff are there for
"[Redacted] Those are red flags, Frie-

He won't push or anything but he notices that Ame seems to react differently when it comes to his dad.."
[Me] He sure does : )
[Me] In the more recent thread I posted (which is way too long so don't worry about actually reading it!) I did end up writing something about Gibe finally realising that oh he fucked Ame up big time after Ame dies because like... I can't see anyone actually getting through to him that he hurt Ame as much as he did. Gibe needs to have the realisation himself imo
"[Redacted] Yeah I read it!
And absolutely. Gibe needs to realize by himself and feel like shit for not realizing sooner.. even if Frie or anyone else told him something, it won't fully click."
[Me] Nope! I also just like the idea of Gibe completely forgetting that he ever physically hurt Ame. He blocked out most memories involving his wife and her death, including those two. But he'll never be able to justify why he behaved that way (And, well, it's too late to apologise to Ame anyway)
[Redacted] He really is an horrible dad... and Ame still loved him anyway : )
[Redacted] Tfw Spi probably remembers he hurt Ame
[Me] Oh Spi was fucking traumatised because wtf Gibe's never done that before (Maybe Spi was asleep when Ame tried to break up his parents' fight so he doesn't know about that incident)
[Me] I like to think Spi was probably outside listening to Gibe be horrible to Ame but... he was too scared to help his brother since, well, angry Gibe is fucking terrifying (And Spi's old enough (12-ish?) to understand what Gibe's saying
[Me] Plus he was just told his mother died, too, so oops! Double trauma!
[Redacted] Ame getting the brunt of Gibe's anger and Spi relieved that it's not him...
[Me] Yes... Spi also knowing that Gibe's words apply to him, too (that he can't be weak in front of others and that he shouldn't cry etc), so he decides it's best if he tries his hardest to make Gibe happy by being strong and smart (and everything Ame isn't)
[Me] (Well, Ame is those things, but y'know)
[Redacted] Oh the survivor guilt Spi will feel after everything <3
"[Me] Maybe at the end Spi apologises to Ame for never defending him against Gibe... For not even trying to help... And how it all happened because Spi told Ham about Gibe and Luci...

But Ame's never once blamed Spi. He makes that as clear as he can (Spi would still feel guilty regardless)"
"[Me] Spi was just. Terrified of Gibe hurting him. Doing worse things to him because Spi was older and should know better etc.

He also had no idea how to help Ame. And he thought he'd get in trouble, since, well, if the whole point is that Gibe wants Ame to be stronger, he has to learn how to do it on his own, and helping him is counterintuitive to that"
[Me] But now that he's an adult, Spi knows he should have helped Ame regardless, and he feels absolutely awful that he never did
[Redacted] Yeah, he should get some kind of closure about that before it's too late!
[Me] I'll be nice to him just this once! /s (No but I do think Spi would at least apologise to Ame for not being a better brother. Ame doesn't like Spi that much but he's never resented Spi in the same way that he resents Gibe)
[Redacted] Yeah and maybe at this point, Ame realizes that him and Spi were both in the same situation... pit against each other etc