Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters used in this fanfiction. If I did, then I wouldn't need to write a fanfiction, would I?~
A lot of people didn't take them seriously because of their name; Bad Touch Paranormal, or BTP. The BTP started in high school, when the trio became best friends. Francis Bonnefoy, Antonio F. Carriedo, and Gilbert Beilschmidt were the only members of the team then, and each of them played a vital role in the work they did. Antonio mainly worked with the cameras, and he let no one touch any of the more expensive cameras, not even Francis or Gilbert. Gilbert worked with all of the other technical things they had, from the Mel Meter to the Ghost Box, Gilbert took care of it all. Now Francis acted as the spokesperson and the 'leader' of the group. The female fans loved him, and so did some of the males, so they decided to just keep it that way (because the other two decided that Francis couldn't be trusted with any of the equipment after a certain.. incident).
Currently, the trio was inside a house that was rumored to be haunted. It was eleven thirty at night, and they were setting up their cameras. The house had two floors, an attic, and a basement. Antonio was on the second floor, setting up the last of the cameras, Francis was by the front door, talking to the only camera he was allowed to touch, and Gilbert was in the basement with his own camera, checking the temperature measurements.
A sigh escaped the lips of the albino, and he let his arm fall to his side. "Nothing. Everything's normal down here." He took a look around, taking in the dark area around him. Gilbert wasn't really a fan of basements or attics, so of course, he was the first one that was usually sent to each of them. This basement had a lot of useless items in it that had obviously been there for a while. Little stuffed animals and small trinkets were scattered around, rusting and collecting dust. It looked like the perfect setup for a horror movie.
"Gilbert, are you done in the basement yet?" The heavily accented voice on his walkie talkie caught Gilbert off guard, and he let out a small yelp, falling backwards. The German huffed and stood up, brushing the dust off his pants and grabbing the walkie talkie he had set down on a stool. "Yeah, everything seems normal down here. You can come down, Francis." The scoff he received made him chuckle as he put the small device back in its place on his waist.
About a minute later, Gilbert heard the footsteps of his friend descending the stairs to the basement. He grinned and crossed his arms, watching the other as he emerged from around the small corner that hid the stairs from the rest of the room. "What would you do if one of these days something in either the basement or the attic of a place killed me? Why don't you send Tonio down here once in a while?"
The Frenchman laughed and walked passed him, looking around at the rather large and overstuffed room. "Gilbert, you know he has to set the cameras up in all the rooms first! And I have to investigate the main floor first~"
"That's bullshit and everyone knows it." Gilbert rolled his eyes, however, the smile was still on his lips. "I'm going back upstairs, you have fun down here." Before Francis had the chance to say anything, Gilbert had bolted up the stairs, leaving the other behind.
Francis chuckled and shook his head, returning to looking around the basement. Just like Gilbert, Francis found the area to be extremely creepy. It looked like it could be haunted, but just because it looked haunted, didn't mean it would be haunted. After all, Gilbert hadn't found anything strange about it. It didn't take long for Francis to finish up and get out of the basement, going up and joining Gilbert and Antonio.
At around twelve thirty, the trio had split up again. This time, Antonio was on the first floor, Francis was on the second floor, and Gilbert was in the attic.
Antonio smiled happily as he walked around the living room. He passed by one of his cameras and sat down on the couch. Nothing interesting seemed to be happening so far, and the Spaniard was a bit bored. It was very quiet, and he wasn't even allowed to play on his phone. His eyes scanned his surroundings, eventually landing on a large painting that hung on the wall across from him. It was a portrait of a woman. She had long blonde hair that almost seemed to flow right out of the picture and what Antonio guessed to be blue eyes, it was a bit too dark to see the actual colour. Her smile seemed a bit off though, and it creeped Antonio out a bit. A thump from the floor above him brought Antonio out of his daze. "Francis? Are you okay up there?" A call from the Frenchman told Antonio he was just fine.
