AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hello there, friend! Welcome to my new story. It's not very good but I thought I'd write it up and get it out of my head once and for all!

The main pairing will be prucan. With hinted/past pruhun, nedcan, aushun. And if you really squint you might find some spamano (or romanada or prumano). It's rated M for later chapters and because Gilbo has an icky potty mouth.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. Obviously. (This single chapter was influenced heavily by The Devil in Silver, which inspired this. The rest has nothing to do with the book, just so we're clear.)


Van Liateha Hospital was a huge building with pristine white stone walls and hallways so intricately laid out it was a maze to even some doctors. Gilbert had become disoriented three turns ago and gave up any plans he had of running. He slouched his shoulders, letting the two police officers drag him through the building that reeked of disinfectant.

At the back of the large main building was a long, straight hallway. When they turned into that hall, Gilbert could just see the door on the other side. Large and solid metal. Iron maybe, he figured.

The police officer to his right squeezed his arm tighter as they approached it, as though he assumed Gilbert would run. Where do they really think I'm going to go? Gilbert thought bitterly. If he turned around he'd hit the brick wall of a man behind him, and he already had a nasty bruise on his cheek from trying that one earlier.

They reached the door in record speed, the officers wanted nothing more than to drop Gilbert off and go home. They had had enough of his shit when they had to deal with him for the hour long drive and the events that lead up to his 'arrest.'

"Fuck," Gilbert breathed out as they stood in front of the door. Solid metal, like a bank vault. The policeman holding his arm reached out and pushed a button on the wall beside the door. He kept his finger pressed firmly against it. Gilbert could hear a faint buzzing.

"Wave to the camera." The officer behind him smirked. Gilbert turned and looked at the roof, in the left hand corner was a little black camera. Gilbert held up his middle finger with a sneer.

The officer holding onto his arm squeezed it roughly and shook him. "You want to put the cuffs back on, kid?"

Gilbert grunted and looked back at the door. It seemed a bit over the top, a door that solid and heavy. Who were they trying to keep out? He wondered.

There was a small glass window near eye level on the door, a flash of movement passed by and then a pair of eyes glanced at them through it. There was a click from the other side of the door, and the police officer finally took his finger off the buzzer.

The door swung open to reveal a man with tan skin and short brown hair. He had stubble growing along his jaw. He held the door open and stepped to the side, letting them drag Gilbert in.

Another fucking hallway. Gilbert rolled his eyes.

There was a small reception area to the left, where a woman with short blonde hair and an above average sized chest was sitting, writing in a file.

"Nice tits." Gilbert said suddenly, surprising even himself. The words had escaped his mouth before he could stop them.

The woman looked up at him, her mouth opened slightly and she looked affronted. The police officer holding his arm shoved him roughly against the wall, twisting his wrist behind his back. Gilbert looked almost as affronted as the woman at the desk.

"Ow, fuck! What the fuck! Ow!" Gilbert yelped out, but with the officer pushing his head roughly from behind and his cheek mashed against the wall it sounded more like; "Ow fug, whadda fug! Ow!"

"Don't disrespect a lady." The officer all but spat.

Gilbert made a few unintelligible noises before they released him. "Sorry," he grunted, not bothering to look back at her. He heard her hum in response.

The man who opened the metal door opened the one right beside Gilbert and held it for him. Rubbing his shoulder Gilbert stomped into the room bitterly.

It looked like any average conference room. The walls were covered with white boards and a pull down screen. Around a table in the middle of the room sat several people.

A man in a white lab coat, the head doctor Gilbert figured, stood up and smiled at them. He was shorter than Gilbert, barely average height, with blond hair and a soft, sweet face. He looked young, but Gilbert bet he was older than he looked.

He strode over to an empty seat and pulled it out. "You can sit here."

The officer lead Gilbert over to the seat and roughly shoved him into it. Gilbert instantly crossed his arms and slouched in the seat. His stance screamed disrespectful spoiled brat; exactly what he was.

The doctor pulled his own chair over so he was sitting in front of Gilbert, a reasonable distance between them.

"My name is Dr. Vainamoinen."

Gilbert's mouth hung open and a small, "Huh?" passed through his lips.

The doctor smiled. "But you can just call me Dr. Tino. This is Van Liateha Hospital, more specifically the unit we are in is called South North. People call it SoNo for short."

Gilbert kept any comments about why that was fucking stupid to himself. If anyone would be able to help him be released and go home, it was probably this guy. Instead he pursed his lips and glared at the wall behind the doctor.

"Do you know why you're here?" Dr. Tino asked.

Gilbert felt everyone's eyes on him. The people at the table had their pens poised, ready to write down his answer and to gauge his tone, how he sounded when he responded. Agitated? Confused? Combative? Frightened? Distant?

Agitated with a side of combative. Hostile, if that was an option.

