Alfred took a few moments to properly wipe the tears of laughter from his face, still snickering softly. "Man this is definitely the best day I've ever had," he murmured, pausing a moment and blinking when he was licked. His mind took a few moments to register the fact before he started giggling again, grinning. "Ah, but Kotenok, you don't have the sandpaper tongue!" he stated, crossing his legs at the ankle once he could stretch them out again. Wouldn't do his knees any good in the long run if he constantly ended up sitting like a little kid. "Either way you're still my favorite kitten, rough tongue or no rough tongue," he said with a smile as he stuck out his own tongue rather childishly. His boundless amounts of energy were obviously draining by that point, seeing as his actions were less exaggerated than they usually were, and his tone was quieter than it had been earlier in the day. "The cuddliest, too. Penny may have been a ball of fluff but cuddling was on her terms."

Even though Alfred had already said as much, it was still heartening to hear him calling this day his best, and Ivan could hardly imagine feeling happier. "This is true, but that is not such a bad thing~" He responded, when his tongue's lack of raspiness was pointed out. He watched as Alfred adjusted his position slightly, but was more focused on the American's ex
pression than on his legs. It was still rather nice to have his boyfriend on his lap, and looking so cheery, and he couldn't help but to grin and giggle a little when he was told that he was Alfred's favourite kitten. "Ahhh, spasiba..." He murmured, feeling flattered - though it wasn't actually hard to cause him to feel flattered, all things considered. "You are my favourite puppy~" He responded, though he added to himself that Alfred was technically his only puppy. Then again, he did have a dog game now... "Ahahahh, you look cheeky with your tongue stuck out~" He commented, amused, before registering what else had been said. "Ahh, well, I have always liked snuggles..." He murmured, "And snuggles with you make me feel all wibbly and happy inside - it is very nice~" He added brightly, giving Alfred a squeeze. He noticed that his sweet one seemed to be tiring, and he wasn't the only one, so he decided to address that issue next, as he doubted that either of them wanted to fall asleep on the couch. "Ahh, should we be getting to bed now? I could read to you, if you would like..." He asked, recalling the books from earlier.

Alfred smiled, nodding slightly. "True," he amended regarding the rough tongue thing, yawning softly a moment or so later. And I'm really glad I can make you so happy!" he added, giving his beloved Russian a warm smile. Bed did sound pretty great right about now... So did having Ivan read to him. That was the main part of his childhood bedtime ritual that he'd missed the most and despite being almost twenty-one years of age he was rather excited regarding the thought of it. So, he nodded and moved to start readjusting Ivan's scarf, making his way out from beneath it so Ivan wouldn't have to carry him to the bed or anything. "Do you want the cats with us?" he asked, moving to get up and stretch out, yawning once again.

Ivan yawned as well, unable to stop himself. Well, it was well known that yawning was a contagious action, for whatever reason, so no surprises there. "And I am glad that I am not the only one who is happy." He responded quietly, returning Alfred's smile with one of his own -  he was getting more used to doing that. It was really quite a pleasure, being smiled at so warmly, and he was still a little surprised at how easily he could cause Alfred to smile so. He had missed being read to and reading to others as well, for all that he'd never done anything about it before. Perhaps it was childish, but that didn't bother him, and it certainly didn't seem to be bothering Alfred, so that was okay. Ivan was quite looking forward to reading to the sunny American he'd come to adore, and he hoped that he'd be able to make him smile some more in the process. He waited as Alfred moved to disentangle himself and stand, before getting up himself, considering the question he'd been asked. "Well, I think it might be nice to have them there, and more company would not be unwelcome." He answered, glancing around to see if he could spot the felines in question.

