#quatre's eight (spoken) languages are english arabic french german turkish syriac latin and classical greek

[a-river-of-stars]

Duo attempts to learn a language

[The Gundam pilots have been trying to learn each others’ dominant languages.  Quatre and Trowa’s languages are proving challenging for Duo, who is stymied by his one weakness: the rolling r.  The three have set up in a rec room to practice...]

TROWA   ‘Рим.’

DUO  ‘Rym.’

TROWA  No, it’s... ‘Рим.’

QUATRE  ‘Рим,’ Duo.  Come on!  It’s know it’s hard, but I’m sure you can do it if you keep trying! 💕

DUO  Says the guy who speaks eight languages.  ‘Rym.’

TROWA  ‘Рим.’

DUO  How the fuck are you guys doing that??

QUATRE  Look, watch.  ‘Рим.’  See?  Tip of the tongue against the roof of your mouth, exhale hard, drop the tip a bit and...

DUO  Rhrhrhrhrh

TROWA  No, like...  Hold still.  *grips Duo’s jaw, pinches his mouth open, takes Duo’s tongue between his finger and thumb and puts it in the correct place*

QUATRE  😳

DUO  Eh, uh, ‘O-ah?  ‘hih ‘i’uh’ uh ‘ih-uh o-i-uh...  [Translation: Hey, uh, Trowa? This feels a little weird...]

TROWA   ‘Рим.’

DUO  Ih---ihh---  *pushing Trowa back*  Nope, I’m done.  No more of this fucking Russian.

TROWA  It’s Ukrainian.

DUO  Same difference.

[One half hour later, Wufei finds the three sitting in the rec room.  Duo is holding an ice pack to his bruised face, Trowa’s hands are covered with spit and blood and bite marks, and Quatre is pouring tea for them all.]

WUFEI  Should I ask what happened here, Winner?

QUATRE  We’re very passionate about learning.

WUFEI  I see.  Can I have some of that tea?

QUATRE  Certainly.  Pull up a chair.