White︱BenEarth AU

3

"I can take you to him, but don't expect him to talk to you."

A lady at the front desk said to a guy that had came to do a lecture from his passion. It was something he had to do to pass his class, and he was so up for it. Ben had always been interested in psychiatric hospitals, and mental hospitals in general. It interested him how every patient had their own reasons to be locked up from the world, and how they spent their time inside these particular walls.

He had been given permission to look at every patient's file, and choose someone to take a closer look at, interview them so they would tell about their situation from the inside, without sugar coating anything. 

Ben had chosen a patient named Earth Teerapat. He apparently had schizophrenia, and had refused talking to any of the nurses. There wasn't any specification to why that was. He had turned 20 just a few days ago, and it was written that he had been here since he was six years old. "Fourteen years..." Ben whispered to himself as he read that. It seemed quite a long time. He also read that Earth was the oldest patient in the hospital right now. Others there were apparently about ten years old or younger. 

"Don't worry." Ben smiled at the woman. "I believe I will fill my report just fine. I will figure it out." He said and clasped his notebook excitedly. 

The woman didn't say anything to that, but got up from her place and led Ben to the dining hall. Everyone usually gathered there, since the hospital wasn't that big, and didn't have an actual place to hang around, so this is where everyone spent their time. 

Ben looked around to find something about the all on all atmosphere to write about. He noticed how there wasn't much noise, hardly anyone talked. Some were playing board games, some were watching movies from the TV. They indeed were just young kids.

"He's in here." The lady said after stopping behind a white door. 

She was about to open the door, but Ben quickly stopped her. "No don't! Can you go in first so I can see his reaction to you and compare it to his reaction of me?"

The woman rolled her eyes and stepped in, leaving the door a little open for Ben to look in from, since the room didn't have any other windows than the blocked one. 

"Hello Earth. How are we doing in here?" The woman asked in somewhat of a sarcastic tone. She obviously didn't even expect an answer. She went to fluff Earth's pillow while the boy sat on the foot of his bed, hugging his knees while staring at the wall.

Earth didn't answer her.

He didn't react to her.

"I have a little surprise for you Earth." The woman said. This gained a little of Earth's attention. He slowly turned his head to face the woman, still keeping his mouth shut. "You have a visitor."

Earth just sat there, not reacting to that. He was honestly so confused, but didn't show it on the outside. Why would anyone come to see him? Who would come to see him? He didn't know anybody.

The woman left, and after a while, Earth noticed a somewhat tall man walking in. Earth's eyes widened. He saw something other than white. The man had a long brown coat, black jeans, a green shirt that peeked out from under the coat, and he was carrying a pink notebook. That was the most color Earth had seen in years. 

"Hello Earth! My name is Benjamin but you can just address me as Ben. I came here to do my school assignment, I'm a learning psychology student you see. I'm not dangerous so you don't have to worry about that, I'm actually a nice person. I picked you out of many because you interested me. I read your files so if you want to know something, you can ask me, I read you've not been told some things." Ben blabbered.

Earth just stared at him with doe eyes, not knowing how to react. I interest him?

"I see you're not much of a talker but that's fine! I read that you're a mute so we can figure out some other w-"

"I'm not a mute."

Ben blinked harshly, clearing his throat, but still keeping the smile on his face. "Okay, why do you refuse to talk to the nurses?" Ben opened his notebook and took out his pen, ready to write Earth's answers down.

But Earth didn't answer him. 

"Well okay, how about we start with some easier questions then? How about, can you tell me your age?" Ben asked, hopefully looking at Earth to get some answers.

"Didn't you read my files?"

Ben nodded. "I did, but I want your answers. I want to know how much you know about yourself and what information is something that has been concealed from you, and so on I need to enlighten you. It's all part of my stay here."

"I'm 20." Earth answered, remembering the amount of white candles on top of his birthday cake. He was twirling his fingers, but still keeping his eyes at Ben, too unsure to turn away.

"Good good, how long have you been here?" Ben asked while writing in his notebook.

To this, Earth didn't answer, but his eyes shifted to the same white wall he always stared at. He couldn't answer that realistically, because he didn't know, but to him, he had never been outside. "All my life." 

Ben hummed. "That's not valid information... Okay, do you know why you're here?" Ben had a thought that every patient knew their reason, but since he knew Earth hadn't been told things, he figured it didn't hurt to ask.

"I-I..." Earth stuttered but coughed to gain back his voice. "B-Because I don't talk, I'm not cooperative and... and I don't have a family...?" He took a guess. 

Ben blinked in confusion. "No that's not it at all." He still wrote the answer into his notebook. After writing, he put the pink book down and focused on Earth. "You have schizophrenia."

Earth tilted his head, not knowing what that was. 

Earth looked into Ben's eyes, confused as ever. He saw color. Ben had light brown eyes, matching his coat.

It wasn't the most beautiful color, but it wasn't white.

So Earth loved it.

Anything but white.