Alfred wandered over to where their stuff had been placed, smiling a little bit before gently taking hold of the stuffed sunflower as well as picking up one of the books. He didn't really look at the ti
tle, but he had remembered that both of them had sounded rather nice so he wouldn't mind either one of them. Upon returning to Ivan's side he offered out the sunflower, grinning a bit before he moved to crouch down onto the floor. "Penny," he called, smirking a little bit at the answering meow as the feline in question trotted out, stepping up to Alfred to rub against the hand he'd outstretched. She'd wandered off following after Vodka and had ended up laying with the black feline. "We can do Vodka's grooming tomorrow, either before I have to go in for my shift at the cafe or after I get back," he murmured, stroking his hand along Penny's back. "Also when I lived with my parents our house was the kind where Penny could get herself stuck places, so in order me to find her anywhere I had to get her to answer to her name. Boy am I glad she let me at least train her to do that," he said with a quiet laugh as he scooped up the puffball known as Penny, carefully adjusting the book he'd grabbed to allow him to nuzzle into the she-cat's soft fur. "I should probably give Penny a bath here soon and her grooming out of the way too," he murmured, pushing himself up off the ground and looking over at Ivan.

Ivan followed, coming up behind Alfred as the other picked up a couple of items. He glanced at the book, noting that it was the one with the dragon, though he didn't think that the American had actually looked at the ti
tle before picking it up. Well, neither of them had read either book before, so it wasn't as though there was any preference yet. Ivan was happy to read whichever to Alfred. He smiled when the plush sunflower was offered his way, and he took hold of it gently, drawing it close almost automatically. He was a little startled when Penny actually came when called, but he supposed that stranger things were possible than convincing a cat to answer to her name. Vodka padded out after Penny, curious as to what was going on, before deciding to lightly butt Ivan's leg with his face, a little jealous of the attention Penny was getting. Ivan scooped him up, nodding as Alfred mentioned Vodka's grooming, figuring that they certainly weren't going to get it done right then. "Ahh, I see." He murmured, "That explains it.  I hope that she did not become stuck in too many places." He added, cuddling the cat and the toy in his arms. Vodka seemed intrigued by the sunflower, and batted at it playfully, but he didn't have his claws out. "I wonder whether Vodka will find it as fun to watch Penny get washed as she found it to watch him?" He mused aloud, amused.

"She was quite the curious kitten, that's for darn sure," Alfred laughed softly, shaking his head a little as he moved to start towards the bedrooms. More specifically, his bedroom, since it was a lot more obviously lived in and would likely be ultimately more soothing for the both of them. Plus he had a decently sized ed should they get too hot and need space during the night. He set Penny on the bed and trotted over to his dresser to get out another pair of pajamas to change into so he wasn't just sleeping in his clothes. Actually momentarily forgetting that Ivan was there he already began the process of changing, beginning of course with his shirt to put on something looser and more comfortable. "And probably," he responded with a laugh once he finally registered that Ivan had asked him something.

Ivan ducked into the other bedroom briefly, in order to pick up his nightclothes, before following Alfred into the more well-used bedroom. He looked around, taking in the sight of all the stuff Alfred kept in there, but there was one thing in particular that drew his gaze - Alfred himself. It seemed as though the American had decided to get started on changing right away, and had already removed his shirt. Ivan blinked, momentarily unable to remove his gaze from the exposed abdomen of his best friend/boyfriend. Alfred wasn't blocky like some of the people you'd expect to find at a gym - well, stereotypically, anyway - but there was certainly muscle there. Compared with Ivan himself, Alfred cut a relatively lithe figure, though there was also softness to be seen. All in all, it was quite a nice view~ It was only when Vodka head-butted his chin that Ivan realised that he was staring, and he put the cat down, embarrassed. "Ahh, sorry... I did not mean to stare..." He mumbled, cuddling his sunflower and nightclothes self-consciously. Yet again, his face was pink, though not quite so much as when Alfred had licked him. "... Should I begin to change now also?" He asked, while trying not to stare again. The image was already in his brain, he reasoned - he didn't need to be rude.

