Ivan = Russia

Eduard = Estonia

Toris = Lithuania

Ravis = Latvia

Peter =Sealand

He was a quiet child from the start, timid and withdrawn, but that's normal for someone in his position, right? Taken from his home, placed into foster care with people he didn't know, and he's only eight... They couldn't expect him to be bubbly and bright. So Toris and Eduard try to give him his space, to let him adjust. Even their foster father, Ivan, moves gently and doesn't push the kid, unusually hesitant. But eventually, Toris and Eduard figure out what their foster father already knows about their new sibling.

He never said it outloud, but everyone knew. Not at first, but slowly but surely they learned, bit by bit they saw the signs.

Toris raised a hand to ruffle his new brother's hair in an attempt to soothe him, and Ravis flinched and ducked away, and Toris let his hand fall harmlessly back to his side. Eduard got in a small argument with Ivan and raised his voice, and Ravis's shoulders seems to curl in, like he was trying to disappear, and the argument died away like water trickling to a stop. One night, wanting to relax, Ivan popped open a can of beer, and at the noise of the can opening, Ravis began to tremble, frozen in spot, but not a peep came from his mouth. Just as silently, Ivan poured the untouched beer down the drain.

Ravis doesn't speak above a whisper, and moves as softly as a Kleenex fluttering to the ground, like he is trying to become invisible. He doesn't laugh or smile. He calls Ivan "Sir" not "Dad" or even just "Ivan".

No one told them outloud, but they didn't need to. It was plain to see.

So they tried.

"Hey, Ravis, mind if I touch your hair? It's sticking up a bit."

Toris asked for permission to touch him first, and waited patiently for his brother to answer - a short jerky nod or shake- before either proceeding or letting his hand drop.

"Hey, Ravis, we're going to watch a movie, would you like to sit on the couch or the floor?"

Eduard pushed gently, but still made sure to offer his new brother options.

"Ravis. Eat your vegetables, don't play with them. Please."

Even Ivan softened his sentences, turned commands into requests, awkwardly, so his youngest child didn't fear the punishment if he didn't obey.

They were walking a tightrope, carefully choreographed words and actions, so they didn't crush their newest family member's trust before they even earned it. It was difficult, and there were times they wanted to forget, to fight and yell, to slam doors or be loud in general, but each time they caught themselves and reigned it in. They couldn't afford to mess it up.

"Ravis, dont Call me 'Sir'. Please. You can call me Dad, if you want, or Just Ivan if you like it better."

Ravis was frozen like a rabbit that had seen a hawk in his foster father's presence.

"D-Da-"

"It's okay if you don't call me that if you're not comfortable with it. Take your time."

Ravis didn't say anything at all.

"Ravis?" Eduard started, seeing his little brother curled up into a ball in the hall, half wrapped in a blanket he'd dragged with him. "What's wrong?"

Ravis's eyes filled with tears, and he cried soundlessly.

Eight year olds shouldn't wet the bed at their age. Not normal ones. Both Eduard and Ravis knew this. Quietly, so no one would wake up, Eduard helped Ravis hide the evidence, dirty sheets and pajamas into the washer and fresh new ones on the bed.

"Ravis, if this ever happens again, you can come tell me, okay? It's okay even if you wake me up, I'll help you."

"Thank you." A shy, broken little whisper.

"That's what big brothers are for."

Eduard starts waking Ravis up for a bathroom break when he goes to bed. No one ever mentions the accident, Even when Toris quietly moves the sheets and pajamas to the dryer the next morning, or when Ivan folds them when Ravis is at school and put them away.

Toris finds the paper crumpled up in the back of Ravis's backpack when he gets back from school. A permission slip for a field trip, listing all the necessary information on it too. The date it's needed by is tomorrow, but it's clear that the youngest has had it a while. Toris sneaks the wrinkled form to Ivan later that night, and neither of them wonder why Ravis's didn't mention it. Ivan reads the paper, and signs the slip. He stays up late that night, making sure he has all the necessary items for the trip.

