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Earlier, Alec had mentioned that he was inviting a friend over. The indication of the way he said friend was 'someone I like so please don't scare the shit out of him before I can get to know him
better'.

As there was noise coming from his room, clearly the friend was now visiting.

The noise was mostly the aimless strumming of a guitar, followed suddenly by Alec snorting and giggling and several sour notes were hit.

"Stop that! It's tickles," he says.

In Russian.

"Only if you stop having such adorable toes, Sasha," someone else says.

Also in Russian.

His door is locked. He's learned his lesson.

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Andrew frowns, looking confused. "I was enjoying my conversation with the young man, Alec. It was interesting. You don't need to leave if you don't want to, Henri."

This is a first. For once, he's not the one kicking one of Alec's friends out.

"Sasha's never been much for politics," Henri says, stopping at the door, smiling as Alec puts his head in his hands.

"No, he hasn't, much to my chagrin. It was nice to meet you. Come back for dinner sometime."

Yes, Alec will love that.

"I'd love to. It was an interesting discussion."

Alec would love it about as much as he'd love to have his toenails ripped off with a hot poker.

"Yes. I'm sure," Alec said softly.

"I'll see you later, Sasha. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Ryan."

"Yeah. Bye."

As soon as Henri leaves, Andrew turns to Alec, raising an eyebrow.

"He seems... nice. Misguided, but interesting. Though... I certainly hope his interests aren't wearing off on you."

"No, sir. I didn't even know those were his interests. We didn't talk about anything like that," Alec says, glad that Andrew doesn't appear to be angry.

"I wonder if his parents share said interests. It could make dinner parties awkward, to say the least. He's young, though, and impressionable. I'm sure he can be adequately taught otherwise, if he continues to date you."

Yes, Andrew is going to indoctrinate your boyfriend, Alec.

"I imagine so, they did raise him and speaks very highly of them," Alec says as he sits down on his bed.

"Dinner parties? What dinner parties?" The panic looked is back in his eyes.

Of course he is.

"The ones I fully intend to invite them to, just as soon as I get the chance."

Maybe it's just to bug Alec. Maybe it's because he really wants to meet them. Either way, it seems to amuse him.

"Why!?"

The idea doesn't seem to sit well with Alec.

"You want me to take an interest in your life, do you not? Getting to know his parents is one of the first steps."

Oh God. Just, oh God. Or oh non-existent deity.

"Well, yes. I mean, but... why all of a sudden?"

"Because I'm intrigued by the fellow. Is that so wrong?"

"It worries me. That's all."

He's never shown much of an interest in any of his previous boyfriends. Beyond traumatizing and throwing them out.

"Why? Do you imagine I'll be impolite?"

It's a fair thing to imagine.

"You'll be sarcastic and condescending."

Impolite is fine. He can handle impolite. It's the other stuff he worries about. And then when he starts getting carried away with politics...

"You can't be certain of that. I'm perfectly capable of reasonable discussions."

He changes tact a bit. "I'm surprised you like him... or at least find him interesting. I mean... you never seem to like anyone who's from Russia, willingly speaks Russian and calls me Sasha."

Yes, he is trying to get Andrew to leave Henri alone.

"I found him interesting. I want to know what he's telling you."

So partially it's an attempt to get into Henri's head, to make sure he's not warping Alec's thoughts.

"That I have cute toes." He sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. "Bayta, I swear we haven't talk a bit about philosophy or politics or economics beyond how I'm going to pay for school. Since I won't take government loans."

"Sasha," Andrew said, mimicking Alec's tone of voice fairly accurately, "First you want me to take interest in your life, and then, when it doesn't suit you, you want me to ignore the people you're spending time with. You can't have it both ways. Either have him come to dinner with us, or tell me to butt out entirely."

Alec looks up at him at being called Sasha and there's a mixed expression on his face. It's surprise, hurt and a bit of wistfulness.

"I need to stop calling you bayta. It just makes you crankier." There's a bit of mournfulness in his voice. "I don't even know why I do. Probably too much Russian with Henri."

Then he adds, "And yes. Fine. I'll invite Henri to dinner."

"You can call me whatever you want, Alec. I've never indicated a preference one way or the other. You have free will, after all. I expect you to use it."

He's not understanding at all that this could be an emotional issue for Alec. It's hard for him to understand any emotional issue, generally, so he tends to take things at face value, and is genuinely confused as to why Alec would think a word makes him cranky.

"Except that you're not my father, right?"

Because it always seems to drop Andrew into hard sarcasm and mocking mode.

"No, I'm not your father. You had a father, and I would never dream of taking the place of someone who meant so much to you. I am your guardian, and your adoptive father, and you may call me as you wish. I thought that had been established."