((By getting flustered~))

"Hm?" Alfred looked back at Ivan as he slid on his shirt before he laughed softly, wandering over to Ivan to lightly lean against him. "You ARE allowed to stare, you know," he chuckled, getting up on his tip-toes to give Ivan another kiss. "And yeah, you can go ahead and change in here if you wanna, too," he said as he moved to go change his pants as well. He set those aside on his dresser fr the time being, settling on the edge of his bed. He leaned over to stroke Penny. doing that for a little bit before he reached out to start petting Vodka as well. "Hope you feel better being clean, buddy," he murmured to the black tom, glancing over towards his boyfriend. He had to admit he was kind of curious to see how he looked under that shirt of his.

Ivan smiled, still feeling slightly embarrassed, but appreciative of the brief contact when Alfred leaned in. "Ahh, okay... I - ahh, I suppose it tells you that there is cause for staring~" He responded, feeling a little awkward, but less so now. Giggling a bit in the wake of the kiss - and having found the tip-toeing quite cute, Ivan nodded. "Spasiba..." He murmured, pulling off his shirt. He had a broader frame than Alfred, but there was some softness there as well as the muscle that was clearly present. He certainly wasn't a hulk, but he wasn't likely to be mistaken for a weed either. He was a touch paler than Alfred, but not pasty, and his skin looked smooth - although, skin generally was that way. Ivan felt a bit self-conscious about undressing around someone, but it was Alfred, so it was okay. He could tell that his American sweetheart was looking, and he gave him a tentative little smile as he folded his shirt and put it down near Alfred's pants - for lack of a better idea of where it should go. Then, while Vodka leaned into Alfred's petting and purred appreciatively, Ivan slipped on his nightshirt, and started to take his own pants off. He still felt a little sheepish, but he knew that there wasn't really any reason for him to be - it wasn't as though he had lots of scars or anything. Although... sometimes he felt almost as though there was something like that that he was trying to hide.

"You know, you look really nice without a shirt on," Alfred said with a smile as he propped up his chin in his hands, tilting his head a little bit as he slowly kicked his feet back and forth in a manner not unlike a teenaged girl. "I like it," he added, grinning as his boyfriend. And he truly, honestly did rather like it and most certainly would enjoy seeing it again. He was halfway tempted to say again that he loved the Russian male, he he supposed the fact that he was rather happily waiting for him to change clothes and get into the bed said a great deal. Soon he'd get to have the Russian reading to him as they lay cuddled beneath the blankets, cats purring at their feet and a comfortable familiarity lulling them into a deep sense of calm and peace. Or, well, he hoped that's what it would do.

"I - ahhh... Spasiba." Ivan mumbled, blushing a little as he glanced back and saw Alfred's posture, his gradual kicking motion - which reminded him a little of teenage girls, actually - and the way that he was grinning at him. He was quite pleased that Alfred liked what he saw, to be honest, though the frankness with which the wheat-haired American expressed this made him feel - well, he wasn't sure... Surprised? Not quite... It was hard to pin down - perhaps it was something to do with the way he saw himself sometimes? Something to do with someone seeing him in that light? Well, it didn't matter - if Alfred liked the way he looked, then that was a good thing, and one that could make them both happy, as Ivan liked it when his boyfriend was pleased. Besides, he liked the way Alfred looked, so it was only fair. "I am glad that you do - and I like the way you look too~" He added, having collected his thoughts, and changed the rest of the way into his nightclothes. Ambling over, Ivan clambered in next to Alfred, smiling at the American beside him. "This bed seems a little roomier than the other one... Better for cuddling, da?" He murmured, reaching for the book. "Are you ready for it to be story time?"

((By the way, how do you think Arthur would react to this book, given the name Mentha Leporid appears in it? Oh, or do you think he wrote it? Does he still see fairies? Sorry about the sudden burst of questions...))

