THESE are your parents?

Despite what he told her, Liz couldn't bring herself to believe him. He seemed like a sweet boy, but what he told her went against what she'd heard about from the news, neighbors, church, and various other life experiences. "That radical minority doesn't seem very minor," she responded. Normally she wouldn't have made such a big deal and argued with a guest in their home like this, but with beliefs so different from theirs and a background like that... well...

"You don't?" she asked, eyebrows lifting. "That's not what I've heard. How could you know, anyway? You're just a kid, and you've never been to that part of the world. You're just believing what your family wants you to believe." She sighed, her expression softening. "That's really tragic."

Nikkolai looked at Seth with the most apologetic expression he could muster. Maybe this had been a bad idea from the start; Seth definitely could have lived without ever meeting his parents and he was sure the feeling would be mutual in time. It wasn't like his parents were very important factors in his life - or at least they wouldn't be as soon as he could make certain they wouldn't be.

Within moments the front door opened, signaling that Mr. Virendra must have been home. It didn't take him long for him to reach the room the other members of his family currently resided in along with Nikkolai's friend. Before he could open his mouth to greet Seth, Liz decided to do it for him.

"David, that's Seth. Nikki's Muslim friend."

His eyes widened and the friendly expression he'd had just a few moments before dissipated as he stared at Seth blankly before looking back to his wife. She was being serious, he could tell from the look on her face. He looked back to Seth and said, "You're a terrorist?"

"Oh my God," Nikkolai groaned, sighing deeply in frustration.

"Don't take His name in vain," Liz corrected quickly, earning a mildly annoyed glance from her son.

Liz was surprised by how angry that seemed to make him. He was spitting his words and he seemed somewhat defensive, at least to her. "Well..." she began, "it has to happen frequently enough for the media to address it. They can't just make up all the bombings and the violence," she said matter-of-factly. "I know it's sickening, but, it's reality, dear."

She was somewhat offended by the look he gaze her, but she didn't lower herself by returning it. He'd mumbled something, though she hadn't quite heard it entirely. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when he spoke in that foreign language. Her eyes widened in horror, his attempt at scaring her apparently successful. "What did you just say?!" she demanded. "Goodness, if you're going to speak in a foreign language don't speak in... in... their language!" She almost seemed frantic, but she forced herself to calm down quickly. "You'll make the neighbors think we're being unholy..."

Nikkolai caught the way Seth was looking at him and returned it wholeheartedly. He hadn't intended for Seth to be attacked like this... he hadn't thought they'd be going into detail like this, and he hadn't wanted to make Seth obey stupid rules just to get his parents to like him. It would just be a lie then and he never would have put Seth in that situation; hell, he hadn't wanted to put him in any situation that involved his parents. "Sorry," he mouthed, meaning it from the depths of his heart.

David clenched his jaw at response Seth gave. He looked at his family before deciding it might be best to try to be nice, even if they were housing someone like... this. He would be with them a few days - it was only a few days out of their lives. He reached out and took Seth's hand within his own, giving a single, firm pump before releasing his hand with a nod.

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence then. Melissa decided to be the one to break it, and with upmost enthusiasm, asked, "Hey, Seth! Do you wear a towel on your head?!"

That was it. "Mel, why don't you go put Anita down for a nap?" Nikkolai suggested, cutting her off from saying anymore. He couldn't control his parents, but he at least had authority over his younger siblings. He wanted to save Seth as much trouble as he possibly could. She grumbled indignantly, mumbling "I was just tying to ask a question," before taking Anita from her brother's arms and walking from the room.

"So he's Muslim, may or may not be a terrorist, speaks in other languages — is there anything else I missed or anything else you'd like to say?" David asked, his inquiry directed toward Seth.

Liz pursed her lips. The boy had a point, which in a way almost ground against her nerves. He was eighteen - he was supposed to see her point, politely back down, and then everything was supposed to be cheerful. He wasn't supposed to argue his point with her and try to prove her wrong. She sighed through her nostrils, knowing that although she was defeated for now, she could say one last thing. "Of course we have vices... but our country and our religion have done great things, what have yours done?" Her brows lifted, quite interested to hear his retort to that.

She watched as he pulled the cross from under his shirt. "But you said you were Muslim," she said, becoming completely confused. How could he be Muslim yet worship the sign of the cross and wear it upon his flesh? It was hypocritical and she wondered just what he truly believed. Or was he confused...? A part of her scorned this, but deep down she felt pity for him. He was so young and misled, that wasn't his fault. Maybe they could bring him back to the right side of things.