Ravis might not even want to go, Ivan knows it's a possibility. He still wants to make it easy for Ravis to go if he does want to.

When Ivan casually hands him back the signed permission slip the next morning, nonchalantly so as not to upset him, Ravis's eyes grow wide as dinner plates, and they see a bit of something light grow in the boy's eyes as he lets out a shuddering breath. Toris thinks that maybe that light is called "hope".

Ravis comes home with a new paper detailing more information about the day of the field trip that night. This time, he quietly slides the paper onto Ivan's spot at the table when he isn't looking, and when Ivan turns back, there's a new paper, and Ravis is nowhere to be seen. Ivan smiles anyways. Baby steps.

When Ivan picks him up at school after the field trip, Ravis is chattering excitedly with another boy in a way Ivan has never heard him do before. He's still a bit too quiet, a bit too hesitant, but he's talking and there's a strange quirk on his lips like Ravis is trying to smile but doesn't quite know how. Like he never had a reason to before. Ivan ignores the tight clench in his chest at this, and waits a few minutes extra in his car so the boys can finish their conversation. As much as he'd like to be apart of it, he knows his presence will chase the fun away.

He knows it isn't his fault. It still stings a bit, but Ivan smiles through it, making an effort to be calm and unintimidating.

There's a strange smell in Ravis's room when Toris send him to bed, and Toris finds half-rotted and moldy food under his bed, bits and pieces squirreled away from meals when no one was paying attention and hoarded for later. Ravis looks petrified, eyes large and wet and his breathing turns wierd, and stitled. Toris knows he has to act carefully, not emotionally. He makes his best soft smile at Ravis, trying to comfort him.

"Were you saving this for later? Sorry, Ravis, but I think it's gone bad."

Ravis twitches oddly, scanning Toris's face for a reaction, but his only response it's a strange little yelp-like noise as Toris scoops up the food, rotten and disgusting as it is, in his hands. Toris's ribcage feels sharp and tight when he sees the panic on his youngest brother's face when he takes away his food store.

"Tell you what, I'm going to throw this out and clean this up, then we'll get you some stuff that won't go bad, okay?"

Ravis stays up an extra hour that night as Toris helps him set up a little box with some non-perishable snacks and some water bottles for Ravis to hide in his room. Toris doesn't watch when Ravis hides his box, even though he's curious.

"Listen, Ravis," Toris offers a hand, and Ravis shuffles forwards awkwardly and let's one of his own small hands fall limply on it. Toris doesn't let his hand close around it. "If your box ever starts getting empty, you let me know, I'll give you more stuff to refill it, okay?"

Ravis nods, and tears begin to roll down his face, graduating quickly to sobs.

"I'm sorry."

Toris hates Ravis's old family more with every new thing he sees reflected in Ravis's behaviour.

"It's okay! Big brothers take care of little brothers, that's what they do, okay? So if you ever need anything, let me know."

Toris hopes Ravis is learning how to feel safe, even just the littlest bit.

Ravis wets the bed three more times, even with Eduard's help, but the third time, he doesn't pull the blankets over to try to hide his mess, leaving it for Toris to discover in the morning. Eduard wakes to a soft touch on his sleeve.

"Mm?" He forces one eye open blearily, and slowly registers Ravis standing their, suckling on the collar of his shirt like a much younger child, dragging a blanket. It takes effort, but Eduard forces himself to wake up at least a bit more. "What's wrong?"

Ravis looks away, but the sharp smell of urine answers Eduard's question anyways. He pushes himself up.

"Do you need help with the bed?"

Ravis nods, still suckling his shirt, And Eduard stumbles out of bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and quietly and efficiently helps Ravis hide the evidence again, changing sheets and blankets and pajamas for new ones, and sending him with wet wipes to clean up. When he tucks Ravis back into bed, his brother makes grabby hands in small movements, like he wants to reach for Eduard, but can't make himself, so Eduard stays, sitting on the edge of the bed and waiting till his brother falls back asleep. Somehow, Eduard falls back asleep first.