((I was actually thinking about it yeah. I don't think he still sees them, but I'd imagine that he has possibly a secret collection of unicorns and such that for some reason have always made him feel more secure and not alone when the feeling hits. The name would certainly ring a bell in his head, s will meeting Alfred (which I'm debating on having happen in Cafe Americana)

((This took longer than I thought, because I accidentally erased my progress. The unicorn collection - possibly including some other stuff as well, like dragons and knights - sounds just like him~ Probably a good thing he doesn't still see them, or he'd probably end up medicated - but maybe he saw them when he was little? By the way, what do you think his opinion was of America and Russia's relationship? I'm wondering how much potential there is for awkward carried across time, and England is the king of awkward~ Oh, and Ivan hasn't checked the author, so it could be Arthur...))

It felt nice, having someone nestled against him all snug and happy, and Ivan smiled to himself. He liked the feeling of having someone close to him so warm and comfy, and it was good to know that he wouldn't be the only one to enjoy their trip to the gym in such a way, he reflected as his smile turned bashful. His smile widened again, though, as his cheeky-looking boyfriend claimed his torso with an arm, and he giggled softly. He quite liked Alfred's mischief-laden expressions - although, to be honest, he liked most of Alfred's expressions. It was as though they allowed little teeny tiny hints of an indomitable fire within him to show through, little sparks of the heat that gave him his warmth and made him who he was. It was a rather odd notion, but Ivan liked it. "Good~" He grinned happily, chuckling. "I have been looking forward to this as well~" He informed the American he was lying beside cheerfully, before registering the rest of Alfred's words. "A-ahh, you are so sweet~ You are a lovely playful puppy, and I love you as well~" He responded, leaning across to give Alfred a little kiss before he began.

It felt somewhat nostalgic, Ivan thought as he opened the book, and in a comfortable way. He could tell that the sleepy blond beside him was waiting for him to speak, to hear the story unwind, and it made him smile. “When Kafziel, great dragon of the Western Reaches, swift of wing and bright of flame awoke, he was afraid.” He began, his voice soft and lightly accented. “It was an unfamiliar feeling, one that he had not felt since his time as a slight young hatchling, and it made him quiver as he lay upon his hoard. The reason for his distress was simple, and yet utterly beyond his understanding, and his mind was blurred in panic. His wings were gone, his blood ran chill within him – no hint of the inferno that had always burned before, and he could see an unfamiliar and tiny face peering back at him like a terrified rabbit from the polished surface of a silver goblet that seemed much, much too large.” He continued, glancing across to see the ex
pression of the American of whom he had become so fond. “What had become of him? How could his wings have been taken without his notice, his form reduced undisturbed, his flame extinguished without snuffing his life? Even his scales had been altered, dull greeny-brown where once he had gleamed brilliant blue. Of all that he had once been, only his eyes remained unchanged – intense green, ancient and vivid as the distilled essence of forest.” For some reason, those eyes sounded oddly familiar, though Ivan couldn't say why – perhaps he had seen a picture of such eyes before? Dragon-related art did often involve striking eyes...

"For some time, he scrabbled about his collection of precious keepsakes in search of some clue as to what had befallen him, oftimes near causing himself to be trapped beneath his possessions as they tumbled at his hasty feet. However, he could not sprint amidst the gleaming metal jungle his hoard now presented for long, and he soon found himself sat panting at the entrance of his lair.” Did lizards pant? Ivan wasn't sure, but he supposed that magical dragon-things probably could, for the sake of the narrative. “He was distraught and much confused, but he had not lived this long for no reason – he knew that he could not give in to his frenzied thoughts. If I can be changed once, then it can happen again – I must find a way to regain myself, and I cannot do that here! He told himself firmly, taking a step out from the safety of his den. His heart was filled with dread, for he no longer possessed the might to defend himself as he had before, but he was more afraid of never again dancing through the wind than he was of meeting some hungry foe. Even if he were to fail, he would at least have been reaching for his stolen sky. With this thought fixed in his whirring mind, he set out to meet the world anew, though he dared not look up just yet – it was far too soon to behold the home he could not touch.” Ivan proceeded to read aloud for a while longer, relating Kafziel's journey from the mouth of his cave, and through the suddenly imposing undergrowth. He paused after reaching the point at which the little once-dragon reached the top of a hill from which to peer and decide his path. The Russian was feeling sleepier now, and he guessed that the same was probably true of his companion as well. Reaching a breaking point, he closed the book and set it down on the nearest non-bed surface. “Are you ready to be sleeping now?” He asked softly, “I know that I am – I do not believe that I could read for much longer. It has been a long day, da?”