Although he appreciated the smile, Nikkolai wasn't certain if he believed it. How could he smile and act so casual when they were attacking him the way they were? It wasn't fair to Seth... they weren't even giving him a chance or looking past one small part of him, they couldn't even see the amazing things that he did. He hadn't expected them to, he knew he shouldn't have tried to hope, even if it had been deep down... but it would have been a pleasant surprise anyway.

He grinned though at Seth's wry comment, clearly amused. It was good, at least, that he could handle Melissa well enough and be tolerant of her. She was young still; hopefully she would learn like he had. "Your hair was ever that long?" he asked, trying to imagine Seth with longer hair but unable to see it. Nikki was sure it was something he wouldn't dislike though; he'd enjoy running his fingers through it and playing with it.

The idea of Seth leaving him alone with those two made him want to scream, though. He wasn't sure he'd be able to do it, but he would try. Seth was only going out to the car... he'd be back, and then Nikkolai could help him with everything and maybe they would get a chance to be alone. As soon as the front door closed, signaling Seth was completely out of earshot, his parents' focus settled on him. He offered a nervous smile, although even that tiny gesture was gone when his mother sighed.

"He's... not quite what I expected..." she said, lifting a hand to rake through her hair. "I trust that you would keep good company, he seems a little... I don't know..."

"Arrogant?" David finished for her, eyebrows lifted. She shook her head; it hadn't been the word she'd been looking for, but David still figured it fit for his own assessment. "I don't like him. At all. Kids like that? They're trouble."

Nikkolai sucked in a breath as his eyes went to the floor. "But you two haven't even gotten to know him," he said meekly.

David shrugged. "Don't need to," he said. "It's not hard to see what a person is like. Don't bring him back here again. Understood?"

"He's really ni-"

"Understood?"

Nikkolai sighed audibly. Seth meant something to him, he wasn't going to just agree to that - next they'd try to force him not to talk to him! Without a word, Nikkolai turned out of the room, even though he knew his father wouldn't appreciate the 'snarkiness'. Whatever.

Putting on a somewhat false smile, Nikkolai grabbed the door handle and stepped outside, leaving it open as he walked toward the car. "I figured I'd see if you needed any help," he said.

As soon as the only people in the room were her and her husband, Liz rolled her eyes and shook her head, sighing softly. She didn't exactly view numbers, algebra, or the scientific method as anything entirely noteworthy, but there was no point in furthering the argument for now. He was going to be here the whole weekend, they would just have to put up with it until then.

Nikkolai stepped aside to allow Seth to go through the threshold. Once Seth was inside, Nikkolai walked in after him and closed the door silently, returning that feeble smile. "Three days and we never have to come back here," he promised.

Making his way away from the door, Nikkolai gestured for Seth to follow him as he walked down a hallway and to the stairs. He glanced back at Seth to make sure he was still behind him, out of slight paranoia that his parents would scoop him up and try to convert him or something, before ascending the stairs. Down another hallway and Nikkolai opened the door to his bedroom, surprised to see that it had, for the most part, been left alone since he'd left. It had been cleaned, of course, but everything still appeared to be in its proper place. From the few items that remained on his dresser to the white walls to the light blue sheets on his bed, everything was familiar in a far more welcoming way than seeing his family again had been. On the opposite side of the room was a door that lead into a connected bathroom.

"You can just put your stuff wherever you want," he said with a smile, plopping down on his bed, somewhat amused as it bounced a little. "I don't mind." Nikkolai leaned back a little, inhaling deeply and releasing it slowly. "Think we can make it through this?" he asked with a light chuckle.

Nikkolai's brows lifted as Seth seemed to inspect the door to make sure it was closed, but it only took a few moments for him to figure out what Seth was really doing. So long as the door was closed they could do whatever the hell they wanted, but more than that it was just time away from the psychos that were his parents. He closed his eyes and snuggled closer to Seth when he wrapped an arm around him, enjoying the closeness.

A smile pulled at his lips when Seth said that, his eyes reopening. "Yeah," he agreed softly, looking at him out of the corner of his eye. "We'll live." It amazed him how Seth always knew exactly what to say to make him feel better; he wondered if he had the same ability. A contended sigh passed out of him as his ear was nibbled upon and he willingly laid down next to Seth once he was pulled down.

Nikkolai stayed like that for a few moments, only to then turn onto his side. He gave Seth's hand a soft squeeze as he rested his head on his chest, curling up a little bit next to him and nuzzling into him. He loved being able to hear and feel Seth's heart beat; it was incredibly soothing.

He didn't know how much time together they'd get this weekend, just the two of them - so he was going to savor every moment the two of them got to share. Propping himself up a little, Nikki checked the door again out of paranoia and waited another moment before turning back to his boyfriend, a small smirk on his face. For now, the coast was clear. Using his free hand, Nikki tilted Seth's head toward his and closed his eyes, capturing his lips with his own.