diff --git a/serialization.nim b/serialization.nim
index 911e6bc..dc7d901 100644
--- a/serialization.nim
+++ b/serialization.nim
@@ -23,13 +23,12 @@ template encode*(Format: type, value: auto, params: varargs[untyped]): auto =
       raise (ref Defect)() # a memoryOutput cannot have an IOError
 
 # TODO Nim cannot make sense of this initialization by var param?
-{.push warning[ProveInit]: off.}
 proc readValue*(reader: var auto, T: type): T =
+  {.warning[ProveInit]: off.}
   mixin readValue
-  when (NimMajor, NimMinor) > (1, 6):
-    result = default(T)
+  result = default(T)
   reader.readValue(result)
-{.pop.}
+  {.warning[ProveInit]: on.}
 
 template decode*(Format: distinct type,
                  input: string,
diff --git a/serialization/object_serialization.nim b/serialization/object_serialization.nim
index f03a226..0ba788c 100644
--- a/serialization/object_serialization.nim
+++ b/serialization/object_serialization.nim
@@ -197,7 +197,10 @@ template readFieldIMPL[Reader](field: type FieldTag,
     # additional notes: putting the FieldType coercion in
     # `makeFieldReadersTable` will cause problems when orc enabled
     # hence, move it here
-    FieldType reader.readValue(FieldType)
+    when distinctBase(FieldType) isnot FieldType:
+      FieldType reader.readValue(FieldType)
+    else:
+      reader.readValue(FieldType)
 
 template writeFieldIMPL*[Writer](writer: var Writer,
                                  fieldTag: type FieldTag,