((Will reply once I get access to a laptop <3

((That's okay, there's no hurry~ Happy birthday for tomorrow!))

((Thank you <33))

Alfred looked up at Ivan as he read from the book, smiling rather childishly after a little bit. For some reason thinking of bright green eyes sent a small pang of what almost felt like guilt through him, which he combated by curling closer to Ivan and simply looking up at him to both watch and listen to him reading, his eyes falling closed after a little bit so he could imagine better what the other was describing, ending up grinning all the way up until he heard the book close. He blinked his eyes open and nodded slightly, smiling a bit softer. "You know, I am absolutely positive that I really enjoy listening to you read," he murmured, wiggling up to press a light kiss to the Russian's cheek. As for being ready to sleep, I am way past ready," he responded, yawning and moving so his head was resting on Ivan's chest where he could listen to both his heartbeat and his breathing. That and his warmth was still so very, very soothing.

((Happy Birthday~! I hope whatever you're up to today is fun~ X3 Have a humungous post! ... With funky formatting... yeah, sorry about that.))

Alfred's smile was sweet in its childlike nature, having quite an innocent charm, and Ivan could not help but to return it. That smile actually made him feel a little protective, despite the fact that Alfred was technically the one leading him by the hand in this country, new as the Russian was to it. Perhaps it was because that smile seemed a touch more vulnerable than the wide grins that the American was more prone to - as though Alfred had his guard down and was trusting Ivan with his safety. He wasn't sure where the notion came from, but he wasn't going to argue with it for now. He felt another of those happy little wiggly sensations in his middle when Alfred snuggled closer to him, and he leaned in slightly when that happened. It was also quite cute when his boyfriend's cornflower eyes drifted closed, painting a picture of relaxation while his smile showed that he was happy. "Da? I am glad that you do~" The Russian murmured in sleepy delight when Alfred told him that he enjoyed listening to him read aloud. "I know that I enjoy reading to you~" He added, smiling contentedly as he spoke, and making a happy little sound when he was kissed on the cheek. "Da, very much worth it." He breathed, tucking his scarf under the pillow and reaching across to turn out the light - while taking care not to jostle Alfred. This done, he moved his arms so that he was holding the sweet American he'd fallen for, closing his eyes as he listened to him breathing. That was soothing, and the warmth that Alfred gave off was pleasing and reassuring as well.

Ivan still felt as though his insides were buzzing, knowing as he did that he was laying down to sleep in Alfred's bed, and with the other male doing the same. They had slept in the same bed the previous night, but that had not been planned, and it was hard to steer his mind away from it. He trusted Alfred, though, on a near-instinctive level, so he was not worried at all – he was simply delighted by the thought of being held through the night by someone who loved him. Reassured, too, as he recalled that his nightmare from before had not survived contact with his sunshine – natural, really. It actually reminded him a little of when he had been a small boy, clambering into his parents' bed for comfort after a bad dream – not something he'd done for a very long time. Gradually, his thoughts slowed, despite being buoyed by the momentous nature of the day – his first in a relationship with Alfred – and his breathing began to even out. Eventually, he was lost to slumber, and to the whimsies of dreaming. This time, however, he was not locked into a nightmare – the warm comfort of Alfred's arms and form wrapping and laying beside him acting like a barrier between him and whatever it was that had plagued him before.