The Spaniard figured it was about time to get off his butt and actually do something, so he picked up his smaller camera and turned it on, moving to explore the rest of the ground floor. The dining room came right after the living room, so that was the first place he went. Everything about the ground floor seemed normal, sadly enough. Antonio didn't really like this house, it didn't get his heart beating like the other places did. That made him kind of sad. He wondered if anyone else had gotten anything yet, so he picked up his walkie talkie and decided to check on Francis.
"Francis? What are you doing up there? Have you gotten anything yet? I'm kind of bored down here, amigo." Antonio pulled out a chair to sit in as he listened to the short laugh that came from the other end.
"Mon ami, we've only been here for two hours. Are you saying you're ready to just pack up and leave?"
"I never said that! I just wanted to know if you had found anything interesting yet!"
A new voice came from the small device.
"As much as I wouldn't like to admit it, I think Antonio is right. I've gotten absolutely nothing yet. No sounds, no cold spots, no nothing. I don't think anything is here.."
"At least continue to look around for another hour, okay? Then we can go check the cameras to see if we caught anything. Does that sound okay?"
Gilbert and Antonio were silent for a minute, before agreeing with Francis.
Another hour went by without anything happening, and the trio finally got together again by the front door. They went outside to where their van was and slipped inside. The twins, Lovino and Feliciano Vargas, were inside. Lovino scowled at them.
"Back so soon? Did you guys seriously not find anything at all in there?"
Feliciano sighed lightly and gave them a small smile. "We didn't see anything out here either. I think this place is a bust. Ve.. I'm sorry guys. The homeowner's stories sounded interesting, and the rumors really made it sound like this place was haunted.."
Gilbert sat down next to Feli and shrugged. "It's okay, Feli. We wouldn't have been able to really tell unless we came here anyway, right?" Antonio and Francis nodded in agreement and sat next to Gilbert and Lovino.
"Are you sure you got nothing on the cameras or audio?" Antonio asked, leaning forward and watching the cameras that were still set up in the house. Lovino smacked the back of his head, ignoring the whining he received from the Spaniard. "Yes, we're sure. That's what we're here for, right? You think we can't do our damn job?"
Francis pulled Antonio back and smiled at the scowling Italian. "Calm down, Lovino. It was just an innocent question."
Lovino huffed and crossed his arms, turning back to the screens. "Should we pack up then? I mean, I doubt you're going to investigate anymore tonight, yes?"
The trio nodded and reluctantly slipped out of the van to go and collect the equipment that was still in the house.
Gilbert was collecting the small camera that he had left in the basement when the stuffed bear the was behind him fell over on its side. The only reason he knew it had fallen over was because it had a small bell tied around its neck. Gilbert froze, turning to stare at the small object. He frowned and walked over to it, picking it up and looking it over quickly before setting it back down where it was before. "Don't move again.." He muttered, turning to walk towards the stairs.
Cling
Gilbert stopped walking and frowned, slowly turning around to look at the bear that was now laying on its side once again. The German hissed and stalked over to the bear, turning his camera on and turning it towards the small stuffed animal. "Come on. Move. Move while I'm looking at you damn it." He wasn't going to admit he was scared. It wasn't like being in the basement creeped him out to begin with or anything.
"Gilbert? What's the hold up? You okay down there?" Antonio's voice sounded from the walkie talkie strapped to his waist. Gilbert set the camera down on a stool and grabbed his walkie talkie, staring at the small bear.
"I'm fine. This stupid stuffed animal keeps moving when I'm not looking though. There's no way it could have fallen without being pushed.."
The other side was silent for a minute, before a different voice came on. "What? Gilbert, this isn't the time to joke around. We just got all of the cameras packed up."
Gilbert bit his lip and chuckled nervously. "I'm not kidding. I already don't like being in this basement. It looks like all the dolls are staring at me.. Even more so now.." Gilbert hated dolls. He hated them with a passion. "It's like they're all trying to steal my soul or something.."
Gilbert turned away from the bear, rushing towards the stairs. His camera was looking towards the bear, so he had no problem leaving. As soon as his foot touched the first step, he heard the bell once again.
Cling
Gilbert shook his head and ran the rest of the way up the stairs.
