Plurk paste

The first time Ivan greets Raivis with a "labrīt" instead of his usual "Dobroe utro" he knows he has to learn more of his language. If the sleepy, bright smile and lit up eyes weren't enough to convince him, the immediate way he'd stammer-chirped back a greeting had a warm smile blossoming on his face even as Alois' grumbles about them waking him up way too early flutters past.

Ivan chuckles and scoops up Alois into a hug, kiss pressed to his brow and a good morning wished to him as well. And though the two ex-nations end up being latched onto and not allowed to leave as Alois goes back to sleep, Ivan doesn't mind, not with the little smile still on Raivis' face and the plans forming as they're used as pillows.

From that point on Ivan goes out of his way to use what little Latvian he knows, trying to ignore the way his accent slips and twists some words and how some merge into Russian half way through. It's worth the little beaming smile Raivis gifts him with, the way he'll lean into hugs and respond in sentences Ivan can barely stumble through. It takes a while, but eventually he works up the courage to find Raivis- Christmas gift book in hand- and ask to learn more.

Which is what Alois finds them doing later on that evening; curled up in a chair, sides pressed together and book in their laps as they translate pages for each other, little smiles on their face. The pout and confusion on his face has them beckoning him to join them, accepting the way he nestles against them easily. And if their translations start going into English as well, then it's simply so he doesn't feel left out.