There was darkness, but it wasn't black – more like dark red, as though light was seeping through... Did someone have their hand over his eyes? “Not yet, not yet, wait for it...” That was a voice he knew – it belonged to Alfred, his old rival, his friend, his... what was going on? Alfred's tone sounded eager, as though anticipating something, and also as though he was being teasing. “Okay! Now you can look!” Alfred laughed, removing his hand from Ivan's face. The light was very bright, after having that hand over his eyes like that, and it took a moment for them to adjust, but when they did... “A-ahhhh~! This is... Where have you brought me?” He gasped, stood stock still and staring with eyes as wide and round as a frightened doe at his surroundings. “Kansas, dude! You like it?” Came the cheerful reply, the man responsible adjusting his ever-present glasses as he spoke, clearly pleased with the reaction he'd garnered. “The Sunflower State! Well, part of it – this isn't exactly all there is to it, but you know what I mean. You like sunflowers and warm places, right? Well, I figured that this would be the perfect place to show you, if that's the case. Did I do good, or did I do good?” Alfred laughed, waving an arm at the expanse of sunny blooms around them. Gazing out at the scene, so golden and bright, for a moment the only thing Ivan could do was to nod numbly. This was what he had dreamed of for so long – for so very many years – and Alfred had just driven him here as though it was the easiest thing in the world. It felt as though he was melting inside, and he turned to his American counterpart with his eyes still wide and incredulous.

"I – I... Do you have any idea how much this means to me?” He asked, searching the other's beaming visage for any clue as to what he was thinking. “How long I have dreamed of standing in a place such as this?” Did he realise? A vague softening around those sparking blue eyes, and in that effervescent smile, told him that yes, yes he did – at least on some level. “Toris told me...” Alfred replied, looking both pleased and a little taken aback. “I guess I underestimated how much you'd like it, but that only makes this better than I thought! You're happy now, right?”Again, Ivan nodded, feeling a genuine smile spreading across his face – a rare occurrence for him, despite the false grin he wore around the others like a mask. For a moment more, he was still, but the next moment saw him grabbing hold of the younger male and holding him tight. It was as though he was trying to communicate through this bear-hug what he could not fully articulate. “... Da.” He managed, glad that his face was no longer visible – his chin resting on Alfred's shoulder – as he could feel his smile becoming rather wobbly, and his eyes were threatening to leak. It had been a long time since he had wept, having grown used to sorrow and pain, but he had yet to become accustomed to having his fondest desire presented to him, and it felt as though he could scarcely bear it. “Spasiba.” He whispered, knowing that he was likely to sound hoarse if he tried to
speak normally. Nobody did something like this for him, and yet... his eyes said otherwise. “Whoah, dude, you're welcome – but d'you think you could let me breathe, please?” Alfred protested, sounding a little strained, and Ivan loosened his grip obligingly, mumbling an apology.

“... Why?” He asked, still not pulling away enough to allow the other to see his face, as it now bore thin rivulets trickling down from his eyes towards his chin. “Huh? Why what?” Alfred responded, sounding a little confused, and a touch concerned. That was understandable, though, as Ivan's voice held notes that it did not usually contain. “Why would you do this for me? I – I don't understand... I never gave any of your dreams to you...” Ivan answered, his words soft and low, and slightly husky. He knew that he didn't deserve this, for all that he longed for it so much that it hurt, and he wanted to understand – why was Alfred doing this? “Because I wanted to make you happy. Isn't that enough? Besides, you're wrong about that last part – don't think I've forgotten that you were one of the first to recognise me, whatever happened later. That... meant a lot to me, too.” The American replied, his normally-brash tones mellowed and hushed as he spoke. That was all it took. First one breathy sob, then the next, and soon Ivan's pride was forgotten as he allowed himself to cry without restraint – a luxury he hadn't granted himself for some years – while Alfred patted him on the back and tried to soothe him. It felt as though his very heart might leap out of his chest, so full of emotion as it was, but he was pressed too close to the other male for that to happen.

((Omg this is so cute I can't contain it