"So.. You're saying that we should set the cameras up again?" Antonio frowned. "But that's a lot of work.."
Francis crossed his arms and leaned back against the front door. "Well.. It's one forty right now.. Why don't we just use the small cameras we carry around. That should work, right?"
Antonio looked down at the small camera in his hand. "Yeah, I think that could work. Gilbert, is your camera still in the basement?"
The albino nodded and glanced behind him. "Yep. And I'm not going back down there anytime soon. You guys already know how much I dislike attics and basements." The other two chuckled and Gilbert scowled at them.
"We don't have to go back there if your camera's already there, don't worry." Francis grinned. "Buuuuut, nothing is in the attic.. So I think you should go there next."
Antonio smiled. "I have an extra camera you can use, amigo~" He said happily, taking the camera out of his bag and handing it to Gilbert.
"I am not paying for dinner next time.." Gilbert grumbled, glaring at the two one last time before turning to go to the attic, ignoring the soft chuckles from behind him.
Francis and Antonio split up after that, going back to the places they were before, Francis on the second floor and Antonio on the first floor. Hopefully they would find something interesting so the night wouldn't be completely wasted.
Francis entered the master bedroom, closing the door softly behind him. He was told that the master bedroom was the one that had the most activity on the second floor, so why not try that first?
The Frenchman sat on the edge of the bed and pulled out his EVP recorder, setting it beside him. He looked around the room, his eyes landing on the dresser where a music box sat. "If there is anything here, could you give me a sign?" He crossed his legs and closed his eyes, leaning his head back. After a couple of minutes of silence, he began to ask a few questions.
"What is your name?"
"How long have you been here?"
"Is there anyone else here?"
"Did you live here?"
Eventually, he opened his eyes and stood up, leaving the room without the recorder. He walked down the hallway and went into the childrens playroom. The room was painted a light blue, and there were toys everywhere. A lot of miniature trucks were parked in various places in the middle of the room. Francis was careful not to step on any of them as he made his way to the center of the room.
The playroom was the second room he was told about. Apparently the toys liked to move around on their own, making sounds and creating shapes. The homeowner had told him about one time she had gone into the room and saw that the toys were in the shape of a pentagram. She knew that her children were not able to make such a thing, and it scared her. The last thing she had told him was that one specific toy was always in the center of things, seemingly looking at her whenever she went into or passed by the room. That toy was currently in the opposite corner of the room, leaning against the wall and staring at him. It was a doll. The doll had blonde hair that went down to its shoulders, and it was wearing a blue dress. It was absolutely terrifying. Maybe if it was daytime, and not staring at him, it would be cute, but not now. Its black eyes made it seem demonic, and the smile seemed murderous.
Francis shivered and quickly looked away, taking in the places all the toys were. Seeing a shelf in the corner opposite of the doll, he decided to set the camera up there. He positioned the camera so it was able to see the entire room and stepped back. The atmosphere in the room made him uneasy, and he wanted to leave.. which was exactly what he did.
Francis left the room and made his way back downstairs to meet up with Antonio. Finding the other in the kitchen, he walked over to him and smiled. "Find anything?"
The Spaniard jumped in surprise and turned towards Francis, eyes wide. "Dios mio! You can't scare me like that, Francis.."
A chuckle escaped the Frenchman's lips as he leaned against the fridge. "Sorry mon ami~"
Antonio shook his head, taking a deep breath. "I haven't gotten anything down here. How about you?"
"I don't know yet. I put the recorder in the master bedroom and the camera in the playroom. I'll go back there in a bit to see if they caught anything."
"Well I haven't gotten anything, thank god." The new voice made Antonio and Francis whip around to stare at the darkness in front of them. Gilbert appeared from the hallway and laughed. "Geez, jumpy much?"
The German walked over to them and grinned. "I set my camera up, so maybe I'll catch something later." Not that he was really wanting to go back to the attic or the basement.
"I set up a camera in the living room, since they were just laying by the door." Antonio set his small camera on the counter. "There's a painting in there that kind of gives me the chills."
Gilbert glanced behind him towards the living room. "I haven't been back to the living room since this morning. I don't remember a painting."
