Russia was unable to hide his excitement when the other two nations came to visit his hotel room. He'd waited four hours in order to tell them the news about America's new achievement, which was why it was impossible for him to not blurt out before anyone else could say anything upon England and Canada entering the room, "Guess what? Amerika said his first word!"
"He did?" Canada responded to the news with shock, "What was it?"
"He was watching a cartoon, and saw a dog on the screen and shouted 'puppy' at it. He was even able to repeat the word when I held up the dog plush and asked him what it was! And he only stuttered a little while saying it."
England gave America a smile of approval, "The people who doubted him are going to feel so stupid when they find out how much he's improved. It would seem as if he's developing independence a lot sooner than the typical child would, though I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise in the first place. He's a nation, and one who is fully grown, so it's obvious the scientists couldn't damage him forever."
Though America wasn't fond of all the attention he was receiving when he didn't understand the cause for it, the fact that there was food present reduced his nervousness. It wasn't a common occurrence for the humans to give him take out, but it was one of his favorites types of food to eat and he wished he could have it more often. At least it was more often than when the human with funny eyebrows cooked. It was hard for the young nation to keep himself from cringing when he ate the human's food (if it was prepared in the oven or on the stove), but fortunately, the other humans were experts when it came to preventing him from cooking without causing much drama.
America was brought over to the small table the hotel room came with and had his food placed on it in an orderly fashion before he was allowed to eat it. Though Russia had texted them about how the young nation was doing better (but had kept out the fact that he spoke for the first time, as he wanted this news to come as a surprise for after the meeting), they were still uncertain about giving him fast food. What if the high fat and sodium content disturbed his stomach? They tried not to focus on this, though, as even if it was a cause for concern, the uncivil nation appeared to be far better than he had been in the morning, and probably appreciated a large, filling meal after having nothing more than fruit and a cupcake. He'd, unsurprisingly, also appeared famished after having so little. They had more important matters to discuss than the improbable recurrence of America's sickness, anyway.
While the young nation scarfed down his burger and fries, and drank the protein shake Russia had forgotten to give him earlier, the more civil nations discussed what had happened at the meeting, and gave America's caretaker a copy of the important highlights of said gathering. They also tried to figure out what their plans would be after the meetings were over, as they wanted to spend time with each other before going their separate ways. Spending time in new surrounding would also benefit America, as crossing paths with unfamiliar people and visiting places he'd never been before was sure to open his mind and reduce his anxiety. One reason he feared new environments and people was due to a lack of experience. It was difficult for one to be comfortable in different surroundings and around strangers if they were trapped in a dangerous environment with dangerous people for a majority of their conscious existence.
After having a forty-five minute discussion about their plans, they confirmed the fact that America would be spending the night with Canada the next day, as they figured going in reverse order of who the young nation would stay with during his month long visits was fair. They also figured exploring the city would be beneficial for the uncivil nation, as even if it was crowded, they observed offering an abundance of food made him for comfortable around strangers, and cities were full of places to eat. Besides, there were places with few people visiting them, where they were sure the young nation wouldn't fear hanging out in. However, if they wanted to find quiet place to visit, it would be a difficult task to find a building to suit his needs without him being bored out of his mind. There were plenty of museums to visit, but why would an uncivil individual want to go to a place filled with exhibits they wouldn't understand? What reason would they have to appreciate the findings in science or the recorded history of humanity when they still had to figure out the basics of life? Perhaps an art museum was a possibility, but at the same time, some children were easy to bore when it came to art and America wasn't renowned for his ability in said skill, so maybe this wouldn't be a wise choice either.
The three more civil nations departed, figuring they could come up with places to hang out when it came time to explore the city. Perhaps they would find an exciting place for the one they were caring for, which also happened to not have many people around. Better yet, maybe the young nation wouldn't mind being in a crowd at all, if there was an abundance of treats around for him.
Russia was shocked when he checked on America after the long discussion. The young nation had managed to comfortably eat the large meal offered to him! Not a drop of sauce or fry remained uneaten. His caretaker patted his head and exclaimed, "I can't believe you were able to eat all that! I was worried we were being ridiculous with the size of that meal. I mean, who would have thought you'd be able to finish a large bacon cheeseburger and fries with the state you're in? You never fail to impress me!"
America watched his caretaker dispose of the trash he'd produced whilst eating as the other continued in his speech, "It's a good thing you're starting to gain your giant appetite back. You're a young, large, and powerful nation. You need to eat a lot of food in order to stay strong. It's good for the health of your people too."
Once Russia had finished cleaning off the table, he brought America over to the bed, as he wanted to watch a movie with him. Finding various forms of entertainment they both enjoyed was one way they had developed a bond with each other, and in order to ensure this companionship didn't falter, the caretaker would try and spend as much time as he could entertaining the young nation. Fortunately, over time, his taste in movies widened as he spent time watching ones he'd never believed he'd enjoyed. He'd assumed most kid movies were garbage, as children tended to be more easily impressed than adults, so their shows didn't need to have as much quality put into them. However, since kid shows were the only forms of media America could watch on the screen, as he was sensitive to mature content, Russia was sometimes forced to watch them with him, and he'd been proven wrong about them. Sure, he was aware there were gems made for kids adults could enjoy too, but he'd been shocked by how many kids movies he loved to watch, when he'd believed they'd be stupid based on the first impression. It was as if the creators of these movies kept adults in mind, and had therefore, put effort into the plot and characters, and even hid jokes kids wouldn't understand. This made their time spent together all the more enjoyable.
