Xisuma's Parrotsitting [HermitSteal AU]

Child Rebel

The last thing Xisuma expected today was to get a phone call from Parrot's school. It hasn't even been a week and that boy is already getting himself in trouble with not just the students but also the staff. Sighing, Xisuma promises the teacher on the other end of the line that he'll be there in ten minutes and hangs up with a veil of disappointment falling over his shoulders.

It's a short walk to the school and Xisuma collects every bit of information he can about the situation as he rings the buzzer next to the gate. There is a teacher standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at him like he has done the worst crime ever. That is probably one of the teachers Parrot swore at.

Xisuma can't help the dread that comes up his spine. What sort of lie can he make up to cover for the kid? Actually, he could blame most of the violence on Xanthus; say his brother's habits have rubbed off on the boy.

That... could be convincing. Maybe.

He sighs again. Mentally, he notes that this is the most frustrated he's felt in all of his life. You'd think having to care for a child wouldn't cause so much stress but this proves otherwise.

The gate opens soon and he bids the teacher at the top of the stairs a good morning. The response he receives is only a formality, really.

"Mr. Void", a man greets him when he enters the hall. He has short, brown hair and the eyes of a man who has seen it all.

"Hello, Mr. Marriot", Xisuma asks, discreetly scanning the hall for any sign of life.

Distantly, he can hear the yells and shouts of joy coming from the yard. Class must still be in session. He should be worried about the fact that they called him in the middle of class for this and not at the end of the day.

Shoving down the urge to sigh for the umpteenth time today, Xisuma crosses his arms. Mr. James looks relieved that the 'father' of the kid shares the sentiment. The poor man must be exhausted.

■■■

Sitting down with the principal feels surreal. Sitting down to defend a child that isn't his own feels like hubris.

Parrot doesn't look the slightest bit ashamed of what the principal has just told Xisuma. That isn't surprising, given the fact that the boy doesn't shy away from threatening adults into doing chores and homework but they don't know that.

Xisuma doesn't want Parrot to end up in an orphanage; he's heard the stories and he's seen the horrors. God knows if Parrot would ever be fostered or adopted and whether the family would be good to him. Especially since he spends more time playing with his friends in the alleyways than staying at home. That is why he hasn't told anyone about his predicament.

Unless something... unfortunate were to happen, the kid is safe from that scenario.

Unfortunately, Parrot isn't safe from a good scolding on the way home and a retake of the English test his class had today. Who starts a food fight during class?! Who forms a whole resistance in the middle of a test?!

Honestly, Parrot's creativity amazes him.

However, that isn't the reason he was sent to the principal's office. No, no, he was sent to the principal because he bit his desk-mate and called the teacher a bad name.

Oh, and apparently all the notices the teacher sent with Parrot to Xisuma never reached him because Parrot would eat them every time. The boy didn't confess to that but Xisuma wouldn't put it past his capabilities. Children are menaces in unimaginable ways.

"I am so sorry about his behavior. He is a bit of a troublemaker and we moved into the neighborhood only a week ago; he's still adjusting to the new environment", Xisuma tries to explain and hopes to look like a worried father. The principal seems to be buying it.