Antonio frowned. "I didn't notice it either until I had sat down and looked around. It's not anything special, just a portrait of a woman. It looks old though."
Francis nodded. "I think I remember it. I noticed it when we were there this morning. I didn't really take the time to study it though."
The three of them moved into the living room and sat down on the couch. The house was completely silent as they began to go over what they had heard about the house. They only had rumors and what the homeowner said to go by. The attic, basement, living room, master bedroom, and playroom were the places that were known to have the most activity.
In the master bedroom, it was rumored that the music box started to randomly play, usually between the times of midnight and three. The bed had been seen to have an imprint of someone laying in it, when no one had been in the room the entire day. The drawers of the dresser had been known to open and the clothes inside to be thrown to the ground.
In the playroom, the toys were known to make sounds and move around to make a circle in the middle of the room. The doll with blonde hair was usually in the centre of the circle. The homeowner had said that there was crying heard, like that of a small female child at around three in the morning.
In the basement and attic, the boxes were known to fall over a lot. The stuffed animals moved around, usually in the same way the toys in the playroom would move. The stools were rumored to be flipped upside down or stacked on top of one another.
In the living room, the small figurines that were on the shelf above the fireplace were moved around and often fell. Faint laughs of children playing were heard and the lightweight items, like lamps or the side tables, were moved to the center of the room.
None of these things, except for the bear in the basement, had happened so far.
Gilbert looked at his watch. "It's two thirty." The other two nodded and looked towards the painting on the wall.
"It's been quiet."
"Maybe the bear thing was just a fluke."
"Maybe.. We still have a couple of hours here though."
They all sighed and leaned back against the couch. They didn't really feel like going out to the van and getting the things they had already brought outside, so they just decided to relax in the living room until they went to collect their remaining equipment.
"..up! WAKE UP YOU IDIOTS!"
The loud voice startled the three men enough to make them fall off the couch they had fallen asleep on. Opening their eyes, they saw a certain angry Italian standing above them, crossing his arms.
"I can't believe you idiots. You fell asleep?! And here I thought you were actually working for once!"
Antonio was the first to hop up. He wrapped his arms around the fuming Italian and nuzzled his cheek against his hair. "Come now Lovi~ It was just a simple mistake~ Don't act like you wouldn't fall asleep too~"
Lovino's face flushed a deep red and he tried to push away from the Spaniard. "GET OFF ME YOU STUPID IDIOTA!"
Gilbert and Francis took their time standing up. Gilbert looked out the window and frowned. "It's daytime already..? What time is it?"
"It's eleven thirty." Feliciano, who had been standing in the doorway, spoke up. Gilbert frowned and stepped around Antonio and Lovino (who was still trying to get away). Francis followed after him, and the three went upstairs to collect the equipment. Feliciano went to the attic to pick the camera up, Gilbert went to the master bedroom to get the recorder, and Francis went to the playroom to collect the other camera.
However, when Francis got to the playroom, he didn't see what he expected to see.
The toy trucks were in a circle in the middle of the floor, and the creepy doll that was in the corner was now sitting in the middle of the circle, staring up at him. A shiver went down his spine as he turned to look at the camera. It had fallen down, its lens facing the wall.
Francis gulped and took out his phone, snapping a picture of the demonic looking circle before grabbing the camera and bolting from the room. He met up with the others at the top of the stairs.
"Francis? What's wrong you're pale." Feliciano frowned and walked over to him, reaching up and placing his hand on his forehead.
Gilbert looked down at the camera in the Frenchman's hand. "Did..?" Francis nodded, and Gilbert moved swiftly passed him, going towards the playroom.
Feliciano lead Francis downstairs, where Lovino was sitting on the couch across from Antonio, who had a lump on his head. The Spaniard looked up at his friend, a worried expression crossing his face. "What's wrong?"
Francis handed his phone to Antonio and sat down beside him. "The camera.. didn't catch it.."
Lovino frowned, getting up to look at the picture as well. "What do you mean the camera didn't catch it? It was watching the entire time, yeah?"
