The sun was starting to set now, not that anyone could tell. All existence of the outside world was blocked off anyway, so none of the patients or doctors alike could see the lovely oranges and pinks scattering across the darkening sky. Lovino was already starting to get extremely tired by the time visiting hours came around, and he was practically asleep in the chair he was sitting in when a knock at the front door echoed throughout the whole unit.

"Dammit, Feliciano, g-get out of my room...Bastard."

"Rise and shine princess, your'e in the hospital!"

Almost falling out of his chair at the obnoxious yelling in his ear, Lovino jolted awake, glaring at Alfred who was laughing hysterically at his own joke. According to the schedule they were all given, it was just around visiting hours.

"Lovino?" A voice piped up, belonging to Tino, "Your grandfather and brother are here to see you. Oh, and Alfred?"

"What's up?"

"Your brother called earlier. He won't be able to come today, but he said he can call you later."

The American stared ahead, his face losing its usual cheeriness, and he suddenly went completely quiet. "M-Mattie isn't coming..? This is the third time he's cancelled.."

Lovino stood groggily, watching Alfred slump down into the couch, and honestly he felt kind of bad for him. He wouldn't admit such a thing, but he still muttered a soft apology regardless. Arthur, who finally lifted his head from his lap, looked over at Alfred who was now on the verge of tears.

"At least you have someone willing to talk to you." The Brit said softly, resulting in Alfred looking up at him, "I'm insane. Who would ever want to talk to Arthur Kirkland?"

"I-I'm sorry man, I didn't mean to-"

"Forget it. I'm just stupidly complaining."

Turning away from the scene altogether, Lovino walked towards the dining room area, seeing two familiar faces make their way inside. The Italian stopped, his hazel eyes finding his brother's amber ones, and suddenly he was tackled onto the tiled floor in a bone-crushing hug. His lungs felt like they were on fire by the time Lovino managed to pry his younger brother off.

"F-Fratello! You aren't dead!"

"Why the fuck would I be dead?!"

"This place is scary, and I thought that-"

Lovino sat back up, seeing all eyes glued on him, and he slapped his palm over Feliciano's mouth to shut him up. "Yeah, yeah, just get off of me!"

"Ve.."

The two brothers clung onto one another and Lovino made his way back towards their Grandfather who was now sitting at a small table in the corner of the room. He messed with his clothes nervously as he was stared down, and he made an effort to look away - avoiding anyone's eyes, if that was possible.

"So.. I brought your stuff."

Lovino slightly looked up, seeing a pile of clothes in his hands. "Grazie, I guess." And, as expected, all three of them sat in an awkward silence, looking between each other and attempting to be civil. Feliciano was fidgeting with his hands and Lovino was just sitting there stilly, trying not to lose control in the situation at hand.

"..How are you?"

"Fine."

"Lovino, please be honest."

"I'm fine. I want to go home."

"I know you do, but we want you to get better first."

"I told you," Lovino was starting to get frustrated now, his face turning a bit pink as his heart rate started to increase, "I'm fine! You just refuse to believe it!"

"You hurt yourself, and others! How is that considered 'fine'?"

His fist pounded onto the surface of the table, causing it to shake, "Fuck you. Fuck you both. It's all your fault! You just don't give two shits about me!"

"Lovin-"

"Don't try to sugarcoat it assholes! What am I to you?! Trash!?"

"F-Fratello..."

"Just get out. Now." He stressed his words loudly, trying to make his point clear, which, clearly, worked. Feliciano was trembling in his seat, clutching onto his Grandfather who rubbed his back in soothing circles.

"It's alright, Feliciano. It isn't your fault."

"Oh, feeding him lies is just perfect. Bastard!"

"So, it sounded like it went great!"

Just as he walked back into the lounge, Lovino was greeted with the obnoxious laughter coming from Alfred who was right on his tail. He didn't want to be treated this way; especially after his horrible visit.