Gilbert didn't respond right away, he glanced behind him at the police officers who stood by the door. They tensed as if they expected him to try and make a break for it.

"If you arrested me shouldn't I be in jail or something? I'm not even hurt, really."

Dr. Tino sat back in his chair and glanced over at the police officers. They held their hands up in defence.

"We explained everything on the way. Not our fault if the kid wouldn't listen."

Dr. Tino turned back to Gilbert who narrowed his eyes, looking ready to start yelling and fighting again.

"This isn't just a hospital. This is a psychiatric unit. We'll go over your injuries and take your vitals soon. But first we just want to talk to you and get to know you."

Gilbert froze. He was in a fucking mental ward? No way. He didn't belong here. He got in fights and had mood swings but who didn't? He wasn't crazy.

"No," Gilbert said as he shook his head and sat up straight. "No way. I don't belong here. I thought I was just being arrested."

Dr. Tino raised a hand to silence Gilbert. "Is this your first time being in a place like this?"

The police officer who had been holding Gilbert's arm stepped forward. "As far as our records indicate, this is the first."

"Am I being charged with anything? If not then you can't keep me here, right? I can leave if I'm not being charged?" Gilbert's voice rose as he realized how real his situation was becoming.

The man who opened the doors stepped closer and sized Gilbert up. He was an orderly. Ready to be the muscle in any situation. He broke up fights between patients, held down the thrashing ones, whatever was needed.

Dr. Tino shook his head firmly. "Unfortunately, this is a bit of a special circumstance. Right now you're categorized as a 'temporary admit.' The police have brought you here and are leaving you in our custody for 72 hours."

"What? That's not fair!"

"During," Dr. Tino cut in, "Those 72 hours, we will be evaluating your mental state. If we decide you are mentally sound, you will be released after that time is up."

Gilbert glanced around the small room, some of the people were scribbling on their papers, the orderly was watching him carefully. He realized if he wanted to prove he wasn't crazy he had to calm down and behave. He could make it 72 hours. That was better than going to prison at least.

Gilbert took a deep breath and let it out through his nose. He relaxed back into his chair and then licked his lips. "So 72 hours?"

Dr. Tino smiled and nodded. "72 hours to evaluate your mental state."

"Then I can leave?" Gilbert asked.

"If you're mentally sound, yes."

Gilbert narrowed his eyes. "I know I am." He glanced back at the police officers. "Am I not being arrested then? 'Cause I'm doing this?"

"I can guarantee that we'll be back for you." The police officer sneered. "One way or another."

Gilbert grunted and slumped back into his seat. He wasn't getting out of this easily. Maybe he'd be able to call someone when they finished here. He perked up slightly at the thought, of course his brother would bail him out of this.

"Okay, we're going to ask you some questions about yourself. Let's start simple!" Dr. Tino sat up and locked eyes with Gilbert. "How about a name? What do you like to be called?"

Gilbert crossed his arms again and glared at the doctor. "You guys took my wallet and my bag, you know my name."

Dr. Tino shook his head calmly. "That's not it exactly. I do already know your name but I'm asking what you like to be called."

"Oh." Gilbert licked his lips. "Just Gilbert is fine."

"That's a start. We'll continue in a moment." With that Dr. Tino stood and moved towards the police officers. "I believe we're ready to transfer him now, so you gentlemen don't need to stick around." He moved with them into the hall way.

The room was silent as they waited for the doctor to return. Gilbert listened to the sound of someone's watch ticking. It seemed loud, too loud to be a watch.

Gilbert shut his eyes tightly and listened more intently. The sound grew louder and louder. Gilbert took a deep breath through his nose. Chanting a manta of calm down, Gilbert. Relax. Calm down. The ticking had steadily grown so loud it sounded like it was pounding in his skull. Briefly, Gilbert envisioned himself grabbing the wrist of the person with the watch and ripping it straight off their arm. Stomping and crushing the little glass face within seconds. He let out a weak, unsteady breath.

"Gilbert? Are you alright?"

The ticking stopped abruptly and Gilbert opened his eyes. Dr. Tino was back in his seat, looking at Gilbert with a look of concern and curiosity. Gilbert glanced around the table. The others were watching him too, looking more curious than concerned.

"Fine," he murmured, shaking his head.

"Are you sure?" Dr. Tino asked. Gilbert nodded in confirmation. "Well, that's good then. We have a few more questions for you, alright?"

"Whatever." Gilbert snapped, wanting to get the intake meeting over with.

"How about you tell us about your family, to start." Dr. Tino leaned back in his seat and crossed one leg over the other, a feminine way of sitting in Gilbert's opinion.

"There's not much to say." Gilbert answered.

"Hmm, okay. Let's try being a bit more specific." Dr. Tino glanced at the folder in his lap. "How about your parents?"

"Dead." Gilbert stated bluntly.

Dr. Tino raised his eyebrows. "And, if you don't mind my asking, how did they die?"