Francis shook his head and sighed, looking down at the camera on his lap. "No.. It fell."
Gilbert came down a minute later, but didn't sit down. "I put all the toys back. That doll is seriously creepy.." He shivered, making his way towards the door to the basement. "We can go back after I get the last camera. Maybe we caught something one some of the other cameras." The others nodded, and Feliciano jumped to follow Gilbert down to the basement.
Feliciano hid behind Gilbert the entire way down. Gilbert picked the camera up, but paused when Feliciano tugged on his arm. "Gil.. Are all these stuffed animals supposed to be staring at me..?"
Gilbert frowned, but looked around the room, his eyes widening at the sight. All around the room, small stuffed animals sat on shelves or boxes, making a circle. They were all staring where the camera was. "Uh.. Yeah, sure. Let's just get out of here." The German dragged Feliciano out of the basement, closing the door firmly behind him.
Returning to the living room, Gilbert handed Feli the camera and told him to put it in the van. Lovino stood up and followed Feli, saying he was going to help put the equipment away. Gilbert walked over to Antonio and Francis, sitting between them.
"Well.. Should we call it done for now and enjoy the ride back to the hotel?" They nodded, standing up and making their way out to the van where the twins were waiting for them. They all climbed in and pulled away from the house, heading back towards the hotel they were staying in.
Once they got back to the hotel, Gilbert and the twins got to work listening to the audio and watching the cameras. Antonio and Francis stayed out of their way, not wanting to disturb them.
Gilbert first watched the video from the playroom. For an hour, nothing happened, until the camera was suddenly forcefully knocked over, landing hard on the ground facing the wall. Gilbert cursed softly under his breath when the film gave out after that. No sounds were heard the entire time.
The next video he watched was from the attic, Feliciano joining him to try and help a bit. The film was three hours long, and absolutely nothing occurred there. Gilbert was beginning to get frustrated. Feliciano had been concentrating on the audio, trying to pick out any possible voices or sounds that may have happened. Nothing.
Lovino joined in for the next one, having finished with his own audio analysis. They watched as the bear toppled over, the bell around its neck making a small ringing sound as it fell. Nothing else happened in the video for an hour and a half, until a small orb of light came from the top left corner of the screen and shot to the bottom right corner of the screen. Feliciano paused the video and looked at Gilbert.
"I heard a soft laugh. I think it was a child's." Gilbert stared at him. "A laugh?" Feliciano nodded and handed Gilbert his headphones. He played the clip again, Lovino and Gilbert listening closely. When the orb shot across the screen, a soft child's laugh was heard in the background.
Gilbert grinned. "Awesome!" He saved that part of the video and continued to watch the rest of it. For another half hour, nothing happened. Then, one of the other bears that had been sitting on a box that was too high for the camera to see, fell to the floor. That must have been when the other animals had turned to face the camera, because the video went fuzzy for a moment before giving out all together.
Gilbert saved all of the visual and audio evidence before turning to Lovino, who was taking his headphones off. "Did you get anything off the audio from the master bedroom?"
Lovino pointed to his screen, where he had highlighted five parts of the audio. "Listen for yourself."
Francis and Antonio walked over to them and leaned over the chairs, looking at the two screens. "We got something?" Gilbert nodded and leaned back in his seat.
Lovino stood up and stretched his arms above his head. "I'm going to take a shower. You can go over the audio again if you'd like." He shrugged and walked into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him. Feliciano stood up as well and made his way towards the front door. "I'm going to go get some food~ I'll be back in a bit!"
Francis sat where Lovino had been and put on the headphones. "Ah.. A couple of answers to my questions.. But you can't really make out what they're saying too well.." Gilbert sighed. "I see.. Maybe I can bring it to Arthur and see if he can figure it out. He has the better equipment for audio after all." Antonio grinned. "We're going to Arthur's house again? It was so much fun last time!~"
Gilbert rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't call it 'fun', but yeah, we're going back to Arthur's."
AN: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of BTP~ I would love to hear what you guys think about it! I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can!~ Also, I might change the rating from T to M depending on how this story goes. I don't know yet, so it's still a maybe.