Unfortunately, since Russia didn't trust the television would have content suitable for the young nation, he was stuck playing a movie on his laptop. Though America didn't mind watching his favorite shows on the portable device, his caretaker found it less comfortable than sitting on the couch and watching shows on the television. It wasn't the worst way to watch movies, as there were ways to try and lessen the discomfort, but he still avoided this method as much as possible.
When the laptop was set in a decent place on the bed, upon a miniature, makeshift platform so watching the movie would be easier, America lied down and rested his head on his caretaker's lap. Russia smiled at the cuddly behavior and made it his objective to appease the one he was caring for buy stroking his hair. A warmth grew in the more civil nation as the other nuzzled his hand to demonstrate his appreciation for the affection. The two could tell they were going to have a pleasant evening.
After completing two movies, Russia was shocked to find America hadn't fallen asleep or groaned due to the lack of snacks being offered to him. Instead, he'd remained content and focused throughout the entire movie watching session, which led his caretaker to conclude either the movies they'd watched were outstanding (he had plans for putting them on his list of 'Best Movies to Watch With Alfred') or the young nation was willing to have more patience than he normally did. Either way, Russia was happy.
Russia glanced over at the clock to find it was around six in the evening. Now growing aware of his hunger pangs, he asked the one he was caring for, "You haven't eaten anything in four hours. Are you hungry?"
Excitement dominated America's demeanor upon being asked the question; apparent in the comical fashion in which he jumped into a sitting position from lying on the bed within seconds, as if he was an energetic puppy. Russia giggled at the reaction and stated, "I'll take that as a yes."
Figuring a light dinner would be best for America, since he had a large lunch, he prepared him a sandwich halfway stuffed with vegetables and flavored with oil based dressing and lunch meat. In case the sandwich wasn't enough for him, he provided him with a handful of crackers on the side and two small cookies. The young nation gobbled the meal down when it was offered to him, but despite the speed in which the food was consumed, he was satisfied with the amount of sustenance he was provided with.
After he'd cleared his plate, America resumed to his snuggle session with his caretaker. Never before had the two nations cuddled so much in one day, but Russia didn't bother pushing the one he was caring for away, as he understood the other needed as much reassurance as possible at the moment. He was in a different environment with new people and he didn't understand why. He believed it would be more harmful to push him away and tell him to suck it up than to coddle him, as doing such would leave him hurt and confused. Besides, the young nation deserved the love and attention after all he'd been through! Nothing he ever did was close to making him deserving of the torture he'd endured.
I wonder how much longer it will be until Amerika learns my name? Ivan mused, He's already said one word today and I have been trying to teach him how to say my name for a while now. Maybe I should try to teach him right now. At least he's tried to say it in the past, so maybe he'll be able to say it soon. I'd be proud if he learned how to say my name before anyone else's.
"Alfred," America turned to face Russia upon having his name called, "Do you think you can say 'Ivan'?"
There was no need for Russia to point at himself while saying his name anymore, as the young nation had figured out recently his caretaker's name was 'Ivan'. It was only a matter of saying it now. This was a hard task for America. He was still trying to figure out how to make a 'vuh' sound instead of a 'buh' sound when he needed to. It wasn't the most difficult pronunciation he was going to have to figure out, but it was more complicated than most others, in his opinion. At least it wasn't as complicated as the dreaded 'ruh'. He was worried he'd never be able to pronounce the last one.
Despite his insecurities about not being able to speak, America attempted to pronounce his caretaker's name, "Ee... ee-buh... ah. Ee-eebah-ah. Eebah-ah... n. Eebahn?"
Russia gave him a smile of encouragement, "You're getting closer. Keep it up!"
Due to the encouragement, America put all his effort into the task at hand. He needed to figure out the 'vuh' sound! Not only would this increase his ability to speak more words, but it would help him say the name of one of the most important people in his life. The one person who'd taught him humans weren't all evil.
America made many attempts at pronouncing the 'vuh' sound. It wasn't long until he was making a 'fuh' sound, which to him, 'vuh' appeared to be a mix of 'buh' and 'fuh'. Now all he had to do was merge the two sounds together and he would be able to say 'vuh', right?
"Eefuh-fahn. Eebuh-fahn. Ee... eefuh... fuh-vahn. Eevuh-vahn. Eevahn. Ivan!"
Russia pulled America into a tight embrace, "You did it, Alfred! You said my name! I'm so proud of you! It won't be long until you start talking regularly if you keep this up! But you're very smart, so I know it won't be too hard for you!"
When the excitement died down, Russia resumed to adoring America. Observing the young nation's face, he poked the bridge of his nose and stated, "Look at that cute little sprinkle of freckles."
America couldn't help going cross-eyed when his nose was poked and smiled at the playful behavior his caretaker was demonstrating. He didn't understand why, but the human was obsessed with poking his cheeks and nose. What was so special about them?
Russia, on the other hand, couldn't resist the temptation of poking said body parts. Due to the sun exposure, a faint sprinkle of freckles had decorated those areas of the young nation's face, and he found it adorable. Since it appeared the freckles were only visible during the summer for America, and since they would be all but invisible in the winter, he wanted to make the best of it while they were still around. Plus, the reactions he received when he poked the other made his day.
"I hope the rest of this week goes by slowly. I want to make the best of it! It doesn't help that the closer we get to the day you'll have to leave, the more sad I get. I'm afraid I might even cry right in front of you when that day comes! I'm going to miss you so much."
For once, Russia appreciated America's lack of understanding for the English language, as he was sure such words would depress him. Instead, the young nation continued to smile. A smile of blissful ignorance.