"In an accident back when we lived in Germany."

"How old were you at the time of your parents death?" Dr. Tino inquired, his pen scribbling abbreviated notes that Gilbert knew he would be analysing later on that evening.

"I don't know, I was like... 8 or something." Gilbert glanced over at the table, the other doctors and nurses lazily wrote notes, occasionally watching him for any small signs that he had the crazies.

"Okay. What happened after they died? Did you live with a relative?"

Gilbert nodded his head. "I lived with my grandfather, still do."

"How's that going for you?" Dr. Tino asked. "What's your grandfather like?"

"Strict. Up-tight with rules. Shit like that." Gilbert shrugged.

"Okay." Dr. Tino paused for a moment to jot down some notes. "Do you have any siblings?" He asked, keeping his eyes on his notes and his hand moved across the page.

Gilbert nodded his head again. "Yeah. A brother. Younger. His name is Ludwig. He's basically the complete opposite of me."

"And how exactly is he the opposite of you?" Dr. Tino asked, glancing up and smiling comfortingly at Gilbert who scrunched up his nose with a frown.

"He's perfect. Good at everything, smart, a lot like our grandfather. Nothing like me, he basically hates having fun." Gilbert snorted slightly, shaking his head.

"Are the two of you close?"

"Yeah. He's too serious but he's still my brother and that instantly makes him awesome by association." Gilbert smirked, subtly bragging about his younger brother. And though he'd never mention it aloud, he was proud of Ludwig. Proud of him for being the opposite of him. For being smart and kind and all the things Gilbert wasn't.

"You said Ludwig was the opposite of you, that he was smart. Let's discuss that for a minute, okay?" Dr. Tino flipped his pen between his fingers. "How are you managing at school?"

"School fucking sucks." Gilbert spat.

"Try not to curse." The orderly interrupted. Gilbert shot him a dirty look, but the orderly had already looked away.

"Anyway," Gilbert snapped, "I skip a lot because the classes are stupid and the teachers are assholes." He punctuated the last word loudly, glaring directly at the orderly who looked more amused than annoyed.

"So you don't enjoy school? Do you fight with your peers?"

"Oh," Gilbert sat up a bit, an odd, crooked smile crossed his features. "I got into a lot of fights. All the time. I like fighting because I never lose."

Gilbert hesitated and frowned, realizing that if he wanted to get out of this place he'd have to be more careful about his choice of words and what exactly he told the doctor. He needed to seem one hundred percent sane.

Dr. Tino seemed to regard him for a moment before he cocked his head to the side. "Would you like to move on to another topic, Gilbert?"

"Sure." He grunted.

Dr. Tino smiled reassuringly. "What about relationships?"

Gilbert felt his stomach muscles clench. "What about them?" The original reason for his being here in the first place, a topic he would much rather avoid.

"How are your relationships with people outside your family? Are you seeing anyone?"

Gilbert shook his head. "Not really, no." He shifted uncomfortably. "Well actually, kind of. There's this girl-Elizabeta- and she's kind of like my girlfriend but... Not really. You know?"

Dr. Tino shook his head. "Can you tell me about your relationship with Elizabeta?"

Gilbert frowned. "She was my friend but we fucked around and she knew I had a thing for her, right?" Dr. Tino nodded. "But then she goes and fucks around with this jerkoff she met in her History of Music class. How fucking lame is that?"

The orderly crossed his arms. "Quit swearing."

Gilbert bit his tongue to keep from snapping at the orderly.

"She got all bitchy about it and we sorta stopped talking..." Gilbert paused and let his sentence die off. He didn't continue on to explain that it was because of Elizabeta and that jerkoff he was stuck in this place. He figured that would only lead to more personal questions, ones he didn't quite feel up to answering yet. Lest they make him seem crazy.

For the next hour Dr. Tino asked Gilbert a plethora of various questions about himself, Gilbert answered them as honestly as he felt could (so long as it didn't make him sound bad). He wanted to sound boring and average.

After the questions, they took his vitals. Every aspect of his being was recorded in a folder with his name printed across the top in thick black letters.


AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I'm not exactly satisfied with this chapter but I wanted to get this uploaded already. I know it sounds rushed and simple! I kind of want to change Gilbert's past with Elizabeta a bit but I haven't fully figured out what to do with them, so I'll settle with this for now.

Oh, also I know South North doesn't make sense, but that's kind of the point. It was originally called that by the patients as a sort of inside joke, because everyone always thought they were nuts and crazy so they decided it should have a name that didn't make sense, ya know? (... I also thought 'SoNo' sounded cool, hehe)

I think the next chapter is much better than this one and I'll have it uploaded soon, maybe (hopefully).

If you notice any mistakes let me know, I did a very sloppy editing job.

Other than that, uhm... Have a nice day and a goodnight and be happy! *kissu* uwu