"Shut the fuck up." He hissed towards the blonde, and he actually backed off, with the help of Antonio dragging him back towards his seat. Said Spaniard starting slowly walking towards him, sitting next to Lovino who had his arms crossed bitterly into his chest.

"Hey, are you alright?"

He didn't respond. If he did, he knew he would blow up again. He didn't want to hurt anyone else. He had hurt his brother enough.. Just the look on his face practically snapped his heart in half. Why did he have to say those things? Sure, he thought they were true but.. He didn't want to be so horrible to his younger brother who was only trying to help.

"Lovino? You don't have to respond. I just want you to know that I'm here to talk, if you need it, yeah?"

Again, no reply. He sat, staring forward into nothingness. Antonio took that as his cue to leave, and he lightly patted the Italian's shoulders before returning to his spot next to Alfred who was currently talking Arthur's ear off.

Slightly looking up towards his "friends" of sorts, Lovino nodded towards Antonio who gave him a warm smile, and suddenly he felt a bit better knowing that someone, someone, was willing to listen to all of his bullshit.

"Alright, time for showers everyone." A lower voice said, walking towards them, who happened to be the Norwegian therapist named Lukas.

"Oh, um, does Lovino have a roommate?"

He stopped looking at Antonio who was talking, then turned back around to consult with his brother behind the front desk. "Lovino, you're rooming with Antonio. You can pick who takes a shower first."

"You can go ahead Lovi. It's been a long day for you I assume, so take your time."

The Italian blinked, standing up reluctantly and went to gather a few towels from a bin near his room. They felt old and worn out, but he supposed it was better than nothing. Next, he went to grab a large tub they were all provided with some shampoo, a toothbrush, comb, and other basic needs. Finally, he went to his - well, he and Antonio's - room and took out a familiar pair of sweatpants and a blank tank top.

He slid the curtain to a close and turned on the water to the shower that only got to a lukewarm temperature before it gave up, and the water was hardly coming out of the shower head at all. He stripped down and waited just a bit longer before getting inside. He didn't want to be cramped in such a small, dark space with only his thoughts keeping him company. That's what got him in trouble in the first place. That's how he got to the hospital...

Eventually he forced himself inside and shivered at the cold water dripping down his back. It wasn't anything like home. In fact, it was the complete opposite. At least at home he was a bit more comfortable. Here, well, he was convinced he was in the deepest pits of hell.

And, at that thought, he could feel his eyes begin to sting with unnecessary tears that already started to drip down his face. Luckily he was in the shower so no one could see him cry but... He couldn't help but feel extremely pathetic. He was just standing there, clutching himself, scratching at his arms - crying. He felt so helpless and lost, and he didn't know what to do anymore. He couldn't tell if he was going to get better or worse, because, quite frankly, he felt even more depressed than ever before.

Losing balance and his sense of direction, he slid down the grimy, tiled wall, sitting on the floor and let the water stream over his bare body. He blankly stared at the ground beneath him and tried to focus on the noises, the smells, something other than his emotional state of mind. But everything around him only made it worse. After all, he was in a hospital for being absolutely insane..

A soft knock was heard after several minutes and Lovino's head involuntarily jerked towards the noise. "L-Lovino? Are you alright?"

It was Antonio. He cleared his throat and croaked a response. "Si. I-I'm alright."

"Okay.. Well, um, I hate to rush you but.. It's getting close to lights out and I just need my turn..."

Lovino started to stand up, clutching the shower head for support, "I'll be right out then." He muttered, and Antonio issued a soft word of thanks before disappearing again. He turned off the water, grabbed the towel on the dampened floor and started to dry himself off slowly.

Just by looking in the mirror at his horrid reflection, he could tell this was going to be one of the longest nights of his life.

Hiya! Sorry for the late update. Vacation and stuff. And procrastination haha!

Oh, just for a better understanding, I'm being very very generous with how they treat the patients in this story. To get a better idea of what it's really like... Imagine the way they are treated now (which is already pretty strict) and make it 3 times worse. Yep. That is how it truly is. I know this better than anyone should...

Anywho, until next time~

-Feli