He wakes up,several hours later, on the edge of his little brother's twin bed with a thought suddenly clear in his mind.

"That's the first time Ravis has asked for help."

He's back asleep before his face can even wake up enough to smile at it, but there's a feeling of satisfaction in his heart. They must be doing something right after all.

Toris doesn't say anything when he goes to wake up Ravis and finds Eduard curled on the edge of the bed too, a small child's blanket awkwardly pushed over him in a twist, but Eduard swears he heard a camera click, and Ivan and Toris are cooing over something on Toris's phone later, and Eduard feels like he might know what it is.

Toris catches Ravis sneaking peas and chicken from his plate into his pocket at dinner, and nudges Ivan and signals with his eyes for his father to leave the room. Reluctantly, Ivan complies.

"Ravis, you can't keep this food, it'll go bad, remember?"

Ravis shivers and doesn't make eye contact as Toris gently empties his pockets, now sticky with food.

"It's okay, remember? Let's make a deal," Toris puts the food back into Ravis's plate, "You eat this now, and I'll give you some snacks for your room after, okay?"

Ravis nods shortly, still not making eye contact, and stabs a pea with his fork. Toris tried not to tear up. Trust is hard to build, especially when someone else has broken it before, but it's a start.

"Can I come over?"

Ivan barely hides his surprise when a schoolmate of Ravis's - a rather energetic and loud child named Peter-suddenly asks to visit. In hindsight, Ivan should have thought of it before, of course his son would want to have a friend over, his other two had multiple times. He should have asked first, he knows Ravis has difficulty asking for things he wants... Or needs.

But Ravis is staring at Peter like he'd just asked Ivan to run him over in his car, so Ivan only smiles at Peter and replied with as much friendliness as he could.

"Of course! If your parents says yes."

Ravis has a friend over for the first time.

Peter is loud, he moves loudly, he talks loudly, he makes his presence very clearly seen and heard, and Ravis winces each time he does. He's watching them for their reactions, and everyone except Peter notices. Peter slams a door and Eduard lightly chides "not to knock the house down". Ravis relaxes a bit. Peter steals chips from Toris's plate, and Ravis stiffens. Toris just smirks and steals one back. When Peter makes a fuss to Ivan about staying later, Ravis clutches his arm so tight Peter stops complaining to twist around to look at Ravis. Ivan takes advantage of the distraction to put his foot down.

"No, your dad is already coming to pick you up. Maybe next time."

Ravis makes the words "next time" seem like Christmas.

When Peter's dad shows up, Peter manages to weedle Ivan and his dad into agreeing to a sleepover sometime. The Christmas fades from Ravis's eyes when he hears this, like he's afraid he won't come back if he goes to a sleepover. Eduard holds a hand out invitingly. Ravis slides his own cool hand into Eduard's, and Eduard speaks up.

"I don't know! I think we'd miss him too much if he was gone allllll night. Maybe just a playdate?"

He's too busy hashing out the details with Ivan to see the look that Ravis gives him, but Ivan and Toris both notice and exchange a look. Their youngest brother is finally beginning to understand what a family is.

Approximately two weeks from any significant date of any kind, Ravis calls Ivan "Dad" for the first time. Its no big decision or statement on the boy's end, In fact, Ravis doesn't seem to notice he said it at all, when it happens.

"Dad, can I have some juice?"

It's so casual that even Ivan doesn't notice at first, simply reaching for the juice and pouring it. Toris and Eduard exchange a look as Ravis sips his juice, but neither of them mention it outloud. A second later, Ivan chokes on his own juice, eyes wide as he finally registers what Ravis said. Eduard grins.

Not even a full year since they've started fostering Ravis, Ivan calls his two older sons to talk after Ravis is sent to bed. It's a question that didn't even need to be asked, and Toris and Eduard are already answering before Ivan finishes asking.

Two days later, Ivan asks Ravis the same question.

"We want you to be a part of family forever. Is it okay?"

And Ravis cries for the first time in front of Ivan, not soundless tears slipping down his face, but full-chested sobs that rake his lungs and rattle in his chest like he's dying. Ivan gently pulls the boy in, and Ravis collapses into the embrace. It's hard to get a clear answer from amongst Ravis's sobs, but the next day he calls Toris and Eduard his big brothers for the first time, and sits next to Ivan for the first time.

When the social worker comes to check in and make sure Ravis is happy and safe, Ravis whispers something in his ear that has Tino smiling bright as the sun. Neither he nor Ravis tells Ivan what Ravis said, but Tino stops before he leaves to tell Ivan;

"Just keep doing what you're doing. You're doing fine."

And Ivan turns an odd shade of pink that Toris has only ever seen on his dad when his aunts tease Ivan. There's a strange satisfaction in that flush too, though, so Toris thinks it's a good thing.

At his ninth Birthday party, Peter is loud and chaotic. Ravis doesn't try to disappear or look terrified. He treats each gift like it's the first one he's ever gotten. None of his family bring up the fact that might be true. Peter's given him a papermache thing he made in art class, which Peter swears is a boat, though it bears no physical resemblance to one. Ravis receives it like its a crown made of pure gold, with an awed reverence. Toris and Eduard show the results of the money they pooled from their part-time jobs - a shiny new bicycle the perfect size for Ravis so he can go biking with Peter and his friends. Ivan has to remind Ravis to breath again, and with an effort, Ravis makes a series of shuddering breaths, not quite crying, but not far from it either. But the tears don't come until Ivan gives him his gift.

A photobook, half-filled with picture even Toris and Eduard hadn't known he'd taken, a collection of moments since Ravis became part of their family. Three rapt faces as his three sons stare at the TV, a picture of Ravis snuggled against Eduard side as he dozes in a spot of sunlight, Ravis helping Toris with the dishes, and a few pictures donated by Eduard and Toris, Ivan helping pack Ravis's schoolbag, Ravis saving Ivan from a centipede while Ivan attempts to look unbothered, but only succeeds at looking sick, a blurry picture of Eduard about to dump water over his unsuspecting father while Toris distracted him.

Toris clearly remembers the look on Ravis's face when they asked him to take the picture - not scared, like he used to be, but almost mischievous, like he was excited to see how it played out.

There's pictures of Peter in there too, Peter and Ravis playing games, Peter holding Eduard's hat to his head as he ran from the indignant owner, a selfie of Peter where he's too close to the camera, giving a detailed view of half his face and up his nostrils.

Ravis turns each page silently, swallowing hard like there's something stuck in his throat, until he gets to the part where the photobook is empty.

"That's for all the memories we're going to make from now on." Ivan tells him.

And tears begin to fall, rolling down Ravis's face in big fat drops and splattering on the plastic of the photobook. Peter panics at the unexpected tears, but Ravus's family can see the look of his face, an almost anguished look of relief, and they know its relief, and an overwhelming amount of feelings that makes him cry, not because he's upset.

Ravis knows he's never going back again.

Eduard hugs his brother tightly for the first time, and Ravis's doesn't go stiff, but clings to his brother's shirt. Toris wraps his arms around both, then Ivan, and Peter, not to be left out, wiggles in, and Ravis get his first family hug.

Half a year later, Ivan frames and hangs an official certificate, just approved yesterday, on the wall that claims Ravis as an official part of their family, and Ravis hugs him tightly.

Ravis never tells them about the abuse outloud, but he doesn't need. They don't tell him that it will never be like that with them either, and they also don't need to.

Ravis laughs like a kid his age should.

He still walks too quietly, still trembles at the smell of beer or the sound of a can opening, still freezes at raised voices, but it's okay. There's no time limit on healing, and they have the rest of his life to help him heal.